HiTHIUM Unveils World’s First “8-Hour Native” Storage System and Lands 1GWh Deal at SNEC 2026
SHANGHAI — As global energy grids wrestle with extreme weather and shifting generation patterns, stationary storage pioneer HiTHIUM used the SNEC 2026 exhibition to signal a major technological pivot: the era of multi-hour, long-duration energy storage (LDES) has officially arrived.
Anchored by the debut of a massive 1300Ah cell, HiTHIUM introduced a suite of hardware optimized for 4-to-8-hour discharge windows, moving past the industry’s traditional 2-to-3-hour boundaries. The company paired its hardware showcase with immediate commercial momentum, locking in a massive 1GWh strategic expansion contract in Southeast Asia.
Engineering for the 8-Hour Grid
The centerpiece of HiTHIUM’s showcase was the ∞Power 6.9MWh LDES system, billed as the world’s first utility-scale solution built from the cell level up specifically for 8-hour discharge cycles.
Rather than chaining together smaller cells—a practice that introduces complex balancing issues and auxiliary power drains—HiTHIUM engineered the monstrous ∞Cell 1300Ah. By designing natively for large-capacity long-duration cycles, the resulting 20-foot containerized system delivers a stable 8-hour output.
Designed for a 25-year operational lifespan, the system features space-saving back-to-back and side-by-side spacing configurations to cut down on civil engineering costs. It also incorporates a multi-layer safety architecture (spanning intrinsic cell stability, active container-level fire suppression, and intelligent BMS management) alongside green-certified components, like low-global-warming-potential (GWP) coolants and fully recyclable structural frames.
Portfolio Expansion: The High-Capacity Lineup
Beyond the 8-hour flagship, HiTHIUM expanded its core capacity offerings to give developers more flexibility in optimizing project economics:
- ∞Cell 650Ah & ∞Power 10+MWh: Designed to maximize energy density and system integration efficiency, directly lowering upfront capital expenditures for large utility projects.
- Sodium-Ion Alternatives: For shorter 1-hour applications where lithium alternatives face supply chain or environmental bottlenecks, the company demonstrated its ∞Cell N162Ah and ∞Power N2.28 MWh sodium-ion systems.
- C&I and Residential Matrix: Rounding out the portfolio were the ∞Block 261kWh and 418kWh commercial cabinets alongside their latest residential all-in-one backup units.
Securing a 1GWh Foothold in Vietnam
Proving that its long-duration roadmap extends beyond theoretical design, HiTHIUM finalized a three-year, 1GWh strategic cooperation agreement with DSS Solar.
The partnership is explicitly aimed at deploying a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial energy storage systems across Vietnam. By marrying HiTHIUM’s manufacturing scaling capabilities with DSS Solar’s established local channels and project development pipeline, the two entities aim to accelerate regional grid stabilization as Vietnam aggressively integrates more variable renewable generation.
