As of February 2024, Xinjiang had more than 200 operational new energy storage stations with a total installed capacity of 9.78 million kilowatts and a storage capacity of 32.66 million kilowatt-hours, according to data from State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
As of February 2024, Xinjiang had more than 200 operational new energy storage stations with a total installed capacity of 9.78 million kilowatts and a storage capacity of 32.66 million kilowatt-hours, according to data from State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. This places the region among China's leaders in energy storage deployment, helping to integrate more renewable energy into the grid and support the development of a more resilient power system.
Li Changling, deputy director of the Energy Development Research Center at the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Research Institute, noted that Xinjiang's energy storage sector is evolving in three key directions. In 2024, Xinjiang is set to add 5.55 million kilowatts (19.53 million kilowatt-hours) of new energy storage capacity—up 139% from last year.
Policies such as electricity market access, time-of-use pricing, and capacity compensation incentives are creating a clearer investment outlook and a more favorable business environment. Energy storage projects in Xinjiang now span multiple technologies, including lithium iron phosphate batteries, vanadium flow batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and compressed air storage.
As a major energy hub, Xinjiang has surpassed 100 million kilowatts in installed renewable energy capacity. However, the region's climate presents challenges: extreme heat and cold often coincide with little to no wind, while harsh winters see reduced sunlight. These seasonal fluctuations mean renewable energy generation peaks in spring and fall but dips in summer and winter—opposite to electricity demand, which surges in the coldest and hottest months.
This is where energy storage comes in. By balancing supply and demand, storage solutions are helping Xinjiang make better use of its renewable resources while ensuring a stable power supply. In 2024, new energy storage systems in the region charged a total of 4.48 billion kilowatt-hours, boosting the renewable energy utilization rate by 3.6%.
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