Energy storage is being deployed at unprecedented rates – over 15 GW of batteries were added to the grid in the US in 2025, according to EIA data. And there is no sign of this slowing down. Storage is currently deployed primarily for energy purposes, such as managing prices. Battery storage could optimize existing grid infrastructure to meet growing demand, place downward pressure on prices and help accelerate the energy transition. Battery storage. Grid-scale battery energy storage systems will become a growing part of lithium consumption in 2026, underpinned by an increasing emphasis on grid stability amid the transition to renewable energy sources and expanding electrification, analysts and lithium producers said. Energy storage serves as a. Greater demand-side participation and the expansion of utility-scale battery storage are additional levers for enhancing system flexibility and managing congestion, which are addressed in detail in the subsequent chapter on Flexibility. This chapter on grids also includes a dedicated section on the. 2025 has been a big year for energy storage worldwide. Multiple regions exceeded expectations: the U. surpassed the 2017 projection of 35 GW to reach over 40 GW by Q3 2025—second only to China in absolute growth—Europe recorded a 45% year-on-year BESS expansion, and Australia officially became. Grid-scale storage plays an important role in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, providing important system services that range from short-term balancing and operating reserves, ancillary services for grid stability and deferment of investment in new transmission and distribution lines, to. Falling costs, rising electricity demand and the Iran War are nurturing a boom in energy storage.
