HiTHIUM said it has achieved 28 gigawatt hours worth of battery storage system production during the first phase of its new base plant in Chongqing, China, due to its incorporation of intelligent manufacturing design.
Implementation of Intelligent Manufacturing 4.0 standards at the plant has resulted in an efficiency jump of 30%, and costs have also been reduced by about a quarter of production overhead, according to HiTHIUM.
Intelligent manufacturing uses AI, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud-based technologies to automate mass production. For example, facility workers may use such services to manage data gathered from production lines and identify where efficiency gains may be made.
HiTHIUM develops and manufactures stationary battery storage systems (BESS), which are currently in high demand due to their importance in supporting clean energy development and stabilizing electricity grids. Battery storage is commonly used to support renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, that generate energy intermittently and would therefore waste energy without a storage option. Intelligent manufacturing may help HiTHIUM and other battery storage companies meet increasing demand for such technologies.
The Chongqing site was built with an investment of $1.8 billion, and the company said the facility's production capacity will help meet the expected global demand for 720 GW of energy storage by 2030. HiTHIUM delivered more than 40 energy storage projects in 2022 and aims to reach 135 GWh of production capacity by 2025.
Battery cell production is reportedly unusually demanding as it requires complex, advanced manufacturing technologies. Battery cells may be easily damaged if production deviates even slightly, so intelligent manufacturing may help meet such precise production needs.
For large-scale energy producers, low levelized cost of storage (LCOS) indicates potential to commercially scale a given energy storage technology at a viable price point. HiTHIUM said the new manufacturing process may allow users to lower LCOS when using their battery storage systems.
“Intelligent manufacturing is the key to more efficient and more cost-effective battery production,” said Jason Wang, president of HiTHIUM. “This new plant points the way to lower LCOS, and with it, an affordable energy transition. We’ve achieved production cost reductions of 25% at our new Chongqing facility — and it’s just the beginning.”
