Blue Whale Energy, a Southeast Asia-based virtual power plant developer, has announced a strategic partnership with UNIGRID, Inc., a pioneer in advanced sodium-ion battery technology. Together, they aim to deploy behind-the-meter battery energy storage systems (BESS) tailored for commercial and industrial (C&I) applications in dense urban environments.
As global solar adoption accelerates, driven by cost reductions and supportive policy, energy grids face increasing challenges from the intermittent nature of solar generation. Battery storage is essential to balance supply and demand—but in space-constrained cities, traditional lithium-ion BESS deployments are often impractical due to safety concerns and footprint limitations.
“This technology is a game changer for us,” said Gabriel Lim, Founder and CEO of Blue Whale Energy. “With UNIGRID’s sodium-ion platform, we can deploy energy storage directly where energy is needed – on commercial and industrial rooftops throughout urban cities where space constraints previously made installations unfeasible. This allows us to turn every roof into a dispatchable grid asset.”
“We’re proud to support Blue Whale in building Southeast Asia’s virtual power plant network, powered by distributed renewable energy and safe storage,” said Darren H. S. Tan, CEO of UNIGRID Battery. “Such an approach allows us to open up new and untapped market opportunities in the BESS world.”
To address this, Blue Whale Energy is introducing a compact, modular approach by integrating sodium-ion battery packs directly beneath solar panels—an innovative co-location strategy that’s not viable with lithium-ion systems. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, UNIGRID’s sodium-ion technology is inherently safer, thermally stable, and operates efficiently without complex cooling systems or extensive fire mitigation. This partnership provides a scalable solution for clean energy storage in the urban environments where it’s needed most.
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