Green transition sparks focus on energy storage

Energy storage has become pivotal in ensuring efficient power grid operation and accelerating the transition to green energy sources, as China accelerates its green energy transition, said a top company official.

With the growing adoption of renewable energy technologies like wind and solar power, energy storage systems are emerging as indispensable components of modern electricity grids, said Zhu Yufeng, board chairman of GCL Energy Technology.

"As an 'energy transporter' and 'stabilizer' for new energy sources, energy storage can make up for the intermittent and fluctuating characteristics of new energy sources, solving issues related to the high proportion of nonfossil energy sources and the large-scale integration into new power systems," he said during the new energy storage industry high-quality development forum held in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on Thursday.

The new energy storage sector has been rising fast as a new frontier, becoming a significant driver for the high-quality development of the new energy industry, he said.

Figures released by the National Energy Administration reveal that by the end of June, China completed and put into operation new energy storage projects with a cumulative installed capacity exceeding 17.33 gigawatts, with newly commissioned projects reaching a combined capacity of about 8.63 GW during the first half, roughly equivalent to the cumulative installed capacity in previous years.

It is expected that the total newly installed capacity for the whole year will reach 15-20 GW, it said.

According to the Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Development of New Energy Storage report jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, China's installed capacity for new energy storage will exceed 30 GW by 2025.

Zhu added that energy storage will have significant potential for growth in the next three decades, with batteries, advanced technologies and smart systems revolutionizing the way clean energy is harnessed and distributed.

The company launched a series of energy storage products recently on the sidelines of the 2023 International Forum on Energy Transition held in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, including energy storage dedicated battery cells, liquid-cooled integrated energy storage cabinets, super energy storage power stations, and super storage and charging integrated charging piles.

The products will further support interaction with the grid while integrating energy storage and charging, so as to help minimize the impact of overcharging on the grid as much as possible, it said.

Shi Zhiyong, a senior engineer from the State Grid Energy Research Institute, agreed, saying that energy storage provides a variety of services for power system operations and has proven to significantly enhance the utilization of renewable energy sources while supporting distributed power generation and micro-grids.

However, Zhu also warned that there is still a considerable distance to go before the energy storage industry achieves full-scale development.

Technological leadership, safety and stability, and economic affordability will further promote the high-quality development of the new energy storage industry and companies must keep pushing forward the upgrade of the entire energy storage industry chain, he said.