Article | Wang Fangyu

Editing by | So Jian-Hoon

With the large-scale application of clean energy such as photovoltaic and wind power in the field of power generation and electricity, energy storage technology, as a means of flexible regulation of power supply, will play an important role in realizing the peak and frequency regulation of the power system, smoothing user demand and improving energy efficiency, etc., the technology has developed rapidly in the past two years in the world.

Among them, lithium-ion battery energy storage technology is relatively mature, and the development momentum is the most rapid, occupying the C position of the technical route. At the same time, other technical routes, such as sodium battery energy storage, flow battery energy storage, and water battery energy storage, also ushered in rapid development.

Zhejiang Vastech Technology Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "Vastech Technology"), which is recently concerned by 36 Carbon, is a research and development manufacturer of water zinc-ion batteries. The company is committed to the development of low-cost, high-power, intrinsically safe new water system energy storage batteries, to provide safer and more efficient fixed energy storage solutions for industry and commerce, power systems, rail transit and other fields.

Vastech Technology has received two consecutive rounds of angel round and angel + round financing in 2022, and completed the Series A investment led by Sequoia Seed Fund in early 2023, with Weilan Capital as the exclusive financial advisor.

Water battery refers to the secondary battery with water as the electrolyte. Compared with organic electrolyte batteries, water batteries have the advantages of intrinsic safety, environmental friendliness, and high ionic conductivity, which can avoid the risk of battery combustion, explosion and other accidents. In the future large-scale electric energy storage, water batteries show great application potential.

According to agency estimates, in the power system, industrial and commercial distribution and storage and green energy transportation scenarios, the potential market demand for water zinc-ion batteries exceeds 100 billion yuan.

At present, the driving factors to promote the development of water battery mainly come from two aspects, one is the increase in market demand for safer batteries, and the second is the promotion and support of domestic policies for new energy storage technology. In 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of the Energy Electronics Industry (Draft for Comment)", which clearly encourages the development of new energy storage technologies and products such as new water batteries for large-scale energy storage.

Vastech Technology was established in 2021, since its establishment, it has focused on the research and development of water zinc-ion batteries and technological breakthroughs. According to founder Dr. Liu Yiyang, the company's water zinc-ion battery products have entered the commercial delivery stage, and the orders on hand are currently nearly 100 million yuan.

In terms of production capacity, the company has established the country's first automated water zinc-ion battery research and development pilot production line in Zhejiang, with the production capacity of square shell water cell. At present, the company is preparing to build a new GW-level factory to further improve the cost efficiency and quality of products.

Water zinc-ion batteries are faced with technical problems such as the selection of positive electrode materials and negative side reactions. The water battery cell independently developed by Hway Technology adopts a unique water bionic self-healing electrolyte technology, combined with a porous fast ion flow diaphragm and a multi-gradient passivation anode, successfully breaking through the historical technical barriers of zinc based batteries, and achieving intrinsic passive safety and high rate circulation.

Thanks to its intrinsic safety advantages, Vastech Technology's water zinc-ion battery energy storage system has been widely recognized by downstream customers. Vastech Technology has deployed the world's first set of water zinc electric energy storage system in multiple scenarios, of which the largest single project scale of 4 MWh.

In addition, the company has reached strategic cooperative relations with central state-owned enterprises such as Power System, multi-place Rail Transit Group, and a number of listed companies in high-energy-consuming industries.

In terms of overseas markets, the company is cooperating with countries along the "Belt and Road" to actively explore overseas markets.

Not long ago, Mr. Fidelis Leite Magalhaes, former Minister of State of Timor-Leste Council of Ministers, and Dr. Yao Xianbin, former Director of Regional and Sustainable Development Bureau of Asian Development Bank, went to Zhejiang Vastech Technology for exchange and negotiation, and the two sides had in-depth discussions on the intention to cooperate with the sea of new energy technologies, energy transformation and sustainable development in Southeast Asia. And reached a strategic cooperation intention with the State of East Timor.

On the basis of the current price, there is still a lot of room for cost reduction of water zinc-ion batteries. Liu Yiyang said that the supply chain of water zinc-ion batteries is very mature, more than 95% of the equipment in the current production process is fully compatible with the production equipment of lithium batteries, and the zinc metal recovery process is mature, the raw material price has the characteristics of low cost and stable supply chain, which can make the production cost of water zinc-ion batteries and the cost of superposition PCS and integrated energy storage system greatly reduced. Further open up potential market space.

On the basis of the current nearly 100 megawatt advanced water battery automation research and development production line, Liu Yiyang said that Vastech Technology plans to complete the first phase of the construction of 5 GW automatic advanced high rate battery production base in 2026, which will further promote the cost reduction and performance improvement of water zinc-ion batteries, open the potential market space of 100 billion, and contribute to the global energy transformation.

| The title of this article is from visual China