The second half of the energy storage competition: Seek development through scenario-driven approaches and the integration of photovoltaics and energy storage.

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A competition centered around scenarios and system solutions is kicking off.

"In the future, the competition in energy storage applications will definitely be scenario-based. The application of energy storage in niche sectors solves the problem of the accounting logic of energy storage in niche sectors, enabling enterprises to truly make money and achieve profitability." Shu Peng, the co-founder and operating president of Beijing Hepburn Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hepburn Energy"), made such remarks during the 18th (2025) International Solar Photovoltaic and Smart Energy (Shanghai) Conference and Exhibition.

In fact, this important "player" in the field of energy storage system integration is actively expanding its market boundaries around the concept of "breaking through with technology and implementing in scenarios."

Previously, Hepburn Energy proposed a new approach of the "energy storage + X" full-domain integration model, aiming to realize the application of energy storage in all industries. During this exhibition, the company centered around the "energy storage + X" full-scenario solution and showcased energy storage technology solutions such as grid-forming technology, photovoltaic-energy storage integration, and source-grid-load-storage integration, as well as a full set of energy storage solutions for various niche application scenarios such as charging, oil fields, mines, data centers, distribution areas, communication base stations, general industries and commerce, and high-energy-consuming factories.

It is reported that currently, Hepburn Energy has implemented multiple scenarios in the "energy storage + X" model. At this exhibition, Hepburn Energy reached broader cooperation with various partners around this strategy. It signed a series of cooperation agreements with enterprises such as Huawei Digital Power Technologies Co., Ltd., Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, Shuangdeng Group Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Ltd., and Beijing Kerui Group Co., Ltd., to further promote energy storage application scenarios such as photovoltaic-energy storage integration, source-grid-load-storage integration, data centers, mines, and oil fields. Notably, does the fact that Hepburn Energy signed in-depth cooperation and strategic cooperation agreements with Huawei Digital Power and Contemporary Amperex Technology, two industry giants, respectively, imply that there will be new developments in the future energy storage landscape? It makes people can't help but look forward to it.

Actually, as an important support for the new power system, energy storage is naturally deeply bound to scenarios. According to the observation of Foresee Energy, as the competition in the energy storage industry enters the intense second half, major manufacturers are increasingly emphasizing the ability of their products to precisely adapt to niche markets and application scenarios.

During the aforementioned SNEC conference, Li Guohong, the general manager of the large-scale energy storage product line of industry leader Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd., said: "In the future, the competition in the energy storage industry will transform from scale expansion to value deepening. The industry will focus on the economic models of the power generation side, grid side, and user side to realize the actual value of energy storage systems in scenarios such as grid regulation and arbitrage. The energy storage industry has entered an era of multiple values."

In April this year, when Cao Wei, the general manager of the industrial and commercial energy storage product line of Sungrow, was interviewed by China Energy News, he pointed out that due to the complex scenarios and diverse application models of industrial and commercial energy storage, it is necessary to build the ability to deeply couple with products such as photovoltaics and charging piles. Therefore, "scenario-based ability is the core for enterprises to build differentiated competition."

During the exhibition, for large-scale photovoltaic power plants, Sungrow released two new inverter products - the world's first 400kW+ string inverter SG465HX and the world's first split modular inverter 1+X 2.0, creating a 5A integrated system solution featuring "all-weather economy, all-scenario reliability, all-link safety, full-cycle intelligent maintenance, and all-grid-condition grid-forming." For large-scale energy storage power plants, Sungrow's PowerTitan 3.0 intelligent energy storage platform was publicly unveiled for the first time.

Just before the exhibition (June 5), Sungrow released the PowerTitan 3.0 at its intelligent factory in Hefei headquarters, establishing the 684Ah specification battery cell as the next-generation large battery cell technology route.

Another industry leader, GCL Energy Storage, brought a "full-scenario energy storage +" solution during the exhibition. The booth specially created core application scenarios such as zero-carbon cities, zero-carbon parks, zero-carbon factories, zero-carbon families, virtual power plants, and off-grid systems, intuitively demonstrating how energy storage can help different industries achieve low-carbon transformation.

In addition to the above well-known enterprises, some new players such as Hengyieneng exhibited a full range of products covering all fields and scenarios, including mobile energy storage products suitable for "temporary ultra-fast charging stations."

Obviously, in the second half of the in-depth industry competition, the competition among energy storage enterprises has evolved from simply comparing battery cell parameters at the beginning to an all-round competition covering technology, safety, and application scenarios. As summarized by an industry media, those who can embed the actual needs of diverse application environments on the basis of ensuring product performance are more likely to gain an advantage in the increasingly fierce wave of large-scale energy storage applications.

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"We will strengthen cooperation in technology R & D, standard setting, and joint innovation of solutions, and actively explore the application of energy storage in different scenarios and regions, jointly incubating innovative products and business models for the future." Shu Peng said at the signing ceremony with Huawei Digital Power that the two sides will jointly promote the innovation and application of intelligent photovoltaic and energy storage integration technology, especially deepening cooperation in large-scale ground power plants, distributed photovoltaics, photovoltaic-energy storage integration, and intelligent operation and maintenance, to improve the utilization efficiency and stability of clean energy and help build a new power system with new energy as the main body.

According to his introduction, different from the "patchwork integration" of traditional photovoltaic-energy storage projects, the two sides achieve in-depth synergy of photovoltaic-energy storage solutions through the deep coupling of intelligent energy storage and digital new energy. In the scenario of photovoltaic fluctuations, the energy storage system can improve the response speed, optimize energy utilization, and provide a more efficient "stabilizer" for the new power system.

In fact, according to the observation of Foresee Energy, against the background that scenario-based innovation has become the focus of enterprise competition, collaborative development, in-depth integration, and building a system solution for photovoltaic-energy storage integrated development are becoming another industry focus.

At the opening ceremony of the aforementioned SNEC conference, Gao Jifan, the chairman and CEO of Trina Solar, said that currently, more than one-third of the company's business comes from solutions, and this proportion will increase to more than 50% in the next two or three years.

Gao Jifan said that the transformation from price involution to value creation means building a new green energy system centered around scenarios, which has huge potential. The photovoltaic industry will shift from the era of manufacturing dominance to the era of solution dominance.

It is understood that the scenario-based energy storage solutions built by Trina Storage can precisely meet the needs of multiple scenarios such as large-scale power plants, zero-carbon parks, and microgrids through differentiated capabilities such as grid-forming technology, high-temperature resistance design, and ultra-long cycle performance, and can also meet the energy storage application needs in extreme environments such as extremely cold and high-temperature conditions.

"Affected by factors such as weather, the volatility of photovoltaic power generation causes a balance problem between power generation and consumption. Therefore, the development of new energy cannot be separated from energy storage, especially the integration of photovoltaics and energy storage. In this scenario, the energy storage system must define products and systems in combination with the characteristics of photovoltaics." Lü Lin, the general manager of Xi'an Electric Technology Co., Ltd. under TBEA, said in an interview with the media.

In fact, according to the observation of Foresee Energy, under the prospect of new energy fully participating in the power market trading, industrial and commercial energy storage enterprises have entered a period of in-depth integration. In this round of competition, enterprises must strengthen two core capabilities - grid-forming technology and AI empowerment. In this regard, leading enterprises represented by Huawei, Sungrow, and Hepburn Energy are actively deploying.

In addition, in the wave of the global energy structure accelerating the transformation towards green and low-carbon, the deep integration of AI technology and the photovoltaic-energy storage industry is becoming an important key to unlocking the new future of smart energy. According to Foresee Energy, many enterprises showcased multi-scenario solutions such as micro photovoltaic-energy storage, household photovoltaic-energy storage, and industrial and commercial photovoltaic-energy storage empowered by AI at this SNEC photovoltaic exhibition.

It is not difficult to see that the displays of major manufacturers at the SNEC exhibition are essentially the latest responses of the energy storage industry in the "post-policy era."

From in-depth scenario exploration to value services, from hardware manufacturing to system solutions, when the market rules of mandatory energy storage allocation change, enterprises must prove their value in this multiple competition of redefining the "essence of energy storage." Those enterprises that can form unique advantages in technological innovation, scenario understanding, and ecosystem building will eventually stand out in this value game.

As a senior industry insider said: "The next growth pole of the energy storage industry lies in the refined operation of every kilowatt-hour of electricity and the in-depth integration of every scenario." When the tide of policy-driven development recedes, the real value creators are revealing their solid foundation.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Foresee Energy", author: Yang Rui, published by 36Kr with authorization.