According to BloombergNEF's report, a total of 112 GW / 307 GWh of energy storage capacity was commissioned globally in 2025. In 2025, installations increased by 48 percent compared to the previous year.
The global energy storage sector continues to grow rapidly. According to the Energy Storage Market Outlook report published by BloombergNEF, a total of 112 GW / 307 GWh of energy storage capacity was commissioned worldwide in 2025. Installations in 2025 recorded a 48 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Excluding pumped-hydroelectric systems, the cumulative global energy storage capacity reached 2.9 TW. In 2026, the sector is expected to grow by another 41 percent, reaching 158 GW / 459 GWh.
According to projections for the next 10 years, the total installed energy storage capacity is expected to reach 2,867 GW / 10,514 GWh by the end of 2036. This figure is approximately 10 times the 2025 levels. New capacity additions in 2036 alone are expected to be 306 GW.
China maintains its clear leadership
China continues to lead in energy storage installations, as it has for a long time. In 2025, 54 percent of new installations were from China, while the US ranked second with a 16 percent share. Grid-scale projects, primarily used for energy transition purposes, accounted for 85 percent of new capacity additions.
Isshu Kikuma, Senior Energy Storage Analyst at BloombergNEF, highlighted the sector's growth rate, stating that it took only four years for energy storage to increase its annual installations from 10 GW to over 100 GW. According to Kikuma, solar energy took approximately eight years to reach the same level, and wind energy took 15 years. This indicates that the sector is rapidly maturing and market momentum is strengthening.
LFP batteries dominate the market
In terms of battery technologies, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells maintain a clear dominance. LFP chemistry constitutes 90 percent of annual lithium-ion battery installations. However, BloombergNEF predicts that annual installations of long-duration energy storage systems with storage durations of six hours or more will quadruple, reaching 2 GW. Sodium-ion batteries are also expected to increase their market share, but analysts are not yet sharing a clear capacity estimate.
Energy storage investments are rapidly closing the gap with solar energy. With the proliferation of standalone storage projects and storage solutions integrated with solar energy, the installation ratio between solar energy and energy storage dropped from 56:1 in 2016 to 6:1 in 2025. This ratio is expected to further decrease to 4:1 in 2026.
According to the report, the Iran war has had a limited impact on the energy storage sector so far. The main reason for this is China's continued dominant position in battery supply chains. However, rising fossil fuel prices could have both positive and negative effects on energy storage projects. While increasing energy prices support project revenues and new installations, rising shipping and production costs could put pressure on the sector.
0 Comments: