Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the successful implementation of intellectual property pledge financing in Suqiu District, which has enabled local technology-based SMEs to overcome financing challenges and enhance innovation capabilities [1][3][6]. Group 1: Company Insights - Suqiu Aozhong Glass Co., Ltd. is a national high-tech enterprise with seven invention patents, and 95% of its products are exported overseas [1]. - The company faced development obstacles due to limited financing channels and had previously struggled to leverage its patents for funding [1][3]. - The company is expected to secure an additional 10 million yuan in working capital loans through intellectual property pledge financing, which is seen as a significant boost [3][6]. Group 2: Industry Developments - The Suqiu District has identified a common issue among many tech SMEs, which is the "idle" status of intellectual property assets [5]. - The district has established a three-tier service system involving government guidance, bank-enterprise connections, and professional evaluations to facilitate the transformation of technological achievements [6][10]. - As of June 30, the district has completed eight cases of intellectual property pledge financing, totaling 70 million yuan [8]. - Suqiu Times Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is another beneficiary, having received 6 million yuan last year and is expected to secure an additional 40 million yuan this year for technology upgrades [8]. - The district currently has 1,107 effective invention patents, with 705 classified as high-value patents, representing 63.68% of the total [10].

Core Viewpoint - The rapid development of new energy storage technologies in China is evident, with a clear trend towards "long-duration" storage solutions, particularly in flow batteries and compressed air energy storage [2][3][4] Policy Support - National policies are increasingly supportive of large-scale and medium-to-long duration energy storage projects, with multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing the commercial viability of long-duration storage [3][5][7] - Local governments are also implementing subsidy policies to improve the economic competitiveness of new energy storage projects, with various regions offering significant financial incentives [7][8] Market Growth - The installed capacity of new energy storage projects in China surpassed 137.9 GW by the end of 2024, with new energy storage alone reaching 78.3 GW, marking a year-on-year growth of 126.5% [9][11] - The proportion of long-duration storage projects (4 hours and above) has increased to 15.4% of the total installed capacity, reflecting a growing focus on long-duration energy storage solutions [11][13] Technology Development - Flow battery installations have seen rapid growth, with a total capacity exceeding 1 GWh in the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 272% [14][15] - The flow battery market is diversifying, with all-vanadium flow batteries dominating but other technologies like zinc-iron and iron-chromium also making progress [15][17] - Compressed air energy storage projects are gaining traction, with 14 projects initiated in early 2025, totaling 4.1 GW/18.7 GWh, a 33.3% increase from the previous year [24][26] Project Scale - The trend towards larger-scale projects is evident, with the number of flow battery projects exceeding 100 MW increasing from 1 in 2023 to 4 in 2024, and 14 more in development [22][24] - Significant breakthroughs in large-capacity compressed air projects have been achieved, including the world's first 300 MW compressed air storage facility [26][29] Emerging Technologies - The potential of compressed carbon dioxide storage technology is beginning to emerge, with two projects under construction, totaling 200 MW/1400 MWh, indicating a growing interest in this area [29][30]

Core Insights - A new interface crosslinking strategy has been developed for ion-selective membranes used in flow batteries, resulting in a high stability ultra-thin polymer membrane with a thickness of only 3 micrometers, which enhances the working current density of all-vanadium flow batteries to 300 milliamps per square centimeter [1][2] Group 1: Research Findings - The polymer ion-selective membrane is favored in the market due to its low cost and ease of large-scale production, but traditional methods often lead to irregular pore structures that hinder precise separation of active materials and charge carriers [1] - The new membrane features a pore size distribution between 1.8 to 5.4 angstroms, similar to inorganic nanoporous materials, allowing for precise screening of active materials and rapid conduction of charge carriers [2] - The robust covalent crosslinking network within the separation layer enhances the mechanical stability of the membrane, demonstrating good mechanical strength even at a reduced thickness of 3 micrometers, outperforming commercial Nafion 212 membranes in tensile strength and hardness [1] Group 2: Application and Performance - The membrane was tested in an all-vanadium flow cell, achieving an energy efficiency exceeding 80% at a high current density of 300 milliamps per square centimeter [2] - The ultra-thin membrane also shows excellent performance in alkaline zinc-iron flow batteries and aqueous organic flow batteries under high current densities [2] - The universality of the interface crosslinking strategy was further validated by varying the type of crosslinking agent used [2]