Global installed storage capacity is forecast to expand by 56% in the next five years to reach over 270 GW by 2026. The main driver is the increasing need for system flexibility and storage around the world to fully utilise and integrate larger shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) into power systems. IEA. Licence: CC BY 4.0
The main driver is the increasing need for system flexibility and storage around the world to fully utilise and integrate larger shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) into power systems. IEA. Licence: CC BY 4.0 Utility-scale batteries are expected to account for the majority of storage growth worldwide.
New York, October 12, 2022 – Energy storage installations around the world are projected to reach a cumulative 411 gigawatts (or 1,194 gigawatt-hours) by the end of 2030, according to the latest forecast from research company BloombergNEF (BNEF). That is 15 times the 27GW/56GWh of storage that was online at the end of 2021.
Commercial and industrial (C&I) ESS is experiencing a surge in growth, entering a phase of rapid development. The increase in installations for utility-scale ESS far outpaces that of other types. In the realm of residential energy storage, projections for new installations in 2024 stand at 11GW/20.9GWh, reflecting a modest 5% and 11% increase.
Addressing global electricity storage capabilities, our forecast expects them to increase by 40% to reach almost 12 TWh in 2026, with PSH accounting for almost all of it. India dominates storage capability expansion by commissioning over 2.5 TWh (80% of the expansion) thanks to projects using existing large reservoirs.
At the end of the year 2022, total global installed stationary battery storage capacity stood at more than 27 GW ( , p. 311). The speed of the increase has been substantial: just 10 years ago, the global installed battery energy storage was less than 1 GW in total.