With groundbreaking 4 MWh container, stationary BESS producer Hithium enters Australian market

Stationary battery manufacturer Hithium, based in Xiamen, has broken ground with its new 4 MWh 300 Ah-cell based container, featuring less than 2% degradation in the first 1000 cycles at the cell level (reduced from the industry-typical 6%). A main goal in developing the new container was to improve capacity usage and thus the investment rate of return in the initial three years of use. The product also offers a lifespan over 10% longer than a typical 280 Ah-based system.

Hithium presented the new product, along with its high-quality cells, modules, and cabinets, at premier clean energy exhibitions on four continents over the last two months, starting with Smart Energy in Sydney. This was followed by Cleanpower in New Orleans, SNEC in Shanghai, and Intersolar/EES by The Smarter E in Munich.

Hithium delivered 5 GW of battery capacity in China in 2022, providing products for more than 40 ESS projects and ranking first in the domestic energy storage market in terms of projects supplied.

Bringing battery advances to Australia

Having achieved top positioning for stationary batteries in its home market of China, the manufacturer has just entered the Australian market with a view to supporting the country’s clean energy boom. With Australia leading in solar capacity per capita, the market is now working to build out the energy storage needed to stabilise renewable energy supply.

Hithium’s Managing Director (APeC, MEA) Hong Chen said, “We see Australia not just as an important growth market for clean energy and energy storage but also as an exciting space for learning and cooperation. Our partners on the ground here are doing critical work in building the energy infrastructure of the future, and it’s an honour to support them.”

With several large-scale battery deliveries for Australian customers already under agreement, Hithium also has collaborations planned in the country with both service and certification agencies. Looking to meet the fast-growing demand for high-quality stationary batteries, Hithium is expanding its production capacity, from its current 45 to 70 GWh by the end of 2023 and 135 GWh in 2025.

The stationary battery specialisation advantage

Hithium’s production, in contrast to the other large-scale suppliers of lithium-ion batteries, is concentrated exclusively on the area of stationary battery storage. Hithium has taken an unusual path with this specialisation. But the company’s focus serves its customers because Hithium products are relentlessly optimised for stationary use, setting new standards for cost-effectiveness, reliability, and safety.

Why is cutting-edge production technology so important?

The longevity, safety, and economy of Hithium products rely in large part on the characteristics and manufacturing quality of Hithium LFP battery cells. Deviations in production can affect not only the performance or durability of the cells, but, more importantly, their safety. Even the smallest impurities or irregularities can damage cells during operation and thus trigger further defects.

Mass production of battery cells is extremely demanding, given the highly complex manufacturing technologies and minimal manufacturing tolerances.

But Hithium not only relies on the extensive hands-on experience of its core production team’s many engineers in the industrial mass production of battery cells, it has invested heavily in its battery cell manufacturing to build one of the most advanced production lines in the world.

That’s why a large number of the more than 1,000 engineers and researchers who work across the company’s four in-house research facilities are dedicated to solving production issues, as well as continually advancing manufacturing processes.

AIG to underwrite Hithium products and services in global agreement

Hithium has signed a global commercial liability insurance agreement with US insurance firm AIG’s Chinese subsidiary. The step aims to strengthen the manufacturer’s product quality assurance and provide customers with prompt corresponding services, in line with international standards as well as local regulations in each market.

AIG will provide comprehensive underwriting services for the manufacturer’s entire product range, including LFP batteries, battery modules, battery racks, and energy storage systems (ESS). The agreement covers Hithium products and services worldwide, for “power generation side energy storage (photovoltaic and wind power), grid side energy storage, and industrial and commercial energy storage”.

With 5 GWh delivered in 2022 alone, Hithium is thriving in large-scale storage space

Located in an industrial park in Zhongwei City, Ningxia, the largest stand-alone energy storage power station in China has a capacity — provided by Hithium battery products — of 400 MWh and output of 1.33 billion kWh per year.

It also features Hithium’s full liquid-cooling solution. Close to the heat source, providing a uniform temperature and low energy consumption, liquid-cooling is more suitable for outdoor environments than air-cooling. It reduced the floor area for this power station by 35% as well, and enables flexible operation and maintenance.

The first shared ESS power station in Ningxia, too, this plant stabilizes the energy supply for local residents, with the site able to store up to 400,000 kWh of electricity on a single charge, the equivalent of 300 households’ electricity consumption for a year.

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