Will large capacity energy storage cell become the general trend of substitution

 

 

There are many companies that release more than 300Ah energy storage cell products. In addition to the companies that have released related products earlier, 20 companies have launched 28 large-scale energy storage cell products above 300Ah.

 

And the size follows the size of the mainstream 280Ah cell. From the point of view of product technology and technology, most of them still use mature priamatic winding processes.

1. Background of high-capacity cells

Looking at the development trend of the energy storage industry, the pursuit of larger cell capacity seems to have become the standard for technical competition. Since last year, the pursuit of high-capacity cells in the field of energy has become a trend.

China releases information on 300Ah plus energy storage cells. By the end of 2022, the penetration rate of 280Ah products in China's power storage projects has reached more than 80%. It is expected that by the second half of 2023, the top 10 energy storage battery cell companies will achieve mass production and delivery of 300Ah+ large-capacity cells.

Background of high-capacity cells

 

Although large-capacity cells have become a trend, it is expected that 300Ah+ products can achieve a complete replacement of 280Ah in the short term, but there are still the following problems to be solved.

2. Short-term substitution restrictions

● Product security issues

As the capacity of the battery cell increases, the distance between the heating part inside the battery and the housing increases. It is more difficult for the battery cell to dissipate heat, and the problem of uneven heat distribution is more obvious, which makes it easy to cause the problem of thermal runaway in the cell.

With the increase of SOC, the proportion of hydrogen produced by thermal runaway of large-capacity lifepo4 battery increases, and the explosion index is twice that of ternary batteries. Therefore, the requirements of 300Ah+ products for ontology, process and fire safety are more prominent.

● The cost-effective advantage

In addition to 560/580Ah, two products in the capacity have been greatly upgraded, the rest are concentrated at 300–320Ah, so the capacity increase is small. In terms of price, due to the increase in materials such as lithium supplements and process upgrades.

Short-term substitution restrictions

 

Although the battery capacity is increased by 10% to 15% compared to 280Ah, the cost of the BOM cell also increases, and there is no downward trend. In terms of performance, some manufacturers can reach 10,000 times or even 12,000 cycles, but they are all expected to be reliable. Since its launch in 2020, the 280Ah battery cell has been gradually recognized for a long time in a fiercely competitive market environment.

3. Advantages of development under the general trend

Overall, the development of energy storage batteries in the direction of large capacity, low cost, long life and high safety is a long-term trend. The mature high capacity cell solution has the following advantages: Reduced use of pack parts and reduced costs.

The energy of the same size system is increased, and the capacity is higher under the same voltage. Under the same capacity, the number of series and parallel cells is reduced, and the accuracy of BMS is improved. The assembly process in the integration field is simplified and the integration difficulty is reduced.

Advantages of development under the general trend

 

The production capacity of stand alone equipment has increased, and the investment cost has decreased. In the future, the penetration of high-capacity batteries will have a profound impact on the industrial chain in terms of manufacturing, system integration, and downstream applications.

4. Company products and features

According to statistics, more than twenty 300Ah energy storage cells have emerged in the field of energy storage, and more than half of the current cell manufacturers have 300Ah and above capacity cells, and the size of 71173 is still used. In addition, there are also manufacturers who insist on their own size, such as Gotion and EVE.

It is worth mentioning that in the field of more than 500Ah, there are already EVE 560Ah energy storage cells. A new generation of special batteries for power storage, with high volumetric energy density and many cycles. As early as august last year, the300Ah power storage batteries were released.

● SVOLT

SVOLT 325Ah short knife laminated battery adopts flying stacking technology, long and thin short knife design, and the cycle life of the long cycle version can reach 12,000 times. Compared with the traditional VDA energy storage cell, the safety of the battery cell is significantly improved, and the safety of the battery cell can be achieved without explosion and fire without explosion and extrusion tests. The cell was mass-produced and delivered in the second half of the year.

● Great power

Compared with the previous generation of cell products, the monomer capacity is increased by 14%, in the 280Ah cell of the same size, the energy is increased by 14%, the cycle life is more than 8000 times, the service life is more than 20 years.

At the same time, it has excellent performance in low temperature capability, and can meet -40°C storage and -30°C discharge. In November of last year, TRW battery research institute successfully developed a long-term cycle with LCOS as the direction to reduce electricity costs.

Company products and features

 

● Gotion

Gotion exhibited 300Ah energy storage cells, and the current order volume of Gotion 300Ah cells is relatively saturated. Gotion 300Ah energy storage cell sizes are in the 81-size series, different from the current 71-size series that is more popular in the energy storage market.

The consideration is mainly due to the insistence on its own technology, but also because it can be combined with 340Ah power cells. At present, the energy storage market is large enough, and it is unlikely that one size fits all. In the future, the company will still adhere to the 81-size series, but the next generation of energy storage cells will be at least 330Ah.

● Ganfeng

Ganfeng 314Ah battery is expected to be mass-produced and is similar in size to the 280Ah energy storage cell. By 2023, four battery projects will have been completed, with a total investment of 35 billion RMB. Invest in the construction of a new lithium battery and headquarters project with an annual output of 10 GWh and a total planned investment of 5 billion RMB.

The project construction includes R&D bases and production lines such as lithium iron phosphate, semi-solid battery cells, light power batteries, outdoor portable energy storage power supplies, home energy storage, and industrial and commercial energy storage systems.

● EVE

Since the release of the 560Ah energy storage battery (LF560K) last year, the battery capacity is 560Ah, twice that of the LF280K. The single battery's energy is 1.792 kWh. LF560K is double the common size of 280Ah prismatic cells, which is equivalent to two 280Ah cells placed side by side with a single cell weight of 10.95kg.

● Sunwoda

Sunwoda's 314Ah battery is the same size as the 280Ah battery on the energy storage market, with 12,000 cycles. Sunwoda includes liquid-cooled energy storage systems, air-cooled energy storage systems and outdoor cabinets, which can meet different scale scenarios.

5. Conclusion

In summary, although most companies promote 300Ah+ cell products, compared to 280Ah products, 300Ah+ cells have no clear benefits in terms of safety, performance or cost. Whether a full replacement of 280Ah products can be achieved in the future remains to be verified over time. 

 

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