Following its success in the first phase of the Zhangqiang National Scenic Energy Storage and Transmission Demonstration Project, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are set to play a central role in the second phase of the project.

A representative from a lithium battery enterprise that participated in the bidding for the Zhangbei Phase I energy storage battery project revealed that North China Power Grid Co., Ltd. will continue to oversee the bidding and procurement process for Phase II. The procurement of energy storage batteries is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. Notably, the liquid flow batteries initially considered for Phase I have been excluded from the Phase II procurement, leaving only two viable battery options: lithium iron phosphate batteries and lead-acid batteries.

The total battery capacity required for Phase II is expected to exceed twice the total capacity of Phase I, reaching nearly 200 MWh compared to the 71 MWh capacity of the first phase. This increase in battery capacity highlights the growing demand for energy storage solutions in the region.

The total investment for the Zhangbei Phase II project is approximately 6.4 billion yuan, with about 3.6 billion yuan allocated for wind power investments and 2.8 billion yuan for photovoltaic and energy storage projects. All components of the project are scheduled for completion by December 2015.

In the Zhangbei Phase I Wind Power Storage and Transmission Demonstration Project, which became operational at the end of 2011, the energy storage battery equipment was divided into five packages for bidding. Four of these packages used lithium iron phosphate battery systems. These systems were housed across three factory buildings covering an area of 8,869 square meters, divided into nine energy storage units. A total of 274,560 battery cells were installed across the entire lithium iron phosphate battery system.

Over the course of two years of operation in Phase I, the performance of the lithium iron phosphate batteries used in large-scale power grid energy storage has proven to be relatively mature. The valuable operational experience gained from Phase I will likely influence the decision-making for Phase II, where lithium iron phosphate batteries are expected to be favored due to their proven reliability and efficiency in large-scale applications.