Main content:
As the global demand for new energy continues to grow, people are increasingly seeing the huge potential benefits of sodium-ion battery research and development, compared with lithium-ion batteries not only in resource abundance, cost, safety and cycle life has a strong competitiveness, but also shows more excellent high and low temperature performance and fast charging capacity. Sodium-ion batteries have shown broad application potential in the fields of energy storage system, electric construction machinery and start-up power, helping to achieve the goal of "dual carbon" and green economic development.
Sodium ion advantage
At the resource level, the crustal abundance of sodium is 2.75%, lithium is 0.0065%, sodium resources (battery materials) are distributed in the world, and lithium resources are 75% distributed in the Americas, China only accounts for 6% of the world, and China is the largest lithium battery producer. Although the price of lithium ore has been floating in recent years, the scarcity of resources and the security of energy issues are like the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of enterprises and countries, and they have to be paid attention to.
Countries will strengthen real-time monitoring of power grid operation, maintain the necessary safety margin for power grid operation, and strengthen accident plan drills to ensure that power grid failures are handled quickly and decisively. In addition, at the level of fluid collector selection, the positive and negative fluid collectors of sodium ion batteries are aluminum foil (cheap); Lithium ion battery negative collector fluid must be copper foil (expensive).
Cost reduction depends on the progress of the material side, in addition, with the development of industrialization, technology and process gradually mature, electrolyte, hard carbon and other raw materials supply consistency and stability is expected to be improved, the cost effect will gradually become prominent.
Check lithium vs sodium battery for more information.
The performance advantage of sodium electricity
The comprehensive performance of sodium-ion batteries has significant advantages. Compared with lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries have a small energy density and are highly competitive in resource reserves, cost, safety and life.
(1) High and low temperature performance is good. In the high and low temperature environment have a good charge and discharge performance, lithium-ion battery operating temperature range of -20°C-60°C, sodium battery can work normally within -40°C-75°C, -40°C environment capacity retention rate of more than 80%, can solve the winter electric vehicle charging difficult, low efficiency of energy storage power station in cold areas of the pain point.
(2) High safety. NFPP sodium-ion batteries do not fire or explode during needling, extrusion and other safety tests.
(3) Good magnification performance, can be "fast charging". Sodium ion has higher molar ionic conductivity, higher charging efficiency, better rate performance, and can respond to the needs of energy storage and large-scale power supply.
(4) Long cycle life. The cycle life (deep cycle battery near me) of the sodium-ion battery is about 5,000 times, and the polyyin system theory can reach 10,000 times. The average life of lithium batteries is about 2000-3000 times, and lead-acid batteries are 300-500 times. Sodium-ion batteries last longer.
Sodium ion battery market analysis
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 30 newly signed sodium-ion battery related projects in 2023, and the planned production capacity of sodium-ion batteries exceeds 260 GWh, and the total investment amount exceeds 114 billion yuan. We believe that the future application of sodium-ion batteries will mainly focus on the following market segments:
(1) The uniqueness and innovation of sodium electricity in the energy storage market make it have wide application prospects and potential value in the field of energy storage. In the "14th Five-Year Plan" Implementation Plan for New Energy Storage Development issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration in 2022, sodium-ion battery technology is one of the key directions for new energy storage core technology and equipment.
As of July 2024, China has nearly 500MWH energy storage power stations using sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion batteries with its upstream sodium source wide, low BOM cost, high safety, good low temperature performance, can achieve 0V transportation (no electricity, completely avoid safety accidents during transportation) and other advantages, the future in the field of energy storage promising. According to the Starting Point Research Institute (SPIR), it is expected that by 2025, the shipment of sodium batteries for energy storage will reach 50GWh, and by 2030, the shipment of sodium batteries for energy storage will reach 420GWh, and the penetration rate of sodium ion batteries in the field of energy storage will continue to increase in the next 10 years.
(2) Construction machinery Secondly, in the context of the country's realization of the "dual carbon" goal and the construction of a new dual-cycle development pattern, the gradual maturity of "three electricity" technology has brought about the continuous reduction of the manufacturing cost of electrification products. As a means of production, construction machinery, electrification has gradually become attractive and economical compared with the whole life cycle cost of fuel. Electrification has become one of the important directions of green development of construction machinery.
The sodium-ion battery can meet the needs of construction machinery with low cost and high counterweight, and is expected to occupy a certain market share in the field of green development of construction machinery. According to the forecast of the Starting point Research Institute, sodium-ion batteries will gradually begin to penetrate in the field of construction machinery in 2025, the permeability will exceed 8%, and the permeability will reach 26% in 2030, and the overall shipment of sodium-ion batteries for construction machinery will reach 32GWH.
(3) Starting power supply Starting power supply is a power supply specially used for starting, ignition and lighting of motorcycles, vehicles, ships, fuel engines and aircraft. The car starting power supply needs to have the characteristics of fast charging and discharging ability, good high and low temperature performance, etc. Every time the car re-igniting, the battery drives the generator, and the battery charging and discharging ratio performance is very high.
At the same time, because the start-stop battery faces the high temperature of the engine room and the low temperature environment in the northern winter, it needs to have good high and low temperature performance to prevent frequent start-stop failure. Compared with lead-acid battery, sodium batteries have higher energy density, longer driving range and lower weight, and have excellent high and low temperature performance, which can be used in extreme ambient temperature applications.
According to OICA data, in 2022, the global sales of fuel vehicles is about 70 million, the fuel vehicle starting battery power is generally 800Wh, the demand for starting power is 56GWh, considering the stock replacement of the starting battery demand is 70GWh, then sodium batteries can replace the space of lead acid is 126GWh, and the alternative market space is more than 60 billion yuan.
According to statista data, the global motorcycle sales in 2022 is about 49.9 million, of which fuel motorcycles account for about 95%, according to the global motorcycle market sales feedback, small-displacement motorcycle sales will continue to shrink, large-displacement motorcycle sales increase, start the battery with an increase in electricity, the current average of about 120Wh, The corresponding battery demand is 5.7GWh, considering the stock replacement of the starting battery demand is about 5.8GWh, then the sodium electric starting battery can replace the lead-acid starting battery space is 11.5GWh, corresponding to the market size of 6 billion yuan. In the field of sodium electricity, Menglion Technology, Veke Technology, Tianneng sodium electricity and other enterprises have been laid out.
Conclusion
With the global demand for new energy, sodium batteries, as an emerging energy storage technology, have received widespread attention. We believe that with the advantages of sodium batteries in low temperature, fast charge, safety, cost and resource richness, it will become an important force in the field of new energy.
Related articles: battery high energy density, battery capacity, how do batteries work