Time:2023-12-13 Preview:1 source:News
As lithium prices continue to fall, will sodium-ion batteries, once popular for their cost-effectiveness, fall out of favor?
Since the beginning of this year, the project layout and R&D reserves of the sodium-ion battery industry chain have been in full swing, and technological breakthroughs and large-scale applications have been continuously accelerated. The reason why sodium-ion batteries have attracted industry attention is mainly related to the high cost of batteries caused by the previous high prices of lithium materials. Nowadays, lithium prices have hit record lows repeatedly, and the low-cost advantage of sodium-ion batteries continues to shrink. So, as lithium prices continue to fall, will sodium-ion batteries, once popular for their cost-effectiveness, fall out of favor?
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It is understood that research on sodium-ion batteries can be traced back to the 1970s, starting almost at the same time as lithium-ion batteries. However, due to electrode material technology, early sodium-ion batteries were significantly inferior to lithium-ion batteries in terms of battery performance such as energy density and cycle life. , so the commercialization process lags behind significantly. In recent years, after several rounds of price increases such as the price increase of lithium-ion battery raw materials, the advantages of sodium-ion battery resources such as wide distribution have become prominent.
Since 2023, sodium-ion batteries have found breakthroughs in many fields, and project construction has blossomed in many areas. In November, the 1.2 GWh sodium-ion battery energy storage and power battery PACK project invested by Hunan Sijie Technology Co., Ltd. was officially put into production in Yueyang Miluo High-tech Industrial Development Zone; in October, Hua Naxin was able to complete 100 sets of electric two-wheelers The car sodium battery pack order was delivered to Keda New Energy.
Sodium-ion batteries have differentiated advantages such as abundant sodium resource reserves, the ability to use lower-concentration electrolytes and no over-discharge problems, and are compatible with existing lithium-ion battery production equipment. A practitioner told reporters: "We can use existing lithium-ion battery production equipment to manufacture sodium-ion batteries. The production materials and equipment for manufacturing battery cells are very mature."
"For some mature battery companies, the layout of sodium-ion batteries is equivalent to making technical reserves. In addition to the low-cost advantage, sodium-ion batteries are also better than lithium batteries in terms of low-temperature performance and safety. In addition, because of the sodium-ion battery production technology and lithium The batteries are similar, so lithium battery companies generally believe that it will not deviate greatly from the existing R&D system," Li Linsen, associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said in an interview with reporters, "What some 'new players' in the battery industry see is new investment. and development opportunities. The rapid development of the new energy industry has created a number of successful companies and attracted many cross-border entrants. It is like dropping a pebble in a big pond. It is difficult for a new company to make a big impact. development. In contrast, the sodium battery industry is a new track and a good investment opportunity.”
The best of the best
With the increased efforts from all parties, the industrial layout of sodium-ion batteries has been significantly accelerated. However, it is worth noting that the cost anxiety caused by the previous increase in lithium prices is the main reason for the sudden rise of sodium-ion batteries in recent years. However, the price of lithium carbonate is currently plummeting. According to data from Shanghai Nonferrous Metals Network (SMM), the quotation of battery-grade lithium carbonate fell to 117,000-128,000 yuan/ton on December 6, with the average price reported at 122,500 yuan/ton, which was the same as on December 6. Compared with 164,000 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month, the price dropped by more than 25%. Some people believe that the fall in lithium prices may have a certain impact on the development progress of the sodium power industry.
Penghui Energy recently stated on an interactive platform that the R&D and mass production of sodium power are being advanced in an orderly manner. Currently, due to the sharp drop in the price of lithium carbonate, the cost of sodium power does not have a significant advantage in the short term, which has delayed the large-scale commercialization of sodium power to a certain extent. progress.
Li Linsen believes that the decline in lithium prices is a double-edged sword for the development of the sodium-ion battery industry. On the one hand, the fall in lithium prices will put pressure on the development of the sodium-ion battery industry, forcing the cost of sodium batteries to follow suit; on the other hand, it can also allow the industry to temporarily calm down. "There is a risk of overheating investment in the sodium-ion battery track. It can be seen that although there is a lot of investment in the project, there are still unsolved technical problems in the product. It does not mean that if you invest money today, you will see the product tomorrow. A technology changes from becoming a product It will take a long time to turn it into a commodity. Compared with other technologies, the sodium-ion battery industry has developed too fast. Nowadays, the price of lithium continues to fall, providing buffer space for companies with real technology to do research and development to further control product quality. "The decline in lithium prices is a process of choosing the best among the best."
At present, the cost advantage of sodium-ion batteries still needs to be further explored. "The cost of sodium-ion batteries will continue to decrease. If the cost is only slightly lower than that of lithium batteries, there will be many difficulties in subsequent downstream promotion." In Li Linsen's view, sodium-ion batteries will become an important supplement to lithium-ion batteries. Will not completely replace lithium-ion batteries. "In the future, sodium-ion batteries will still take some time to develop and take shape, and they need to be verified in different application scenarios so that customers can see its advantages in low-temperature performance and safety."
Diverse applications
Some people believe that the stability of the sodium-ion battery supply chain is more valuable than low cost. "Sodium has a wide range of sources, abundant reserves, and no obvious geographical distribution characteristics. Unlike lithium resources, which are mainly concentrated in South America and Australia. Therefore, from all aspects, the price of sodium-ion batteries will not change due to changes in sodium elements. The ups and downs can ensure a relatively stable supply," Li Linsen said.
Sodium-ion batteries are recognized as "potential stocks" in the energy storage market. The above-mentioned practitioners said that sodium-ion batteries are a very promising technology in the field of large-scale energy storage that does not require high battery energy density. "With the popularity of electric vehicles, a large amount of electricity is required, and the existing urban power grid configuration is difficult to meet the demand. It is a better choice to use large energy storage power stations to charge electric vehicles."
"Sodium-ion batteries will be the first to make breakthroughs in some scenarios that are more sensitive to temperature and do not require high energy density, such as two-wheeled vehicles and three-wheeled vehicles, and then large-scale energy storage. At the same time, there are also some scenarios that do not require high energy density. But in scenarios that are very cost-sensitive, such as small consumer electronics, you may also notice that some electric toothbrushes and handheld electric fans already use sodium-ion batteries," Li Linsen said.
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