1. Price
Now, the energy storage industry is in a stage of fierce price competition. The price of battery and systems continues to decline due to the imbalance between supply and demand, and most companies need to strive for domestic orders through low-price strategies, which will continue but the price decline may gradually narrow in the future.
In terms of battery, most manufacturers at an exhibition said that the price of 314Ah is basically the same as that of 280Ah, and the quotation range is mostly 0.3-0.4 yuan/Wh. 314Ah and 280Ah battery can be produced from the same production line, and at this stage, with the increase in customer demand for 314Ah, the increase in mass production scale will further promote the price of 314Ah batteries.
In terms of system integration, some manufacturers at an exhibition said that the price of DC side battery compartment (2h) is about 0.5-0.6 yuan/Wh, the price of system (2h) is about 0.6-0.7 yuan/Wh, and the price of industrial and commercial cabinets is 0.7-0.8 yuan/Wh. The overall industrial and commercial EPC price of Singularity Energy can be 1 yuan/Wh. The price is low and the competition is becoming more and more fierce, and the price will continue to fall in the short term.
2. Product
2.1 Battery
Large-capacity batteries have become a key competition track for battery factories, and 314Ah is the main focus model. The size is the same as that of 280Ah and the production line is universal. The number of cycles marked by each manufacturer has increased compared with 280Ah, which can reach 12,000 times, but whether the battery has a thermal runaway risk and whether it can reach the advertised cycle times still needs time and the market to confirm. Some manufacturers have achieved mass production of 314Ah, and most of them will be mass-produced this year, and the overall market penetration rate of 300+Ah is expected to usher in a significant increase in 24 years.
Regarding the shipment of battery cells, according to the communication with manufacturers at an exhibition, 300Ah+ batteries have been mass-produced by CATL, CALB, Envision, BYD, etc., and EVE, Hithium, REPT and Gotion will start mass production in 24Q4. The planned manufacturers of ultra-large batteries, Hithium(1130), Naradapower (690), EVE (628) and TrinaSolar (530), plan to mass produce in 24Q4, and Svolt (730) and CATL (587) plan to mass produce in 25Q1.
2.2 PCS
In terms of technical routes, centralized is still the mainstream route. Although string can improve some efficiency, it has not become mainstream because of its high cost.
In terms of power, some manufacturers have launched 2.5MW centralized PCS, which can be perfectly adapted to 5MWh systems, while the 1.725MW centralized PCS that has been shipped in batches can be adapted to traditional 3.44MWh systems, and 2.75MW solutions can be combined to achieve more choices for customers.
In terms of temperature control, last year's 1.725MW centralized PCS was basically air-cooled, and this year's 1.725MW and 2.5MW centralized PCS both exhibited liquid cooling solutions.
In the string scheme, 215kW is the mainstream modular power, which can be perfectly adapted to the 5MWh system through the string of 24 215kW modular PCS. But the cost is at least 30% higher than that of the centralized type.
2.3 System
With the increase of battery capacity, the capacity of 20-foot containers has reached 5MWh+ and industrial and commercial integrated cabinets have reached 400kWh+.
In terms of large-scale storage products, most manufacturers have launched containers equipped with 314Ah batteries, and the battery cluster series and parallel connection have been upgraded from 10 clusters to 12 clusters. The battery pack has also been upgraded from 1P48S/1P52S to 1P104S, and the structural form has changed significantly. Some manufacturers showcased 6MWh+ systems, such as CATL's Tianheng system, BYD's MC Cube-T next-generation magic and Trina's Elementa3, but before the 5MWh system is not widely adopted, such new products still need to wait for a long time to be confirmed by the market.
In terms of industrial and commercial products, most manufacturers have launched integrated cabinets equipped with 314Ah batteries, but the mainstream of mass production at this stage is still 280Ah products. In order to reduce the cabinet area, many manufacturers will integrate the high-voltage box with the PCS, which is more compact. The integrated design of the PCS and the high-voltage box is expected to become a trend in the future.