BASF New Business GmbH (BNB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the German chemical group BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Japanese ceramics manufacturer NGK Insulators Ltd. (NGK) today announced the conclusion of a sales partnership agreement (SPA).
The agreement gives BNB non-exclusive rights to sell NGK’s NAS battery via BASF’s global channels. Both partners expect a synergistic effect from the broad business activities of the other. NGK’s NAS battery is world’s first commercialized megawatt-class battery which has the capacity to store large amounts of electricity for hours.
The NAS battery system boasts an array of superior features, including larger capacity, higher energy density and longer life compared to other battery technologies, BASF says. These features are beneficial for stationary applications ‒ in contrast to lithium-ion batteries, for example, which are suited to deliver high power over shorter periods.
The NAS battery system supports the increasing integration of fluctuating renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar into the grid. It also enables deferral of transmission upgrade, because the electricity does not have to be transmitted immediately after being produced but can be discharged on demand. Furthermore, NAS batteries are used for the stabilization of electricity supply and emergency power supply for industrial customers and micro/off grids. Through these applications, NAS battery helps to reduce energy costs and environmental load.“NGK has more than 15 years’ experience in both the manufacture of NAS batteries and their deployment at customers’ site. Based on our technical expertise gained by own developments in recent years, sodium-sulfur technology fits ideally to the requirements of the emerging market for long-duration energy storage systems.
The NAS battery from NGK enables BASF to enter the energy market and offer customers a reliable, proven solution,” explained Frank Prechtl, Director Business Build-Up E-Power-Management of BASF New Business GmbH. “NGK was the first company worldwide to commercialize the NAS battery system and has delivered NAS battery systems to about 200 locations worldwide with a total output of more than 560MW and a storage capacity of 4.0 GWh. We are delighted to be able to use BASF’s worldwide distribution network,which will allow us to achieve much higher market penetration. Through further expansion of NAS battery, NGK globally contributes to installation of renewable energy and the reduction of CO2 emissions.” said Tatsumi Ichioka, General Manager of NAS battery Division, NGK. The distribution of NAS batteries by BASF is the first step in the cooperation between NGK and BASF. BASF New Business already participated in electrical energy storage Europe (ees) in Munich from May15 to 17, 2019