China announces 56 energy storage projects
China has disclosed information about 56 energy storage pilot projects. These efforts aim to synchronize China’s energy capacity with its expanding wind and solar energy industries.
The International Energy Agency recently acknowledged China’s robust growth in green energy, noting its contribution to fulfilling the COP28 climate summit’s objective of tripling renewable energy sources by 2030. China achieved a remarkable feat by introducing as many photovoltaic installations in the past year as the entire world did in 2022. Moreover, the capacity in wind farms witnessed an impressive annual increase of 66%. Given this scenario, there is a crucial need to enhance the flexibility of the network through energy storage.
New investments in energy storage
In the preceding month, China’s National Energy Administration released specifics about 56 pilot projects designed to showcase the diversity of the energy storage sector within the country. Among these projects, the most substantial in terms of capacity is the compressed air energy storage initiative situated in the northern province of Gansu, boasting a capacity of 300 MW/1,800 MWh. Notably, this isn’t the sole compressed air energy storage project highlighted by the National Energy Administration.
The roster also encompasses projects employing lithium-ion batteries, with the largest being a facility in Inner Mongolia boasting a capacity of 550 MW/1,100 MWh. Additionally, a 10 MW/80 MWh carbon dioxide energy storage pilot project is featured on the list. A similar venture is presently in progress in Italy, with support from the Energy Innovation Fund led by Bill Gates and backing from the European Union.
Among the lesser-known technologies, it’s noteworthy to highlight the 26 MW/100 MWh gravity energy storage project situated in Jiangsu province, north of Shanghai. This project likely refers to a facility with a 100 MWh capacity launched last year by the Swiss company Energy Vault.
Furthermore, the list features three projects utilizing flywheels for energy storage, with the largest having a capacity of 100 MWh. Additionally, there has been a recent announcement that China intends to repurpose electric vehicles into mobile batteries to support the grid. Trials for the new two-way charging system are scheduled to commence in major cities next year.
Source: rechargenews.com