Challenges in Standards for Energy Storage Lithium-Ion Batteries

Industry Consensus: Separate Standards for Energy Storage and Power Batteries

Although there is no strict distinction between energy storage batteries and power lithium batteries yet, they will eventually separate as energy storage battery standards continue to improve. In fact, it has become an industry consensus that energy storage batteries should have their own independent standards and systems. The different application scenarios of the two determine their different requirements for battery performance. Power lithium batteries prioritize high energy density and high rate capability, while energy storage batteries prioritize long lifespan, low cost, and high safety.

Risks of Misusing Power Lithium Batteries for Energy Storage

Using power lithium batteries to store energy not only makes it difficult to meet performance standards but also poses safety hazards, said Li Biao, director of the Energy Storage Battery Testing and Evaluation Technology Research Office at the Energy Storage and Power New Technology Research Institute of my country Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., in an interview with a reporter from my country Electric Power News. With the rapid development of my country's energy storage industry, the performance evaluation standards and systems for energy storage batteries need to be gradually improved.

Current Status and Gaps in National Energy Storage Standards

Last year, my country published more than ten national standards for the energy storage industry, including energy storage batteries, energy storage converters, and grid-connected energy storage systems. Currently, national equipment standards are basically complete, but there are still shortcomings in areas such as system safety protection, fire protection, dispatching and operation control, and life cycle management evaluation. Some of these problems are global technical issues that require several years of technological accumulation to resolve. The official standards also frankly state that, based on extensive performance testing and evaluation practices conducted by my country's electrical technology research institutes, the performance parameters of energy storage batteries labeled according to the standards for power lithium batteries may not even meet the most basic national standards for energy storage batteries. Energy storage projects currently face a significant contradiction: if energy storage batteries are strictly evaluated according to national standards, the energy storage capacity of power lithium batteries will drastically decrease. This means that the operating parameters of power lithium batteries must meet certain requirements, which will increase the cost of energy storage batteries, and who should bear this additional cost is also a point of contention.