SAJ responds to growth in market for energy storage

The commercial and industrial (C&I) market for energy storage is projected to sustain a growth rate of 30% to 50% over the next three to five years, according to Samil Ouyang, CEO of Sanjing (SAJ), who discusses the global outlook for 2025 and the evolution of SAJ’s product line.

What is the outlook for energy storage systems in 2025?

OUYANG: The global commercial and industrial (C&I) market is booming, and it's projected to sustain a growth rate of 30% to 50% over the next three to five years. Although the overall share of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the global market is currently relatively low, markets in China, the United States, Australia, and Europe ─ as well as in Asia, Africa, and Latin America ─ are all witnessing an upward trend at this stage.

Due to component price adjustments over the past two to three years, the residential market in Asia, Africa, and Latin America is growing steadily at an annual rate of 20% to 30%. In Europe, the residential market is likely to remain stable or see a slight decline this year due to the impacts of inventory destocking. The market will return to a relatively stable state by the end of 2025 and is expected to see a slight increase in 2026.

The US residential energy storage market is generally regarded as optimistic. Thanks to falling interest rates and a spate of supportive policies, market expectations are buoyant. The Australian market has started to bounce back from the bottom. Development in Southeast Asian markets ─ such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand ─ is also on an upward trend. Additionally, there's significant demand for rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS) in the Middle East, North Africa, and regions affected by war, such as Israel, Lebanon, and Iraq.

SAJ celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. How has the company evolved, and what core values drive it?

OUYANG: SAJ started making frequency converters in 2005, entered the field of PV inverters in 2011, and began producing low-voltage residential storage inverters in 2015. In 2018, SAJ released the first residential all-in-one solution ─ a first-generation AC-coupled energy storage system. By 2024, SAJ expanded to cover 85+ countries, focused on localizing production capacity and operations.

The core values that drive SAJ and help us realize our ambitions are customer orientation, technological innovation, the pursuit of excellence, and openness and inclusiveness. We believe the long-term vitality of a company relies on its culture.

Our close relationships with top-tier customers have helped us stay sensitive to industry trends and market needs. For instance, through our partnership with OSW in Australia, we've learned about the market’s dynamic anti-islanding requirements and demand for IoT software innovation, as well as the trend toward virtual power plants and all-in-one units. And our cooperation with Soollar led us to develop products suited for the Brazilian market.

Additionally, the open and inclusive approach of our R&D departments enables us to provide comprehensive and high-quality solutions to our customers.

How is SAJ’s product line evolving to meet customer needs?

OUYANG: In 2025, SAJ will continue to strengthen its residential energy storage product line and expand its small C&I product line. To meet the needs of the European, American, and Australian markets, SAJ will deploy high-end DCDC all-in-one residential products, combined with our AI-driven elekeeper energy management system. In the Asian, African, and Latin American markets, where backup power and cost-effectiveness are important needs, we plan to launch split-type low-voltage products.

For the small C&I market, SAJ will continue to deploy 50 kW/100 kWh integrated and split-type hybrid DC-coupled products to meet integrated photovoltaic, energy storage, and charging needs. At the same time, we’ll offer 125 kW/261 kWh integrated AC-coupled products for energy storage scenarios.

Which markets are SAJ focused on currently, and what are your near-term plans for expansion?

OUYANG: In the Asian-African and Latin American markets, our current focus is on Brazil, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, and South Africa. In Europe, we are more concentrated on Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, UK, Poland, and Romania. In the United States and India, we mainly cooperate with local brands.

Our low-voltage energy storage and our all-in-one products for the C&I market will help us meet market needs in Brazil, Pakistan, and South Africa ─ and as we expand into Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The questions and responses in this sponsored interview article were provided by Sanjing.