une 28, 2021, Taiyuan, Shanxi – The world's first 1MWh sodium-ion battery energy storage system, developed by HiNa Battery, officially commenced operation in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, marking a celebratory achievement for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

▲ The 1MWh Sodium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System

Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Category A Strategic Priority Research Program on key technologies and application demonstration for large-scale energy storage, HiNa Battery, in collaboration with the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has jointly launched and successfully put into operation the world's first 1MWh sodium-ion battery optical-storage-charging intelligent microgrid system in the Shanxi Transformation and Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone, Taiyuan. This system utilizes sodium-ion batteries as the primary energy storage medium, integrating with the municipal grid, photovoltaic generation, and charging facilities to form a microgrid capable of intelligent interaction with the public grid based on demand. The successful development of this sodium-ion battery optical-storage-charging intelligent microgrid system signifies that China has taken a leading position globally in sodium-ion battery technology and its industrialization, and indicates that sodium-ion batteries are poised to enter a new phase of commercial application.

▲ Scene from the Operation Commencement Ceremony

The ceremony was attended by experts and scholars including: Academician Chen Liquan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Hu Jiangping, Deputy Director of the Institute of Physics, CAS; Lai Xiaokang, Senior Expert and Professor-level Senior Engineer at China Electric Power Research Institute; Yu Zhenhua, Chairman of the Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry Technology Alliance; Yao Liangzhong, former President of China Electric Power Research Institute; Li Hong, Researcher at the Institute of Physics, CAS and President of the Tianmu Lake Institute of Advanced Energy Storage Technologies; Xiao Jinsong, Director of the Materials Industry Research Institute at the CCID Research Institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

▲ Group Photo of Attending Leaders and Distinguished Guests

A concurrent high-end energy storage forum was chaired by Li Hong, Researcher at the Institute of Physics, CAS and President of the Tianmu Lake Institute of Advanced Energy Storage Technologies. Academician Chen Liquan delivered a keynote report titled "Sodium-ion Batteries Propelling an Electrified China." Subsequently, Zhai Hong, Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Huayang Group; Yu Zhenhua, Executive Vice Chairman of the Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry Technology Alliance; Zhang Huamin, Researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS; Zhou Xuezhi and Dai Xingjian, Researchers at the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS; and Meng Qingbo, Researcher at the Institute of Physics, CAS, presented insightful reports on the energy storage industry, energy storage technologies, solar cells, and related fields. Finally, Hu Yongsheng, Researcher at the Institute of Physics, CAS and Chairman of HiNa Battery, delivered a keynote speech titled "Sodium-ion Batteries: A Decade of Dedication," reviewing the past decade of sodium-ion battery R&D and industrialization, and envisioning future development directions. Government and enterprise leaders, representatives from relevant units in the Transformation and Reform Zone, and industry media also attended this grand event.

▲ Researcher Hu Yongsheng Delivering His Keynote Report

Since 2011, Hu Yongsheng, Chairman of HiNa Battery, has led his team in tackling a series of challenges related to sodium-ion batteries. This decade of persistent dedication to "sodium" has yielded significant contributions across the research, production, application, and utilization of sodium-ion batteries. As an important complement to lithium-ion batteries and a key link in the energy revolution, the progress of sodium-ion batteries—from laboratory-scale kilogram levels to the 1MWh energy storage battery system, and the industry's evolution from obscurity to vigorous growth—each incremental breakthrough is truly inspiring.

▲ Team Photo of HiNa Battery

Founded in 2017, HiNa Battery's core technology originates from the Clean Energy Laboratory of the Institute of Physics, CAS. It is China's first high-tech enterprise dedicated to the R&D and production of sodium-ion batteries. The company holds multiple core patents for sodium-ion batteries and has received numerous national and provincial-level innovation achievement awards. HiNa Battery possesses fully independent, proprietary core technologies across the entire sodium-ion battery production chain. It boasts a complete materials R&D platform, pilot production lines for cathode and anode materials with hundred-ton capacity, and a megawatt-hour (MWh) level sodium-ion battery pilot production line. The company is currently constructing a production base in Taiyuan, Shanxi, with an annual capacity of 2000 tons for sodium-ion battery cathode and anode materials. Currently, the company's products have already found initial applications in low-speed vehicles, two-wheelers, and 5G base stations.

We extend our gratitude to leaders at all levels and friends from all sectors of society for their ongoing attention and shared witness to this journey. HiNa Battery will strive further to continuously develop safe, stable, long-life, wide-temperature-range, and high-power sodium-ion batteries for our customers. Staying true to our original aspirations and forging ahead, we eagerly anticipate the day when sodium-ion batteries enter millions of households, becoming a "main force" in safeguarding national energy security.