What is the future of energy storage?

Storage enables electricity systems to remain in balance despite variations in wind and solar availability, allowing for cost-effective deep decarbonization while maintaining reliability. The Future of Energy Storage report is an essential analysis of this key component in decarbonizing our energy infrastructure and combating climate change.

Why is energy storage important?

Energy storage is a potential substitute for, or complement to, almost every aspect of a power system, including generation, transmission, and demand flexibility. Storage should be co-optimized with clean generation, transmission systems, and strategies to reward consumers for making their electricity use more flexible.

Why do we need a co-optimized energy storage system?

The need to co-optimize storage with other elements of the electricity system, coupled with uncertain climate change impacts on demand and supply, necessitate advances in analytical tools to reliably and efficiently plan, operate, and regulate power systems of the future.

Can renewables & storage be more affordable than fossil fuels?

This dramatic cost reduction is making the combination of renewables plus storage increasingly more affordable than traditional fossil fuels. At COP29, world leaders recognized this potential by setting an ambitious target: we need 1,500 GW of storage capacity by 2030—a six-fold increase from today’s levels.

How many GW of energy storage do we need?

That’s approximately 1,500 GW of energy storage, with batteries expected to provide about 1,200 GW of that total. Looking further into the future, the picture gets even more ambitious. To keep global warming below 2°C, we need to triple our storage capacity by 2050 – from 140 GW in 2014 to at least 450 GW.

How much battery storage do we need to meet climate targets?

According to the International Energy Agency, we need to increase global battery storage capacity six-fold by 2030 to meet our climate targets. That’s approximately 1,500 GW of energy storage, with batteries expected to provide about 1,200 GW of that total. Looking further into the future, the picture gets even more ambitious.