To celebrate development of the China power industry in the past 60 years, renewable energy channel of CCTV.com held the first "International Power Storage Technology Conference" in Beijing on 26 May 2009. The event featured esteemed guests and speakers including Dr. Zhang Yongwei from Development Research Center of the State of Council; Mr. Yang Yusheng, member of Chinese Academy of Engineering; Mr. Lai Xiaokang, Head of Electrical Engineering Research Team, China Electric Power Research Institute. And, Tianneng Power, which is the largest motive battery supplier in China, the leading storage battery supplier, Vice-president unit of China Battery Industry Association and Shanghai New Energy Industry Association, also attended the Conference, and its Chairman Zhang Tianren was interviewed by CCTV.

The aim of the Conference was to promote the development of power storage technologies in China, the industrialization of those technologies and international exchange and cooperation. With energy and environmental protection issues gaining attention, China and the rest of the world are going to increase use of renewable energy including solar and wind power and these new energy sources are going to   enter a new development stage. Moreover, hit by the global economic crisis, the US and Europe are directing their focus on to new energy sources and positioning them as the opportunities amid crisis. Such approach will see new energy technologies become a new growth driver of the global economy. Apart from a favorable macro environment such as supportive government policies, for automobiles powered by new fuel or electric vehicles, solar photovoltaic or wind power generation to gain popularity and boast commercial value, they have to be supported first and foremost by highly efficient and environmentally friendly storage technologies and products.

Development of power storage industry has strategic importance   Encourages development of different power storage technologies
Dr. Zhang Yongwei of the Development Research Center under the State Council said the development of power storage technologies is more than just a technological pursuit, but has strategic significance on the industrial level and even national level. He called on the authority to clearly define the strategic importance of the power storage industry, promote environmental protection and new energy sources, and enhance the capacity of power grids in the country, thus strengthen the nation's competitiveness. In advancing storage battery technology, the country should encourage development of different competitive technologies to serve different application markets, starting with more mature technologies. When the technologies and economic conditions agree, and with support from relevant policies, the power storage industry in China will be able to grow rapidly.

Development of lithium battery overheated Lead-acid batteries still prevalent and continue to enjoy growth potential
Mr. Yang Yusheng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering focused on discussing the assessment standard of large-scale storage technology. He said development of the power storage industry is a long term pursuit and should start early for the industry has direct bearing on the nation and people's livelihood and is expected to growing social and economic significance. Commenting on the direction of storage battery technology development, he pointed out that there are signs that the development of lithium battery is a bit overheated and the difficulty of producing the battery has been underestimated. The lead-acid battery, which boasts stable function, reasonable price and made of recyclable raw materials, is still prevailing, just like the fuel battery which has been around for a century and is still widely used.  The important thing to do is to step up efforts in developing new technologies for the lead-acid battery. Theoretically, 70% of the DOD cycle life of lead-acid battery can reach 4,500 times, meaning it has huge development potential. The current short lifespan of lead-acid battery is mainly from misuse of the battery resulting in over-discharge.

Storage batteries boast wide applications hence importance in the Country's power generation chain
The sustainable development of global energy supply hinges on the development of renewable energy, and the stable and continuous supply of renewable energy relies on the support of considerable amount of large-scale storage batteries. Large-scale storage technology can be widely used in off-grid wind and solar power generation systems, backup power supply and achieving a more balanced distribution of power grids and supply.

According to the estimate of the US market research institute Lux Research, the current global power storage market is worth US$2.4 billion. If 10% of the same-grid wind farms in the world use power storage devices, the power storage market alone will worth US$50 billion. And, the forecast of Fuji Research Institute has global renewable energy storage volume growing to 2050MW by 2014, with solar power accounting for 41% and wind power 59%.

Looking at China, Mr. Lai Xiaokang, Head of Electrical Engineering Research Team, China Electric Power Research Institute, has conducted in-depth analysis on the demand for storage battery of power grids and concluded that storage battery has significant value to realizing interactive management of power grids across the nation. Storage battery is applied in power grids in two main modes namely load tracking type and power supply tracking type, which can ensure smooth output of renewable power and reduce deviation of power forecast. And distributed storage technology can be used to solve problem with partial power voltage control and hence save energy and lower emissions, and heighten equipment efficiency, reduce wastage of resources, improve reliability of supply and supply quality. Regarding achieving a more balanced distribution of power supply in cities and development of wind power, Mr. Lai said the country planned to commence a liquid power storage project in 2010 and is preparing to embark on a 100 MW wind power, photovoltaic and energy storage model project.

Industrialization of storage battery in critical stage Needs greater government policy support
All participants agreed that the government should include large-scale battery technology and its industrial applications as a major item in the Twelfth Five-year Plan of the country. They also recommended that the government step up investment in basic research of power storage technology, encourage innovation and intellectual property ownership, emphasize environmental protection at the beginning of development of large-scale storage technology so as to prevent pollution, and fully utilize energy storage in energy conservation and emission control, in other words, extend supportive policies on new energy to cover also the power storage sector.