1、BLACK&VEATCH THOUGHT LEADERSHIPSodium Ion Batteries What Do They Mean for BESS?April 2025SODIUM ION BATTERIES WHAT DO THEY MEAN FOR BESS?|2 PrefaceThe global BESS installed base stood at 150GW/363GWh in 2024,an enormous jump from approximately 20GW(gigawatt)/40GWh(gigawatt hour)in 2020.A key driver

2、for this rapid growth has been falling pack prices,which dropped by 30 percent from 2020 to 2023 globally.Over the longer period 2013-2024,the fall has been a paradigm shifting 86percent(Volta Foundation).The evolution of battery size has also been noteworthy.In 2017,South Australias Hornsdale power

3、 reserve at 100MW(megawatt)/129MWh(megawatt hour)was the worlds largest grid scale battery.Today,the Edwards&Sandborn facility in California is the largest operational BESS worldwide,at 821MW/3280MWh.The economics of longer duration batteries has also been made possible by falling pack prices to the

4、 point where BESS is a default component of a renewables project.Around 98percent of BESS capacity is from lithium ion batteries.Lithium,being relatively scarce,is subject to commodity price cycles and volatility,which has prompted the search for alternative materials,chief amongst them being sodium

5、.Sodium Ion Batteries(also called SIBs,NIBs,or Na-ion batteries)are rechargeable batteries that are similar in their operating principle(rocking chair design)to Lithium Ion Batteries(LIB)but employ different materials in their construction.In this report,we have looked at the current and future econ

6、omics of SIB versus LFP(Lithium Ferrophosphate),and highlighted some key features to watch out for as this exciting new technology develops.Get in touch with our team to learn more about our experience with BESS:Harry HarjiSaikat SenguptaMick ScrivensAssociate Vice President,Asia,Middle East and Afr