Utility-scale storage capacity ranges from several megawatt-hours to hundreds. Lithium-ion batteries are the most prevalent and mature type. Battery storage increases flexibility in power systems, enabling optimal use of variable electricity sources like solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy.
China’s CATL, the world’s largest battery producer, says its energy storage batteries can last for 25 years. Will it save the planet? Not on its own — but grid-scale energy storage is part of the combination of clean energy technologies that is needed to reach net zero.
Batteries offer one solution because they can quickly store and dispatch energy. As installations of wind turbines and solar panels increase — especially in China — energy storage is certain to grow rapidly. They are part of the arsenal of clean energy technologies that will enable a net zero emissions future.
Usable capability – The usable capacity of a storage battery is not how much electricity it can store, but how much of a battery’s total capacity you can actually use. A battery’s capacity can be misleading, as you shouldn’t typically use a battery’s entire capacity, otherwise you run the risk of damaging it.
There is also an abundant supply from Chinese battery producers, which are keen to expand into global markets. One factor that is making battery energy storage cheaper is the falling price of lithium, which is down more than 70 per cent over the past year amid slowing sales growth for electric vehicles.
Chinese battery companies BYD, CATL and EVE Energy are the three largest producers of energy storage batteries, especially the cheaper LFP batteries. This month Rolls-Royce signed a deal with CATL to help deploy the company’s batteries in the EU and the UK.