In the height of summer, July 2024, the University of Hong Kong International Science and Innovation Competition kicked off in full swing. This competition gathered the brilliant stars in the field of global technological innovation, attracting a total of 259 cutting-edge science and innovation projects from all corners of the world to register. Preliminary rounds were successfully completed in Hong Kong and overseas, as well as in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. After a series of rigorous selection and fierce competition, ZH Energy Storage's "High-Performance, Low-Cost Iron-Sulfur Flow Battery Long-Duration Energy Storage Technology" project stood out with its broad market prospects, cutting-edge investment value, and deep sense of social responsibility, successfully advancing to the "Top 20" in the finals. The Global Finals will be held at the University of Hong Kong on January 11, 2025.

Our General Manager, Mr. Zhiwei Kang,represented our company at the Shenzhen regional roadshow event.

The 2024 University of Hong Kong International Science and Innovation Competition is co-hosted by the China Business Academy of the University of Hong Kong (HKU ICB) and the Science and Innovation Center of the University of Hong Kong. The aim of the competition is to promote the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial development, enhance international technological exchange and cooperation, and accelerate the transformation of scientific and innovative achievements. The competition has invited a panel of globally renowned technology experts, well-known investors, and investment institutions, as well as industry leaders, to provide rigorous evaluation and guidance for the participating projects, offering a wealth of resources and support for outstanding projects.

In July, at the 4th "Hunan Province Study Abroad Personnel Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition" co-organized by the Haigui Forum and the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Hunan Province, ZH Energy Storage's "High Safety, Low Cost Iron-Sulfur Flow Battery Long-Duration Energy Storage Technology" project also successfully advanced to the finals.

High-Performance, Low-Cost Iron-Sulfur Flow Battery Technology for Long-Duration Energy Storage

Iron-sulfur batteries, as the latest technological route in the flow battery field, have the advantage of the lowest electrolyte cost and have received widespread attention in recent years. ZH Energy Storage is one of the earliest companies in the world to commercialize iron-sulfur batteries.

On the basis of ensuring safety, long duration, and high performance, ZH Energy Storage has effectively solved the current industry market pain points and resource issues through material innovation, efficiency improvement, and cost reduction. This is achieved by enhancing the power density of the cell stack, developing high-performance and low-cost non-fluoride ion-exchange membranes, and developing resource-rich and low-cost iron-sulfur electrolytes, thereby reducing the installation cost. The full life cycle cost per kilowatt-hour is much lower than that of lithium batteries and sodium batteries, and the total cost in combination with wind and solar power generation is lower than that of thermal power generation, which can achieve a complete replacement of new energy.

On August 5th, in the "Changsha Bank Cup" 2024 Hunan Province Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition hosted by the Department of Science and Technology of Hunan Province, the project "Low-Cost Non-Fluoride Ion Exchange Membrane for Hydrogen Energy and Flow Batteries" participated by Changsha Hechu New Material Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZH Energy Storage, successfully advanced to the semi-finals of the Hunan division.

Non-fluoride Ion Exchange Membrane

In response to the current market pain point of high initial installation costs for flow batteries, ZH Energy Storage, relying on the nearly 20 years of experience accumulated by its founder, Dr. Xie Wei, in the American flow battery industry, has jointly developed a high-performance, low-cost non-fluoride ion exchange membrane with Professor Liu Suqin's team from Central South University.

While ensuring high performance (the battery test performance has reached the level of DuPont Nafion membranes), the price of the ion exchange membrane has been reduced by more than 80%, reducing the front-end battery costs and thereby lowering the total system installation costs. ZH Energy Storage's non-fluoride ion exchange membrane products are applicable to fields such as flow batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen energy, and metal ion separation. Existing mature products include: PBI flow battery membranes, PBI fuel cell membranes. The product series are currently in the continuous pilot production phase, have provided customers with 60 cm wide products for verification testing, and have received bulk orders.

Every advancement in the competition is an affirmation of our efforts and an inspiration for the future. Moving towards innovation and striving for excellence, ZH Energy Storage will continue to delve into the field of long-duration flow battery energy storage, actively promote the application of scientific and technological innovation and industrial development, and looks forward to achieving better results in the finals.