Emerging Energy Storage Technologies

Global power networks are undergoing an unprecedented level of change, with mounting electricity demand from traditional sectors as well transport, and industrial facilities placing added pressure on grids. Rising demand and the shifting nature of power supply pose novel challenges to grid balancing efforts. The industry response has been a steep uptick in energy storage project activity, with over 4,000 energy storage projects in the pipeline globally.

In addition, the proliferation of AI and a rapid roll-out of data centres also hold the potential to increase power demand further. As a result, the goal of accommodating peak power demand continues to shift.

Rising demand and the shifting nature of power supply pose novel challenges to grid balancing efforts. The industry response has been a steep uptick in energy storage project activity, with over 4,000 energy storage projects in the pipeline globally. The bulk of active energy storage capacity is comprised of pumped hydropower projects and the current slate of project announcements point to the potential for strong future growth. However, the extent to which the technology can be deployed in tandem with renewables is limited.

An increasingly broad range of technologies are being explored by the power sector, spanning electromechanical, electrochemical, and thermal storage pathways. This report provides an overview of the key areas of innovation across energy storage technologies as the power sector pursues scalable solutions that can tackle renewable intermittency and provide long-duration storage.

Key Highlights

• A rapid pace of renewable installations continues to bolster the contribution of renewables to the overall power mix.
• Solar PV and onshore wind continue to represent the key drivers of this growth, with the two technologies accounting for 7.3% and 7.6%, respectively, of total generation in 2024.
• Global energy storage capacity is expected to increase at a CAGR of 40% between 2015 and 2030, indicating a strong increase in project announcements as well as a movement towards larger-scale projects, which has been facilitated by the commercialization of modular and stackable energy storage systems.
• However, despite the increasingly global uptake of renewables, energy storage capacity remains regionally uneven.

Scope

• Snapshot of the global power mix
• Energy storage capacity outlook
• Regional distribution of energy storage capacity
• Emerging energy storage framework
• Challenges of scaling energy storage capacity
• Case studies of innovative energy storage technologies

Reasons to Buy

• Gain insight into the energy storage capacity outlook.
• Identify the key trends that are driving energy storage project activity.
• Understand both the established and emerging technology trends that are influencing the energy storage market.
• Understand how and where the market is growing as it is rapidly scales to become a key technology for the global energy transition.
• Learn about the key companies that are developing energy storage technologies across electromechanical, electrochemical, and thermal energy storage.