C. Brannock
BASF Corporation,
United States
Keywords: sodium, molten salt, long duration, microgrid, utility scale, commercially available
Summary:
Stationary energy storage has been recognized as one of the flexibility solutions to enable decarbonization of the energy value chain and to meet the Net Zero 2050 targets. As the demand for stationary storage, and specifically for long duration storage, is growing (according to the LDES: 1.5 to 2.5 TW of power or 85 to 140 TWh of energy capacity will be required globally by 2040), the question arises how it can be met: are there technologies already on the market? Is there enough capacity? Li-ion batteries is the today`s mainstream technology for new storage installations. These battery technologies come to their limits in terms of cost/performance when the energy shall be stored over multiple hours or longer. Various alternative technologies are being developed; however, their technological and commercial feasibility is yet to be demonstrated. For the mid-range duration of 6 -10 hours, there is already a long-term proven and cost-competitive solution on the market: sodium-sulfur batteries (NAS Batteries). NAS Batteries are high-energy long-duration batteries designed for stationary energy storage. NAS battery cells use Na and S as the core materials. Na, S as well as other raw materials, such as aluminum or silica, are abundant on earth and have relatively stable prices. The design life of 20 years, coupled with a very slow degradation and low maintenance efforts, result in an overall low Levelized Cost of Storage for NAS batteries. NAS Batteries have an unprecedented safety record due to their elaborated safety concept, which has been again confirmed by UL. With their discharge duration between 6 - 10 hours, NAS batteries are perfectly suited to serve as stabilization and flexibility reserve for renewable energies integration. The benefits of NAS batteries have been proved by over 20 years of deployment in various parts of the globe.