At 19:18 on July 5, 2024, upon the command of the chief project commander, the operator gently pressed the mouse, and Changzhou's first grid-side new-type chemical energy storage station — the Wanbang Wujin 10MW/20MWh new-type independent energy storage station project — was successfully connected to the grid and began generating power.
The Wanbang Wujin 10MW/20MWh new-type chemical energy storage station project is located within the Phase III plant of Wanbang Digital Energy Co., Ltd. in the Wujin National High-Tech Zone, Wujin District, Changzhou. Built at a scale of a 10MW/20MWh energy storage station, the project covers an area of 2.8 mu (about 1,867 m²).
The station consists of 4 energy storage units, each equipped with 14 eBox-358 battery cabinets; each cabinet has a capacity of 358kWh, giving each unit an electricity capacity of 5.012MWh. The battery cabinets output three-phase AC power through 56 inverters rated at 179kW each, which is stepped up by 4 main transformers of 3150kVA before being fed into the grid. The maximum installed power and capacity of the station's energy storage system are 10.024MW and 20.048MWh respectively.
The station is connected to the grid via 20kV power lines in the area surrounding the Wanbang plant: the output of each energy storage power unit is stepped up by on-site transformers and fed into the #18 and #19 ring main units built alongside the 20kV Fenglin Road line, connecting to the grid as two 20kV circuits. The project mainly comprises lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery storage, 20kV step-up power collection and distribution, primary and secondary electrical systems, intelligent auxiliary systems, fire protection and security systems, outgoing transmission lines, and other supporting facilities.
The Wanbang Wujin 10MW/20MWh new-type independent energy storage station project is the only project in Changzhou included among the province's '715' key construction projects for securing power supply during the summer peak. According to design calculations, once operational the project will deliver about 13.2 million kWh of discharge to the grid per year, enough to meet one month of electricity consumption for about 60,000 households. It can absorb 15.17 million kWh per year of local PV and other new energy generation as well as off-peak grid electricity, correspondingly cutting coal consumption by more than 4,000 tonnes, carbon dioxide emissions by about 17,321 tonnes, sulfur dioxide by about 28 tonnes, and dust by about 6 tonnes. While providing shared energy storage for local new energy and supporting grid peak shaving and frequency regulation, the project will maximize the peak-shaving and valley-filling advantages of the energy storage station, strengthen the local grid's peak-shaving capability, and provide reliable energy support for promoting local renewable energy consumption, accelerating Changzhou's development into the 'New Energy Capital', advancing the national 'dual carbon' goals, and enabling the region's green development.
Throughout construction, all participating units upheld the 'demonstration project' philosophy, strictly controlled construction safety, quality, and schedule on site, assigned dedicated personnel to equipment manufacturers to expedite production and delivery, optimized the sequence of equipment arrivals, and overcame difficulties such as commissioning during the rainy season and a tight construction schedule, ensuring that the project passed the quality supervision station's grid-connection acceptance on schedule and to a high standard, which created favorable conditions for the successful grid connection and power generation.
