What role does amorphous carbon play in the sodium-ion battery storage boom?

What role does amorphous carbon play in the sodium-ion battery storage boom?
Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a cost-effective alternative for energy storage, with installed capacity projected to grow from 7.2 GWh in 2023 to 75.5 GWh by 2026, driven by a 123% CAGR in storage applications. Amorphous carbon materials, including hard carbon derived from biomass or coal, are critical anode components. Production routes share similarities with activated carbon for supercapacitors, involving carbonization and activation steps. Leading producers like Japan's Kuraray and China's coal chemistry institutes have leveraged capacitor carbon expertise to develop hard carbon anodes with competitive sodium storage capacity and initial coulombic efficiency. For charcoal and carbon material manufacturers, this represents a high-value downstream opportunity beyond traditional fuel and adsorbent markets, especially as sodium-ion technology scales in grid storage and low-speed vehicles.