Attendees of the conference listen carefully to the words of industry influencers. [Photo/Baotou Daily]

The 2024 China New Energy Storage Industry Development Conference on Sept 23 brought together leading figures from the energy storage sector, including academicians, industry experts, scholars, and representatives from trade associations and power design institutes. The discussions focused on various energy storage technologies, industry development pathways, key challenges, and solutions for energy storage stations and batteries.

The expert-led keynote speeches sparked insightful exchanges, shedding light on Baotou's future as a green energy hub.

Energy storage is a critical pillar supporting the growth of renewable energy, with its development and safe operation directly influencing the adoption of new energy systems.

According to Li Xing, a professor and director of the Energy Storage Research Institute at Southwest Petroleum University, Baotou is uniquely positioned to capitalize on its abundant wind and solar resources. However, energy storage technologies must keep pace with the region's renewable energy growth.

He highlighted the need for specialized storage solutions suited to Baotou's cold climate, noting that lithium titanate batteries, which are safe, cold-resistant, and long-lasting, would be ideal for the region.

Ye Chun, general manager of the China Electric Planning & Engineering Institute, emphasized the importance of accelerating the development of energy storage equipment manufacturing and strengthening Baotou's position as China’s Energy Storage City. He called for enhanced support policies to ensure the sustainable and orderly growth of the industry.

Professor Zheng Hua from North China Electric Power University highlighted that Baotou's ongoing grid-side energy storage projects, totaling 3.5 gigawatts per 20 gigawatt hours, present opportunities for economic optimization through market mechanism reforms and power system operations.