CATL hands over first EnerQB long-duration storage units
- The first EnerQB unit was handed over to Quinbrook at CATL’s Xiamen production base on October 28.
- Quinbrook’s Australian project pipeline totals more than 3 GW/24 GWh, with EnerQB deployments planned in phases.
- EnerQB has a 25-year design life, at least 96% round-trip efficiency and at least 98% annual availability.
- At 25°C and one daily charge-discharge cycle, 24-hour auxiliary energy consumption is below 1%.
First units handed over
CATL has handed over the first EnerQB long-duration energy storage unit to Quinbrook. The units will be shipped to Australia for deployment at a Quinbrook site, with further phased deployments planned across its project pipeline of more than 3 GW/24 GWh.
Developed from CATL’s TENER system for Australian projects, EnerQB is designed for GWh-scale long-duration storage. CATL describes it as the first system-level product designed for this application.
System design and performance
EnerQB combines cells designed for high-temperature operation with CATL’s compressor-free Free Cooling system. The company says the design reduces degradation, auxiliary power use, maintenance requirements, noise and refrigerant-related environmental impact.
The system has a 25-year design life, round-trip efficiency of at least 96% and annual availability of at least 98%. At 25°C and one charge-discharge cycle per day, its 24-hour auxiliary energy consumption ratio is below 1%.
Long-duration storage demand
As wind and solar generation grows, power systems need greater capacity to shift energy over longer periods. The article notes that an eight-hour system requires four times the energy capacity of a two-hour system at the same rated power. Long-duration storage may also help extend renewable power availability for electricity-intensive AI data centres.
Source: CATL