Renewable energy storage is scaling alongside solar and wind, but storage figures measure different things: power capacity in GW or MW, energy capacity in GWh, project shares, investment and planned deployments. The statistics below keep those units, geographies and measurement periods distinct, while separating observed results from estimates and forecasts.
Key Renewable Energy Storage Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- In 2024, global installed electrochemical battery storage capacity was 158 GW.
- In 2023, more than 40 GW of battery storage was added in the global power sector.
- In 2023, utility-scale projects represented 65% of global battery-storage additions.
- In 2024, China installed 84 GWh, or 36 GW, of battery storage.
- In 2024, the United States added 41 GWh, or 13 GW, of battery storage.
- In 2024, global residential battery-storage additions reached 9 GW.
- At the end of 2024, global renewable power capacity reached 4,448 GW.
- In 2024, solar added 452 GW of global renewable capacity.
- In 2024, solar and wind accounted for 96.6% of net renewable additions worldwide.
- In 2023, global investment in EV batteries and battery storage reached $150 billion.
- In 2023, China, Europe and the United States accounted for more than 90% of battery investment.
- In 2023, China held nearly 85% of global battery-cell production capacity.
- From 2010 to 2023, average battery costs fell 90%.
- DOE defines long-duration energy storage as systems delivering electricity for 10 or more hours.
- DOE’s 2030 long-duration storage target is $0.05 per kWh levelized cost of storage.
- In 2024, DOE reviewed 141 concept papers for its U.S. long-duration storage pilot program.
- In 2024, LDES pilot applicants proposed projects in 38 states and 7 tribal nations.
- In the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario, global storage capacity must reach 1,500 GW by 2030.
Contents
- Global renewable energy storage capacity
- Battery deployment trends by region and application
- Renewable power growth and storage demand
- Investment, supply chains and battery demand
- Long-duration storage costs and targets
- Storage pilots, access and grid outcomes
Global Renewable Energy Storage Capacity Statistics
The IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario indicates a very large expansion requirement. Global energy storage capacity must increase sixfold to 1,500 GW by 2030, while battery storage rises 14-fold to 1,200 GW; batteries account for 90% of the increase in storage in that scenario.
These are scenario projections, not observed deployment totals. IEA, Outlook for battery demand and supply
Current measurements use different boundaries. IRENA reports 158 GW of installed global electrochemical battery storage capacity in 2024, attributing the figure to BNEF; this excludes non-electrochemical storage technologies.
Annual battery energy-storage additions grew from 0.1 GWh in 2010 to 169 GWh in 2024, a gross-additions series. IRENA, Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024
| Measure | Period | Reported figure | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global electrochemical battery capacity | 2024 | 158 GW cumulative | Estimate; not all storage technologies |
| Battery energy-storage additions | 2010 | 0.1 GWh | Global gross additions |
| Battery energy-storage additions | 2024 | 169 GWh | Global gross additions |
| Required global storage capacity | 2030 | 1,500 GW | IEA NZE forecast |
| Battery storage in required increase | 2030 | 1,200 GW | IEA NZE forecast |
Power capacity and energy capacity are not interchangeable: GW or MW describes the rate at which a system can deliver power, while GWh describes stored energy. The source series also use different definitions for cumulative capacity, annual additions and scenario requirements.
Battery Storage Deployment Trends by Region and Application
Global power-sector battery additions exceeded 40 GW in 2023, twice the previous year’s increase. Utility-scale projects represented 65% of those additions and behind-the-meter systems represented 35%. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply
| Geography or application | Period | Figure | Measurement note |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2024 | 84 GWh, 36 GW added | Estimate |
| United States | 2024 | 41 GWh, 13 GW added | Estimate |
| Residential storage | 2024 | 9 GW added | Global residential segment |
| Ancillary services | 2024 | 4.3 GW added | Up from 3.5 GW in 2023 |
China’s 2024 battery-storage additions increased 80% from 2023 and represented about half of global additions. U.S. additions were almost one-quarter of global new battery-storage capacity, according to the IRENA report’s estimates. Residential storage’s share of annual energy-storage applications fell from 18% in 2023 to 13% in 2024, while ancillary services represented 5% of projects deployed annually in 2024. IRENA, Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024
U.S. Energy Information Administration data provides a separate utility-scale view. U.S. cumulative utility-scale battery capacity exceeded 26 GW in 2024, generators added 10.4 GW during the year, and battery storage equaled 2% of the country’s 1,230 GW of utility-scale generating capacity. Operators planned 19.6 GW of utility-scale battery additions for 2025, a plan rather than a guaranteed commissioning total. EIA, U.S. battery capacity increased 66% in 2024
The longer historical EIA series shows 5 GW of U.S. utility-scale battery capacity added in the first seven months of 2024, compared with 4 MW added in 2010. Available U.S. battery energy-storage capacity exceeded 20.7 GW in July 2024. EIA, Batteries are a fast-growing secondary electricity source for the grid
At the end of 2023, U.S. utilities reported 575 operating batteries with 15,814 MW of collective capacity. Those utilities reported plans to add 35,953 MW by the end of 2028; these are utility-reported plans and may not all operate by that date. EIA, Utilities report batteries are most commonly used for arbitrage and grid stability
Renewable Power Growth and the Need for Energy Storage
Renewable generation capacity reached 4,448 GW globally at the end of 2024. Solar accounted for 1,865 GW, renewable hydropower for 1,283 GW excluding pure pumped storage, wind for 1,133 GW, bioenergy for 151 GW, and geothermal for 15 GW. IRENA, Renewable Capacity Highlights 2025
| Renewable technology | End-2024 capacity | 2024 addition or note |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 1,865 GW | 452 GW added; 32.2% growth |
| Wind | 1,133 GW | 113 GW added; 11.1% growth |
| Renewable hydropower | 1,283 GW | Excludes pure pumped storage |
| Bioenergy | 151 GW | Installed capacity |
| Geothermal | 15 GW | Installed capacity |
Renewable power capacity increased 585 GW, or 15.1%, in 2024. Solar and wind together supplied 96.6% of net renewable additions, while pure pumped-storage hydropower added another 142 GW to the end-2024 hydropower total as a separately reported category. IRENA, Renewable Capacity Highlights 2025
The IEA’s main case forecasts annual renewable additions rising from 666 GW in 2024 to almost 935 GW in 2030. Solar PV and wind are forecast to account for 95% of renewable capacity additions through 2030, and utility-scale plus distributed solar PV is forecast to represent almost 80% of renewable electricity expansion worldwide. IEA, Outlook for battery demand and supply
In 2024, U.S. co-located hybrid projects installed about 1 GW of battery storage for every 3 GW of solar capacity added. This ratio describes power-capacity additions in co-located PV-battery projects, not all U.S. storage or all solar. IRENA, Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024
Energy Storage Investment, Supply Chains and Battery Demand
Global investment in EV batteries and battery storage reached $150 billion in 2023, with about $115 billion directed to EV batteries. China, Europe and the United States accounted for more than 90% of combined battery investment. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply
China held nearly 85% of global battery-cell production capacity in the 2023/2024 report baseline. This is cell-production capacity, not a measure of completed cells or deployed storage assets. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply
Batteries used in the global energy sector exceeded 2,400 GWh in 2023, four times the 2020 volume. EVs represented more than 90% of battery use in 2023, and annual EV-battery volumes exceeded 750 GWh, mostly for passenger cars. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply
Average battery costs fell 90% from 2010 to 2023 across the IEA’s average battery-cost measure covering technologies and applications. This is a market estimate rather than a universal installed-system price. IEA, Status of battery demand and supply
Long-Duration Renewable Energy Storage Costs and Targets
The U.S. Department of Energy defines long-duration energy storage as a system capable of delivering electricity for 10 or more hours. The definition is a duration threshold, not a technology label. DOE, Achieving the Promise of Low-Cost Long Duration Energy Storage
DOE’s Long Duration Storage Shot targets a 90% cost reduction by 2030 relative to a 2020 lithium-ion baseline. Its 2030 target is $0.05 per kWh levelized cost of storage, including project costs and charging cost; it is a target, not an observed market price.
DOE’s 2024 strategy evaluates 10 technologies. DOE, Achieving the Promise of Low-Cost Long Duration Energy Storage
The IEA projects lithium-ion battery costs to decline a further 40% from 2023 to 2030. It also projects total upfront costs for utility-scale battery storage to decline 40% by 2030 in its Stated Policies Scenario; that estimate includes batteries, installation, other components and developer costs. IEA, Executive summary
Energy Storage Pilots, Access and Grid Outcomes
DOE reviewed 141 concept papers for its U.S. LDES pilot program in 2024 and encouraged 41 to submit full applications. Applicants proposed projects in 38 states and 7 tribal nations, showing the geographic scope of proposals rather than operational deployment. DOE, Long-Duration Energy Storage Pilot Program Notifications
Applicants requested more than $1.5 billion for the program, while the solicitation offered up to $100 million. DOE described applicant requests as roughly 15 times the solicitation size; requested funds were not awarded funds. DOE, Long-Duration Energy Storage Pilot Program Notifications
The IEA’s Net Zero Emissions pathway attributes close to 20% of the emissions reductions needed in 2030 directly to batteries in EV and storage applications. This is a scenario attribution, not a measured causal contribution from deployed renewable-storage systems. IEA, Outlook for battery demand and supply