Solar power has the potential to be a game changer in terms of environmental concerns and our global sustainability goals for the future. However, skeptics point to the many challenges that the current industry face, not the least of which is the reliance on exotic materials that are difficult to source and can themselves be less than environmentally friendly. That's why we're so excited to share that BLUETTI is introducing the world's first sodium-ion solar powered generator, the NA300 and it's compatible battery pack the B480.
Why Is Sodium-Ion Technology Such A Big Deal For Solar Generators?
So why is this such a big deal? Simply put, sodium is more than 1,000 times more abundant than lithium. Since Sony Corporation introduced Lithium-Ion battery technology in 1991, this has been the standard for energy storage needs across a wide variety of consumer applications from cars and aviation to the battery in your phone, laptop, and if you are already a current BLUETTI customer ... most of their current battery products.
Unfortunately, lithium has a major disadvantage when it comes to a sector that is growing as rapidly as batteries and solar power generation is. Lithium is a rare material and that means that it is also expensive.
Sodium however, is very abundant - potentially more than 1,000 times more common in the Earth's crust than Lithium but chemically very similar. As such, scientists around the world have been working to develop usable battery solutions that are based on sodium rather than lithium and we're now starting to see applications reach the marketplace like these two new products from BLUETTI.
Another key advantage of using sodium is that because it is far more common, it is less reliant on global trade challenges. For example, currently the world's largest supplies of lithium are found in South America as well as the United States and Australia. However, being that sodium is the fourth most abundant element on Earth, it can be found almost everywhere.
Introducing The BLUETTI NA300 And B480
This new NA300 sodium ion solar generator system is functionally very similar to the previous generations of the BLUETTI solar generator EP500 Pro, including the 4 20A plugs and one 30A.
L14-30 output ports driven by the built-in 3,000W pure sine wave inverter to juice up most household electrical appliances. Besides, the NA300 further outstrips the EP500 Pro’s incredible 2,400W solar input to 3,000W. It may be cited to be the fastest charging solar generator since it can be recharged from 0% to 80% in a short half-hour by 6,000W swift AC + PV dual charging. (3,000W Max. for both AC and PV)
However, NA300 provides a capacity of 3,000Wh, less than the 5,100Wh of EP500 Pro in the same size owing to the current sodium-ion battery technology limitations related to energy density. Aside from lower energy density, these sodium-ion batteries found in the NA300 and B480 rival the LiFEPO4 (Lithium Ion) battery cells found in other BLUETTI products.
BLUETTI’s sodium-ion battery can charge in less than 30 minutes to 80% SOC at room temperature. Besides, in a low-temperature environment of -20°C (-4℉), this sodium-ion battery pack in NA300 and B480 has a capacity retention rate of more than 85% and provides a system integration efficiency of over 80%, which is perfect for powering in winter or in regions with extremely low temperatures.
Further information about these new sodium-ion solar generator products will be available at CES 2022 where BLUETTI will be unwrapping these and other new products. For more information, make sure to visit their website.
