Sodium-ion home battery delivers 9.7 kWh capacity and promises 20,000 cycles

Home energy storage is being revamped. The 48 V residential energy storage system (RESS) developed by AuroraCell, a Bulgaria-based company, uses sodium-ion chromium oxide (NCO) cathode technology.

Standard lithium batteries are limited by supply problems and have a risk of catching fire. Sodium are potential alternative to solve this crisis. But conventional sodium batteries usually have to compromise between energy density and stability in extreme weather.

AuroraCell says its specially designed NCO structure overcomes those exact compromises. The unit is said to endure 20,000 cycles at a 100% depth of discharge, a number which exceeds the typical lithium-ion warranty by a number of decades. AuroraCell backs the system with a 20-year guarantee.

48 V sodium-ion NCO home battery

The AuroraCell 9.7 kWh battery stores enough power to run basic home electronics and appliances. It operates as a standard 48-volt system, giving homeowners a dependable backup power supply.

Safety is also one of the main advantages, since the design comes with a guarantee that there will be no fire or explosion. It has both UL9540A and CE safety certifications.

The ability to withstand temperature variations is just as notable. It is capable of discharging without any problems at low temperatures and continues to operate in extreme heat up to 60°C (140°F). ESS News reported that the unit, which weighs 110.5 kg, can be connected directly to the main 48 VDC hybrid inverters. The brands that are supported are Victron, Schneider Electric, SMA, and Sungrow. Thanks to its modular parallel connections, homeowners can easily increase the system’s capacity.

Housed in an IP65-rated enclosure, the unit measures 483 mm × 254 mm × 754 mm. This IP65 rating ensures the unit is weather-resistant and is fully protected against dust and water jets. As a result, the system is suitable for harsh indoor or outdoor conditions.

Abundance of sodium

Sodium technology offers a safe and durable base for use in residential energy storage. In general, these batteries could come with an expected service life of between 25 and 30 years and a projected cycle life that goes beyond 30,000 cycles. This long lifespan is ideal for homeowners who charge and discharge solar energy daily without frequent unit replacements.

For these reasons, AuroraCell combines stable chemistry, built-in management, and passive thermal protection to create an ultra-safe home battery.

It also has another product. The Nexus TerraShield 200 NFPP is AuroraCell’s high-capacity battery designed for commercial and utility-scale energy projects. Delivering nearly 200 kWh of storage, it uses sodium-ion technology to provide a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to large lithium installations.

According to the firm’s website, the 200 kWh commercial unit has an active liquid-cooling system for handle higher energy throughput, while the residential unit relies on passive thermal design.

Sodium-ion batteries reduce supply-chain vulnerabilities by using abundant sodium rather than scarce metals like lithium, nickel, or cobalt. Using cheap aluminum foil on both sides instead of expensive copper foil makes sodium batteries much cheaper to produce. Moreover, existing lithium-ion gigafactories can quickly adapt standard equipment for sodium-ion production with minimal retooling.

All these benefits could eventually help bring sodium batteries closer to mainstream adoption than just depending on lithium ones.