Blue Whale Energy, a virtual power plant developer based in Southeast Asia, has announced a strategic partnership with UNIGRID, Inc., a company specializing in advanced sodium-ion battery technology. Together, the two firms aim to deliver commercial and industrial (C&I) battery energy storage system (BESS) solutions specifically designed for densely populated urban areas.
As global solar adoption accelerates driven by declining costs and supportive regulatory policies power grids are facing increasing strain due to the variable nature of solar energy, which often doesn’t align with peak electricity demand. Integrating solar power with battery storage is becoming essential to ensure grid stability and maximize the value of renewable energy. Yet in urban environments, implementing large-scale BESS solutions is particularly challenging due to limited space and strict safety regulations.
To tackle this issue, Blue Whale Energy is introducing a new approach: installing compact, modular battery packs directly beneath solar panels. Traditional lithium-ion batteries are unsuitable for this type of deployment because of fire safety concerns and the need for extensive engineering and thermal management systems. In contrast, UNIGRID’s sodium-ion battery technology offers a safer alternative, operating effectively across a broad temperature range without requiring active cooling systems or special enclosures.
Gabriel Lim, Founder and CEO of Blue Whale Energy, stated, “This technology is a game changer for us. 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.”
Darren H. S. Tan, CEO of UNIGRID Battery, stated, “We’re proud to support Blue Whale in building Southeast Asia’s virtual power plant network, powered by distributed renewable energy and safe storage. Such an approach allows us to open up new and untapped market opportunities in the BESS world.”
This makes UNIGRID’s solution ideal for close-proximity, rooftop co-location in cities where space is scarce. Blue Whale Energy plans to roll out an initial 8 megawatt-hours (MWh) of sodium-ion solar-plus-storage systems by the end of 2025. Following this initial phase, the partnership is expected to scale across Southeast Asia starting in 2026, offering a new model for deploying fire-safe, space-efficient clean energy systems in some of the world’s most space-constrained environments. The collaboration represents a meaningful step forward in addressing the unique challenges of urban renewable energy deployment, while also supporting the broader regional push toward a more resilient and sustainable energy future.
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