HiTHIUM introduces its first 5 MWh container with 46% greater energy density

HiTHIUM has announced a new 5 MWh container product using the standard 20-foot container structure. The more compact second generation (ESS 2.0), higher-capacity energy storage system will come pre-installed and ready to connect. It will be outfitted with 48 battery modules based on the manufacturer’s new 314Ah LFP cells, each module providing 104.5 kWh capacity and designed to meet the needs of large utility scale systems.

Due to the more compact design, the 5 MWh container will provide an energy density of 117Wh/l, 46% higher than the 80Wh/l that can be seen in standard systems based on 280Ah cells. The product will also be technically compatible with most top inverter brands’ power control systems, or bidirectional inverters.

The new energy storage system, named the “HiTHIUM ∞Block,” comes with the company’s mature multi-level, liquid-cooling technology, which keeps cell temperature variation below 3° Celsius. Intelligent thermal management also enables the system to optimize battery power and reduce internal energy consumption. Further safety features include multi-level fault detection systems, cell monitoring, gas and smoke detection, and automated fire extinguishing.

HiTHIUM Head of Global Business Mizhi Zhang said: “This new 5 MWh container demonstrates that we can increase capacity and reduce LCOS, to make the energy transition genuinely affordable.”

Optimising cell chemistry and cooling technology for increased safety

HiTHIUM has increased the intrinsic safety of LFP battery technology further and developed its own proprietary LFP. By means of a so-called lattice doping, the HiTHIUM team has achieved both a higher capacity and a lowered internal resistance of the cell.

In addition to the new 5 MWh container based on 314Ah cells, the company delivers cabinets and containers based on its 300Ah cells, including a 4 MWh-capacity container, that also deploys the proprietary immersion liquid-cooling technology. HiTHIUM also offers the 300Ah and other LFP battery cells and liquid-cooled modules based on them to other battery storage manufacturers for use in their products.

With the 300Ah cell HiTHIUM succeeded in reducing degradation in the first 1000 cycles to under 2%, versus the industry-typical 6%, achieved in part by modifying the anode with a technology for the active and sustained release of lithium ions. These 300Ah cells, unlike standard LFP cells, still retain their rated capacity after the first 1000 cycles. They are subsequently able to maintain this advantage, in terms of slowed degradation, over their entire lifetime. Batteries with HiTHIUM 300Ah cells can thus realise an 18% higher energy throughput during their lifetime, compared to commercially available LFP cells.

Why LFP? Of the most commonly used lithium oxides, lithium iron phosphate is the most temperature-resistant, only becoming sensitive at approximately 220° C. Lithium-ion batteries can burn if damaged or heated to extreme temperatures, because of the sensitivity to excess temperatures of the lithium-mixed oxides used in the cell. There are lithium oxides for which so-called thermal runaway occurs at temperatures as low as ca. 180° C. Relative to other kinds, LFP cells have the greatest thermal safety reserves.

Inverter suppliers confirm BESS manufacturer HiTHIUM’s compatibility

HiTHIUM has also demonstrated technical compatibility with major suppliers of power control systems (PCS) or bidirectional inverters. The PCSs are compatible with HiTHIUM’s products including its container solution systems.

As a producer of cells, battery modules, up to full DC-side solutions, HiTHIUM teams up with PCS suppliers, working with a range of inverter-makers to confirm that the company’s battery products match well with the inverters’ important technical parameters, including DC input range and maximum short circuit current.

HiTHIUM confirmed compatibility with brands including SMA, Gamesa, Delta Electronics, IngeTeam, Power Electronics, and Sineng Electric. The assessments look at PCS for both IEC and UL versions. Winfried Wahl, HiTHIUM Germany Senior Product Manager, explains: “The determination of compatibility allows customers and investors to pre-select matching PCS for their projects. Projects still of course need detailed design planning and to implement communication checks between energy management systems, BESS, and the PCS. This confirmation from major suppliers is nonetheless a crucial step, following our European market entry in June, toward delivering clear, transparent product information.”

Maintaining agility even while implementing large-scale projects

HiTHIUM served as the core supplier for China Southern Power Grid Company’s (CSG) first 100+ MWh-level, grid-side standalone energy storage project. Located in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, the 140 MWh plant has an energy storage capacity of 140 MWh and deploys advanced LFP battery products from HiTHIUM.

“Projects like the one in Meizhou City are exactly why we built HiTHIUM’s technology and culture around customer-centricity. CSG and the province needed this project delivered quickly, safely, and with a very high quality of product,” explained Jason Wang, HiTHIUM General Manager and co-founder. “So we set up a special service team to coordinate the entire process, from manufacturing and shipping the batteries to ensuring timely project development and the professionalism of the process.”

HiTHIUM also recently provided 198 MWh of battery products for a 200 MWh-capacity centralized, shared energy storage plant developed by China Resources Power Holdings. The power station is the first of this kind to operate commercially in Heze City, a metropolitan region with a population of nearly 8.3 million, and it also serves as a key energy storage project for Shandong Province, where it is located.

To meet continuing demand from large-scale energy storage projects, HiTHIUM is expanding its production capacity to 70 GWh by end of 2023. The manufacturer’s production lines are already some of the most advanced in the world.

To learn more, click here.