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Hithium Launches 4 MWh Sodium-Ion BESS with Advanced Cell Technology
Hithium has launched a new 4 MWh sodium-ion energy storage system, the ∞Power N4.0MWh, featuring an advanced 785 Ah cell. This system, offering a 30-year design life and 20,000 cycles, is compatible with existing lithium-ion production lines and initially targets utility-scale storage, with plans to expand into commercial and residential markets. The technology includes a compact design, enhanced thermal management, and aims for low levelized cost of storage.
Hithium, a Chinese battery manufacturer, has unveiled its new sodium-ion energy storage solution, the ∞Power N4.0MWh. This system boasts a 4 MWh capacity and incorporates the new high-capacity ∞Cell N785Ah sodium-ion battery cell. This development signifies a substantial increase in capacity, achieved in less than two years.
The manufacturer has indicated that its initial focus will be on utility-scale storage applications, with plans to expand into commercial, industrial, and residential products in the future. This expansion aims to provide a broader range of battery chemistry options for businesses and households. Hithium intends to commence full-scale production and delivery in 2027, utilizing its existing lithium-ion manufacturing lines. The company projects a designed service life of 30 years for the system. Its objective is to rapidly transition sodium-ion technology from validation and pilot implementation to widespread deployment.
The ∞Cell N785Ah cell offers a service life of 20,000 cycles and supports storage durations ranging from 2 to 8 hours. It is "fully compatible" with Hithium’s 1,000 Ah lithium-ion manufacturing platform, including both cell and system integration production lines, which facilitates production scale-up. Nazar Yi, Hithium's Chief Technology Officer, emphasized that "Energy storage technologies must overcome two barriers to achieve large-scale deployment: affordability and availability." Hithium had previously launched the ∞Cell N162 Ah in December 2024, which was then described as the first sodium-ion battery specifically designed for utility-scale energy storage.
The new 4 MWh sodium-based ESS features a stacked-cell design, which has reduced the system's footprint by 30%. It includes a dedicated Battery Management System (BMS) with a State of Charge (SOC) estimation accuracy of ≤2.5% and is compatible with 800–1500V Power Conversion Systems (PCS). The PCS rated-power utilization is more than 20% higher compared to Hithium’s first-generation sodium-ion ESS.
For thermal management, a hybrid air-liquid cooling system is employed, achieving a "24-hour comprehensive efficiency of over 88%." This system further enhances thermal management by using weather data to optimize cooling, potentially reducing auxiliary power consumption by 30% and standby auxiliary power consumption by 50%. Aileen Wang, director of the Battery Research Institute, stated that "30 years means 10,950 days of validation, a long-term commitment to our customers." Hithium is targeting a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) of approximately RMB 0.1 per kWh, equivalent to about 1.5 US cents per kWh.
This article is based on information from pv-magazine-india.com.
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