Swiss energy storage company Phenogy has unveiled its first commercial-scale sodium-ion battery deployment, marking the largest installation of its kind in Europe. The single-container system, located near Bremen Airport in northern Germany, delivers 400 kW of power with nearly 1 MWh of storage capacity. Paired with a 50 kW solar array, the unit operates in island mode, powering electric vehicle chargers and optimizing on-site energy consumption.
One of the challenges for sodium-ion batteries at scale has been inverter compatibility due to their broader voltage range. To address this, Phenogy integrated eight Sunny Island X 50 inverters from SMA into its 20-foot PHENOGY 1.0 container. These pre-production inverters, designed for flexibility beyond lithium iron phosphate (LFP) systems, enable efficient voltage matching with the sodium-ion chemistry.
While sodium-ion is often seen as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion due to sodium’s abundance and lower extraction costs, the technology has yet to achieve mass-market maturity. China currently leads global deployment, with 100 MW-scale projects by companies such as CATL, BYD, and Huawei.
Phenogy CTO Max Kory emphasized the strategic value of sodium-ion technology for Europe and North America, noting that reliance on Chinese lithium-ion precursors could pose long-term risks. “Lithium prices will rise again – with mine closures in China, the market is nearing a breaking point. As prices climb, alternative chemistries become more attractive, and sodium-ion is the prime candidate for building localized supply chains,” he told ESS News.
Key to scaling production will be local cathode and anode manufacturing, particularly hard carbon derived from agricultural waste. While production costs remain higher than LFP today, Phenogy believes strategic buyers seeking supply chain independence will drive early adoption.
Founded in 2019, Phenogy employs about 60 people across Europe and the US, with operations in South Carolina and research collaborations with the University of South Carolina, Exentis Group, and Fraunhofer Institutes. The company is positioning itself as a vertically integrated manufacturer to strengthen local supply chains and support the global energy transition.
