In the development history of the energy storage industry, 2025 is undoubtedly a crucial turning point. In the first quarter, the newly installed capacity of domestic new energy storage witnessed a historic first negative growth. At the same time, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a new policy, explicitly cancelling the mandatory pre-condition of power storage. This policy change was like a bolt from the blue, instantly awakening the entire energy storage industry - the era of extensive scale expansion driven by policies has gone away from us.
At present, the energy storage market is in a state of continuous turmoil, with the price war intensifying. System quotations have even dropped below 0.3 yuan per watt-hour, and the gross profit margin has shown a significant decline. The shadow of homogenized competition looms over the industry. At this critical juncture, the industry urgently needs a profound value reconstruction to seek new development directions.
Industry Transformation: From Scale Expansion to Value Cultivation
The dual variations of policy and market are pushing the energy storage industry to a brand-new historical turning point. On the one hand, there is a significant policy shift. The "Document No. 136" of 2025 stipulates that the configuration of energy storage cannot be a prerequisite for the approval and grid connection of new renewable energy projects, directly removing the policy engine that once contributed 70% of the installed capacity demand. On the other hand, the market is awakening. The construction of the electricity spot market is accelerating comprehensively. The "Document No. 394" requires that the spot market coverage be basically achieved by the end of 2025. Peak-valley price difference arbitrage and auxiliary service income have become new profit pillars.
However, this transformation has also brought inevitable pains. The continuous decline in battery cell prices has led the system integration into a homogenized predicament of "competing on capacity and price". At present, when short-term pains and long-term opportunities are intertwined, the survival rules for enterprises have quietly changed. Currently, many enterprises are trapped due to insufficient integration capabilities; while the 4S+C overall solution proposed by Qualtech can help customers quickly adapt to the changing requirements of future application scenarios. In this transformation, only those with strong technical capabilities and system-level innovation can break through. Qualtech's 4S+C full-stack self-research model is undoubtedly a sharp sword to break the deadlock and can help enterprises open up new paths in this transformation.
Breaking through the pain points: 4S+C directly addresses the "impossible triangle" in the industry.
For a long time, the energy storage industry has been confronted with the "impossible triangle" of safety, economy and adaptability being hard to balance simultaneously. Moreover, the traditional modular solution has exposed numerous shortcomings. The system is fragmented, with BMS, PCS and EMS belonging to different suppliers, resulting in poor protocol compatibility and a rising failure rate, accounting for a considerable proportion of unplanned outages. Response is sluggish, with the development of a single device protocol taking 2 to 3 weeks, and the project customization cycle being lengthy. Data silos exist, with data from multiple systems unable to be coordinated, thus limiting the intelligent dispatching capability.
The 4S+C full-stack self-research model proposed by Qualtech integrates four core hardware components and a cloud platform vertically, including BMS (Battery Safety Monitoring), PCS (Energy Conversion Hub), EMS (Intelligent Decision-making Brain), TMS (Thermal Management Guardian), and Cloud (Data Synergy Foundation). This model has established a full data loop from battery cells to the cloud, achieving "integrated design, integrated control, and integrated optimization", and precisely solving the industry's "impossible triangle" problem.
Practical achievements: Full-stack self-research and development reshape competitive barriers
At the 2025 International Energy Storage Summit, Qualtech comprehensively showcased its 4S + C technology matrix, indicating that the company is actively embracing industry changes and has successfully transformed from a traditional equipment supplier to a system-level solution provider.
In terms of technological breakthroughs, the company has achieved triple innovations. Firstly, there is the revolutionary Immersion TMS. We have uniquely designed a "thermal and electrical integration" system, directly immersing the battery cells in the coolant, with a temperature difference controlled within ±2℃, significantly enhancing the cycle life. The semi-enclosed design reduces the cost of the battery pack, with liquid usage reduced by 80%. It is priced the same as cold plate liquid cooling but can operate stably in harsh environments such as high temperatures and high altitudes.
Secondly, there is the zero-code architecture development platform, which is based on the DDD domain modeling concept. It abstracts protocols such as Modbus and CAN into standardized models, significantly reducing the integration time for device protocols from 2-3 weeks to 0.5-1 day. It supports over a hundred projects sharing a single set of code, and the system reliability has been enhanced by more than five times.
The last component is the AI-driven Cloud brain, which is connected to advanced large models and uses LSTM/Transformer algorithms to predict situations such as thermal runaway, enabling early warnings. It also builds scenario-based models for predicting photovoltaic power generation and assessing battery life, and can intelligently schedule peak-valley arbitrage to further reduce users' electricity costs.
In terms of economy and safety, our new generation of active balancing BMS supports a balancing current of 1 - 3A, with an efficiency of ≥80% and a withstand voltage of up to 6000V DC. It also supports bidirectional charging and discharging between 24V and battery cells, making energy flow more flexible and further enhancing the charging and discharging efficiency. Moreover, the product design complies with domestic and international certification standards, allowing it to smoothly enter both domestic and foreign markets and providing users with a more efficient and convenient usage experience.
Industry Value: Driving Energy Storage to Become a Profit Engine
The 4S+C model is reshaping the entire value chain of the energy storage industry. For enterprises, this model can effectively reduce operation and maintenance costs and failure rates, while supporting multiple revenue models such as shared energy storage and VPP, creating more value for their development. For users, the synergy of photovoltaic and energy storage has increased the consumption rate of green electricity, and peak-valley arbitrage has significantly shortened the payback period. For the power grid, it effectively enhances grid stability and the capacity to accommodate new energy.
As Chairman Zhang Weifeng of Qualtech said, "Safety is the foundation and profit is the wings. When industrial, commercial and storage energy management rises to energy trading, the system must have the ability to adapt to scenarios."
Future Outlook: Full-stack Self-research and AI Revolution Leading Industry Transformation
Policies have pointed out the direction for the energy storage industry, aiming to achieve high-end, intelligent and green development by 2027. Meanwhile, technologies provide us with the tools to reach the goals. Zero-code architecture accelerates scenario-based customization, immersion liquid cooling breaks through safety boundaries, and AI large models reconstruct operation and maintenance efficiency.
According to CNESA's forecast, China's installed capacity of new energy storage will reach 313.9 GW by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of over 30% from 2024 to 2030. In this golden track full of opportunities, enterprises with full-stack self-research and development capabilities will lead the market differentiation.
Qualtech's 4S+C model not only realizes the hardware collaboration of BMS/EMS/PCS/TMS, but also builds a digital twin through the Cloud platform, transforming the energy storage system from "passive response" to "active decision-making". On the ruins of the price war, we have established lasting competitiveness through value innovation.
With the full-scale rollout of the electricity spot market, energy storage will no longer be a "secondary product" of the power grid but will become the "fourth type of power source" influencing the formation of electricity prices. Those enterprises that master the 4S + C key will eventually become the "price anchor" of the new power system. Qualtech will also continue to focus on technological innovation and drive the energy storage industry to move towards a higher value level.