Grid energy storage, also known as large-scale energy storage, are technologies connected to the electrical power grid that store energy for later use. These systems help balance supply and demand by storing excess electricity from variable renewables such as solar and inflexible sources like nuclear power, releasing it when needed.
E nergy storage for the electrical grid is about to hit the big time. By the reckoning of the International Energy Agency (iea), a forecaster, grid-scale storage is now the fastest-growing of all the energy technologies. In 2025, some 80 gigawatts (gw) of new grid-scale energy storage will be added globally, an eight-fold increase from 2021.
In the electricity sector, governments should consider energy storage, alongside other flexibility options such as demand response, power plant retrofits, or smart grids, as part of their long-term strategic plans, aligned with wind and solar PV capacity as well as grid capacity expansion plans.
Global electricity demand is set to more than double by mid-century, relative to 2020 levels. With renewable sources – particularly wind and solar – expected to account for the largest share of power output in the coming decades, energy storage will play a significant role in maintaining the balance between supply and demand.
Smart grid coupled with energy storage systems increases demand elasticity while also disconnecting the simultaneity of production and consumption. Together, these services balance supply and demand while allowing a continual increase of renewables on the grid.
Asset class position and role of energy storage within the smart grid As utility networks are transformed into smart grids, interest in energy storage systems is increasing within the context of aging generation assets, heightening renewable energy penetration, and more distributed sources of generation .