Experts explained the importance of using sodium-ion batteries in UPS

In the next five years, sodium-ion batteries may occupy at least 35-40% of the Russian market. One of the key areas awaiting growth in this context is industrial uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), Mikhail Khachaturian, Associate Professor at the Department of Strategic and Innovative Development at the Financial University, told Izvestia on April 23.

According to him, the development of technology will ensure the steady growth of the UPS industry by 10-15% per year. Another factor contributing to the development of this area, according to the expert, will be the opportunity to significantly reduce downtime and equipment failures, which will provide savings of 2-4 million rubles, as well as efficiency gains of 3-6 million rubles.

"The main advantage of UPS based on sodium ion batteries is their economic feasibility. The cost of such batteries is significantly lower than lithium-ion batteries, which reduces the cost of purchase and maintenance by an average of 4-7%. In addition, sodium—ion batteries reduce the environmental burden of the enterprise by 5-7% and significantly increase the efficiency of production processes," he explained.

In turn, Mikhail Vazisov, General Manager of Ippon, noted that what distinguishes sodium batteries from lead-acid batteries is that they are environmentally friendly, since they contain no dangerous heavy metals, toxic components, or caustic acid solutions. In addition, the operational life of such power sources is higher — if lead batteries last about two years, then sodium batteries can last for more than 10 years.

"Another important advantage is increased resistance to cyclical loads. Sodium batteries can withstand up to 2,000 cycles of full discharge, while lead-acid batteries lose their performance after 300-500 cycles when discharged by 50%. They also operate in extreme temperature conditions: -20 to +40 degrees with up to 80% of the capacity remaining without the need for heating," he noted.

Evgenia Meshkova, an information security expert, said that sodium-ion batteries can become a worthy alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their accessibility and environmental safety. Sodium is the least toxic material among those used in battery production, which makes its use extremely relevant. Moreover, sodium-ion batteries are better able to withstand negative temperatures and are not prone to fire in case of a short circuit, which makes them safer for use in industrial environments.

Earlier, on February 19, Kristina Vishnevetskaya, Director of business Development at Ippon, told Izvestia that in order to protect herself from an unexpected power outage, it is necessary to use various ways to obtain and store additional, backup electricity. One of these methods is an uninterruptible power supply, a device that protects electrical equipment from interruptions and problems in the power supply network.