Why is liquid cooling more popular in the energy storage market compared to air cooling
With the rapid expansion of the energy storage industry, the output value of China's lithium-ion battery energy storage industry chain has approached 200 billion yuan in 2022; In the first half of 2023, the newly put into operation new energy storage installed capacity reached 8.63 million kilowatts, equivalent to the total cumulative installed capacity of previous years. With the continuous development of energy storage technology, lithium battery packs, as an indispensable part of energy storage systems, operate with higher heat generation. In order to ensure the stable operation of energy storage power plants, heat dissipation has become an essential link. The choice of heat dissipation method affects the service life of the battery and the operational efficiency of the power station.
In energy storage cooling technology, air cooling and liquid cooling are the two main cooling methods. Air cooling is a simple, feasible, and low-cost cooling method, which was widely used in the early stages. However, with the expansion of battery scale and the increase of battery density, the heat dissipation effect of air-cooled methods gradually decreases, and it is easy to cause temperature imbalance and safety hazards. In contrast, liquid cooling technology has higher cooling efficiency and better heat dissipation effect.
Firstly, liquid cooling technology can achieve more efficient and uniform heat dissipation through convective heat transfer of coolant, effectively solving the problem of uneven temperature distribution of batteries inside energy storage systems. However, the cooling effect of air-cooled technology is relatively poor, and precise temperature control cannot be achieved, requiring a large area of cooling channels. Secondly, the temperature control of the liquid cooling system is more precise, which can better meet the safety and lifespan requirements of energy storage stations. In contrast, air-cooled technology is greatly affected by the external environment, and there may be safety issues during the heat dissipation process. In addition, the liquid cooling system can be highly integrated with the battery pack, requiring less space and improving space utilization. However, air-cooled systems typically require larger heat dissipation channels, resulting in relatively low space utilization. Finally, liquid cooling technology is more suitable for outdoor environments and can adapt to a wider range of application scenarios. The air cooling technology is greatly affected by the external environment and has relatively poor adaptability.
Based on this, Paiwo's previously released energy storage liquid cooling and temperature control management solution can significantly reduce the energy consumption of system operation, reducing energy consumption by more than 20% compared to traditional air conditioning air cooling, and increasing service life by 20%. Paiwo's full range of energy storage liquid cooling products have the advantages of low cost, low energy consumption, and high safety. Through the intensive design of liquid cooling solutions, the energy density of battery cells is greatly increased, reducing the footprint.
Against the backdrop of the booming energy storage market, with the continuous increase in charged capacity of future energy storage power stations, liquid cooling solutions will rapidly increase their proportion and become the mainstream of the energy storage market, relying on advantages such as high refrigeration efficiency and low energy consumption.
