Sineng Electric has been chosen to provide string PCS MV turnkey stations for the world’s largest sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS). The initial 50MW/100MWh phase of this ambitious 100MW/200MWh project, in China’s Hubei Province, has been successfully connected to the grid and commenced commercial operations. The project is China’s first 100-MWh-scale energy storage power station to utilize sodium-ion batteries.
Developed and managed by Datang Hubei Energy Development, the project can store 100,000 kWh of electricity on a single charge, supplying power to approximately 12,000 households for an entire day.
In a bid to diversify from lithium, China has been exploring alternative energy storage technologies, with sodium-ion batteries emerging as a promising option due to their abundant raw material, superior performance at low temperatures, better round-trip efficiency and excellent safety.
The power plant consists of 42 BESS containers with 185Ah sodium-ion batteries, 21 power conversion system (PCS) units, and a 110kV booster station. Sineng’s 2.5MW string PCS MV turnkey solution is designed to align with the system’s wide DC voltage range, supporting rated output power from 700V to 1500V. Featuring cluster-level energy management, the solution amplifies the cluster-level balancing capability of the batteries, with the string PCS units engineered with IP66 protection rating to ensure durability in extreme temperatures and high humidity.
As the project comes online, it effectively mitigates peak demand, enhances grid resilience and guarantees a reliable power supply. The project marks a significant milestone in China’s transition toward diversified energy storage solutions and deploying sodium-ion battery technology on such a large scale demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of alternative ESS, paving the way for their extensive adoption worldwide.
