China's government authorities, power systems, new energy, transportation and other fields are widely concerned about and support the development of energy storage technology. In recent years, China's energy storage technology has been developing rapidly, the industry is booming, and the value is becoming increasingly apparent, has gradually become a favorite hit by a member of the nascent energy industry.
From the market trend, in the energy storage technology research and development and project development experience, energy storage subsidy policy and development strategy objectives, the scale of development of wind and solar energy, the scale of development of distributed energy resources, power prices, time-sharing prices, electricity demand side of the charge, and auxiliary services market and other factors, the global energy storage industry development prospects are favorable, will continue to grow steadily in the future.
The current situation shows that there are three major players in the domestic energy storage market, the first category is focused on energy storage brands, the second category is engaged in the production of lithium-ion batteries, and the third category is from photovoltaic, wind power and other fields into the cross-border companies.
Energy storage brand owners belong to the first category of players.
Energy storage brand names actually refer to energy storage system integrators, who are responsible for integrating home and medium to large energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries, and ultimately delivering customized energy storage systems, in a direct-to-the-end-user market and to their customers. The core technical requirements for energy storage system integration are not very demanding, and its core components, especially lithium-ion batteries, are obtained through external sourcing. Its core competitiveness lies in product design and market development, with the market being particularly critical, especially brands and sales channels.
In the energy storage sector, system integrators offer full battery energy storage systems (BESS). As such, they are typically responsible for sourcing the individual components, which include battery modules/racks, power conversion systems (PCS), etc.; assembling the system; providing a full warranty; integrating the controls and energy management system (EMS); often providing project design and engineering expertise; and providing operation, monitoring, and maintenance services.
Energy storage system integration providers will usher in broader market opportunities and may evolve in two directions in the future: one is to promote standard system integration services in a product-led manner; and the other is to customize system integration services according to scenario requirements. Energy storage system integration providers are playing an increasingly critical role in the power system.
Type II participants: lithium-ion battery suppliers
There is every indication that the energy storage market has reached significant commercial scale and is entering a critical juncture. With the accelerated development of lithium-ion batteries in this field, some lithium companies are beginning to incorporate the energy storage market into their strategic planning after their initial exposure to it.
There are two important ways for lithium-ion battery suppliers to participate in the energy storage business, one is as an upstream supplier, providing standardized lithium-ion batteries for downstream energy storage brand owners, whose roles are more independent; and the other is to get involved in downstream system integration, directly facing the end market and realizing upstream and downstream integration.
Lithium battery companies can also provide energy storage services directly to end users, which does not prevent it from providing standardized lithium-ion battery modules to other energy storage customers, or even OEM products for them.
The three main focuses of the energy storage market for lithium-ion battery applications are high safety, long life and low cost. Safety serves as the core benchmark, and product performance is enhanced through material, technology and process innovation.
The third category of players: PV companies crossing the border
In the favorable policy and market optimistic expectations, photovoltaic company investment and expansion of enthusiasm warming, photovoltaic + energy storage gradually become a prerequisite for priority access to the market.
According to the introduction, at present there are three types of photovoltaic companies are more active on the application of energy storage. First, the power station developers or owners, to understand the PV power station to how the configuration, whether in line with the function of intelligent micro-grid, to whether in line with industrial policy support. The second category is component companies, the current several major brands are large component companies, they have the strength of vertically integrated resources, the combination of PV and energy storage is more convenient. The third category is to do inverter company, the energy storage technology mastered more profound, do inverter products transition to energy storage products is also more convenient.
Photovoltaic is an important scene of new energy generation side supporting energy storage, so the market channels of photovoltaic also naturally become the market channels of energy storage. Whether distributed photovoltaic, or centralized photovoltaic, also whether photovoltaic module company, or photovoltaic inverter company, in the photovoltaic industry market and channel advantages, can be converted to energy storage business market development.
Whether from the grid development requirements, energy supply requirements, the large-scale implementation of PV + energy storage is a necessity, and the policy to follow up and promote the rapid development of PV + energy storage industry is bound to create.
Post time: Apr-15-2024