Grid Batteries Are Now The Grid’s MVP

As the global energy system adds more intermittent renewables, one fact is becoming increasingly clear: Affordable, large-scale energy storage remains the enabling holy grail for these clean energy sources.

Solar and wind are providing exponentially growing amounts of zero-carbon electricity, but they are still beholden to the weather and the rotation of the earth. The sun sets and the wind dies down, but the grid must still hum along at perfect balance. That’s where grid-scale battery storage steps in.

The reality is that power must be dispatchable. A megawatt-hour generated at noon on a sunny day in California isn’t nearly as valuable if it can’t be shifted to power homes at 7 p.m., when demand peaks and solar output plunges. Battery storage makes that possible.

Although the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, actively phases out several clean energy tax credits, the OBBBA cements the federal Investment Tax Credit for standalone energy storage well into the 2030s.

What Is Grid-Scale Storage?

Grid-scale battery energy storage systems are not like Tesla Powerwalls for homes. They are massive installations—sometimes the size of football fields—capable of storing hundreds or thousands of megawatt-hours of electricity. Positioned at the heart of the grid, they:

Balance supply and demand across regions
Smooth renewable peaks and valleys
Provide ancillary services like frequency regulation and voltage support
Reduce reliance on costly, carbon-heavy peaker plants

Most of today’s systems are lithium-ion, but alternatives like sodium-ion, flow batteries, and iron-air designs are emerging to extend storage from hours to days—critical for true grid resilience.

Parsing the Data

The 2025 Statistical Review underscores the pace of change. In 2024, global grid storage capacity reached 126 gigawatts—more than double the 59 GW recorded just a year earlier. While that’s still modest compared with the 1,865 GW of installed solar capacity worldwide, the trajectory is remarkable.

Over the past decade, grid storage has grown at an average annual rate of 75%, echoing the explosive early growth once seen in solar and wind power. Multiple countries There are three key areas globally in which BESS is growing rapidly:

United States: Capacity rose from 0.2 GW in 2013 to 28 GW in 2024, with California and Texas leading the charge. Most new storage is paired directly with solar.
China: Now the global leader, growing from near zero in 2013 to 75 GW in 2024—over half of the world’s total—reflecting its industrial-scale decarbonization push.
Europe: More fragmented but accelerating, reaching 11 GW in 2024. The UK, Germany, and Ireland are leading, spurred by the REPowerEU initiative and energy security concerns.

Investment Implications

Battery storage is shifting from niche technology to core infrastructure. Just as pipelines and transmission lines underpinned the fossil fuel economy, batteries are becoming the scaffolding of the clean energy grid.

The winners won’t be limited to battery manufacturers, though they remain central. Companies scaling lithium-ion production—and those advancing next-generation chemistries—are well positioned. So are engineering and construction firms that integrate batteries into renewable projects, as well as software and grid optimization providers that make storage profitable to operate.

Utilities and renewable developers are also entering the mix, treating storage as critical infrastructure that enhances project economics and provides dispatchable power. Even traditional fossil-heavy utilities are adopting storage as both a hedge and a compliance tool.

Conclusion

Battery storage is no longer a side bet—it is fast becoming the key enabling technology for continued expansion of intermittent renewables. For investors, opportunities span an entire ecosystem: manufacturers, integrators, utilities, developers, and software providers.

Much like the early years of solar and wind, storage is scaling at extraordinary rates. The difference is this time it’s the technology that makes the rest of the clean energy puzzle finally fit together.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2025/08/26/triple-digit-growth-grid-batteries-are-now-the-grids-mvp/