Shares of Shandong Sacred Sun Power Sources (002580:SZ) and Inner Mongolia Lantai Industrial (600328:SH) soared by the maximum 10% in the morning trading on May 24. The two firms are key material providers essential to the domestic sodium-ion battery supply chain.

"Sodium-ion cells have a lower energy density, ~100-150Wh/kg, in comparison to lithium-ion cells', 330Wh/kg," says James Frith, head of energy storage at BloombergNEF, "So expect them to be used to replace lead-acid initially, in applications such as back-up power and two and three-wheelers.

"In the long run, stationary storage markets could be suitable for sodium-ion deployments."

UK battery maker Faradion's has proprietary Faraday Institution – Sodium-ion Batteries: Inexpensive and Sustainable Energy Storage

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) are attractive prospects for stationary storage applications where lifetime operational cost, not weight or volume, is the overriding factor. Recent improvements in performance, particularly in energy density, mean NIBs are reaching the level necessary to justify the exploration of commercial scaleup.