Clean electricity generation paired with the first grid-level sodium battery energy storage system can bring costs down to just $0.028 per kWh. The 10 MWh storage capacity is executed with sodium-ion cells that can be charged in just 12 minutes.
They’re meant to survive an order of magnitude more cycles than Li-ion. But I’m containing my enthusiasm until we see them lasting a long time in real life use.
Yep. But also you need to run lead acid in a smaller charge window so you need more of them and when running out of space more panels might not be feasible - many variables in the whole thing, I don’t think there’s a universal answer, one can’t really get around setting up a small spreadsheet.
How many decades do they last before needing replacement?
I have read encouraging numbers about charge cycles for sodium batteries, I’m quite curious too about real values.
They’re meant to survive an order of magnitude more cycles than Li-ion. But I’m containing my enthusiasm until we see them lasting a long time in real life use.
Lithium isn’t used for grid batteries because weight doesn’t matter. Grid batteries with lead acid last 3 decades. Does this one last longer?
Lithium is used in grid storage:
And that’s just what I could find in a couple of minutes.
Lead acid is pretty inefficient though, something like 80% iirc.
Again, that doesn’t matter since the battery doesn’t move. This is a grid battery
Of course it’s relevant. My LiFePos reach about 92% efficiency. Losing 12% of energy in the storage process or not losing them is a big difference.
The question is then whether it’s cheaper to buy LiFePos instead of lead acid or to install more solar panels.
Yep. But also you need to run lead acid in a smaller charge window so you need more of them and when running out of space more panels might not be feasible - many variables in the whole thing, I don’t think there’s a universal answer, one can’t really get around setting up a small spreadsheet.