Colin Electric has ventured into the energy storage sector, seeking to carve out its niche in a competitive market. From April 10 to 12, the 13th International Energy Storage Summit and Exhibition (ESIE 2025) was held in Beijing, where Colin Electric showcased several energy storage products. Just days prior, the company signed a contract with the Maldives Ministry of Tourism and Environment for a 38 MWh energy storage system EPC project, valued at nearly 130 million yuan.
Founded in 2000 and based in Shijiazhuang, Colin Electric is a well-known player in the electrical industry. The company has gradually developed three main business areas: smart grids, new energy, and comprehensive energy services. With a strong foundation in the electrical sector, why is Colin Electric expanding into energy storage? Given the intense price competition in the storage market, how does the company plan to establish its presence? These questions were discussed with Zhang Dong, the General Manager of Colin Electric’s New Energy Business Unit.
“Our current development goals are to strengthen power distribution and expand new energy,” said Zhang Dong. Colin Electric originally started with grid-related businesses, offering integrated automation equipment and complete solutions for power systems to clients in the power, public utility, and large industrial sectors. The New Energy Business Unit, established last year, combines the previous New Energy Division and Automation Division. Energy storage is its most significant area, primarily focusing on user-side storage while also incorporating grid-side storage solutions, charging piles, and photovoltaic products.
Zhang explained that the decision to enter the energy storage market aligns with global energy transition trends and China’s electricity market reforms. On one hand, the acceleration of global energy transition has opened vast opportunities for the storage industry. In light of China’s dual carbon goals, the capacity for renewable energy continues to grow, yet the intermittent nature of these energy sources poses challenges to grid stability. Energy storage acts as a “regulator” for the power system, enhancing grid resilience and compensating for the limitations of renewable generation.
On the other hand, market reform is creating diverse business models for energy storage, broadening its profit potential. Innovations such as time-of-use pricing mechanisms, auxiliary service markets, and capacity leasing have highlighted the economic value of energy storage in various scenarios, including peak shaving, demand response, and backup power sources. Particularly in the industrial and commercial sectors, the rising penetration of distributed energy is increasingly demonstrating the value of energy storage in reducing electricity costs and ensuring reliable power supply. This is a key reason for Colin Electric’s focus on commercial and industrial storage.
Additionally, with over two decades of experience in the power industry, Colin Electric has built robust technical capabilities in areas like smart substations and distribution network automation, providing a natural advantage for its energy storage initiatives. “Our products include integrated AC/DC power screens, photovoltaic inverters, and charging piles, which are closely related to core technologies in energy storage. Our deep research into these devices makes our entry into the energy storage market a logical progression,” Zhang noted.
Colin Electric’s energy storage systems boast a 90% self-manufacturing rate, encompassing critical components such as BMS, PCS, EMS, and temperature control systems. This commitment to self-developed core components allows for exceptional system integration, maximizing charge and discharge efficiency while ensuring safe transformer load operations. Notably, aside from user-side and grid-side energy storage systems, Colin Electric is also expanding into charging piles and integrated photovoltaic storage charging systems. Zhang mentioned that the company is concentrating its research efforts on overcoming technical bottlenecks related to integrated energy systems, low-carbon parks, zero-carbon parks, and virtual power plants. Colin Electric aims to build a formidable presence in the new energy sector through its focus on photovoltaic storage systems.
With the energy storage industry becoming increasingly competitive, particularly in the commercial and industrial sectors where price wars are escalating, how does Colin Electric plan to stand out? The company’s strategy is to create stable, safe, and profitable star products that genuinely provide value to users. At the ESIE 2025 exhibition, Colin Electric introduced multiple new products, prominently featuring the Grid-Forming 261 kWh liquid-cooled energy storage cabinet, which is designed for comprehensive application scenarios. This cabinet not only generates revenue through peak shaving and price differentials in typical commercial settings but also integrates with photovoltaic systems and charging piles for self-consumption of green electricity, minimizing excess power fed back into the grid. It also supports off-grid operation, ensuring reliable power supply for high-energy commercial users.
“At this exhibition, we noticed many competing products similar to our 261 kWh liquid-cooled energy storage cabinet. This indicates both strong market demand and significant competition. However, our product has distinct advantages,” Zhang stated. The Grid-Forming 261 kWh liquid-cooled energy storage cabinet benefits from in-house research and development, ensuring product stability, and its self-developed 135 kW hybrid energy storage inverter enhances operational efficiency and control response times, making it a perfect match for the 261 kWh cabinet. Moreover, the self-developed high-performance liquid cooling system and multi-layer battery protection strategy not only ensure the safety of the energy storage system but also improve user profitability. The modular design of the Grid-Forming 261 kWh cabinet allows for flexible expansion based on user needs.
Regarding the intensifying price wars, Colin Electric remains calm. Zhang remarked, “As price competition escalates, users’ perspectives have shifted. They are now less sensitive to price and more focused on product value and profitability.” In terms of strategy, he cited charging piles as an example: “We price our charging piles between leading brands and lower-tier manufacturers, yet our quality is on par with top brands. Additionally, our service system is quite comprehensive, which has resulted in strong product sales.” Looking ahead, Zhang is optimistic about the prospects for photovoltaic storage integration and microgrid applications. The 38 MWh energy storage EPC contract recently signed with the Maldives Ministry of Tourism and Environment falls under the microgrid project category. Currently, Southeast Asia has become a popular region for domestic energy storage companies to expand. Due to weak grids and numerous islands, electricity systems in Southeast Asia cannot be as widespread as in China, leading to a greater prevalence of off-grid projects, which is where microgrids excel. “In the future, we anticipate that our domestic and international markets will develop in tandem, jointly driving the growth of our energy storage business,” Zhang concluded.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/colin-electrics-strategic-move-into-energy-storage-seizing-opportunities-in-a-competitive-market/
