Opportunities and challenges for energy storage manufacturers in the big wave of gold rush

Why is energy storage important?

Continued expansion of intermittent renewable energy, ESG-focused investments, the growing versatility of storage technologies to provide grid and customer services, and declining costs for key components like lithium-ion batteries all played a significant role in driving the investment and development of energy storage.

What challenges do energy storage resources face?

Energy storage resources present a distinct set of challenges given their unique nature: unlike conventional or renewable generation, energy storage resources must be charged with electric power, which will sometimes (but not always) be provided by the offtaker.

How did energy storage grow in 2022 & 2023?

The US utility-scale storage sector saw tremendous growth over 2022 and 2023. The volume of energy storage installations in the United States in 2022 totaled 11,976 megawatt hours (MWh)—a figure surpassed in the first three quarters of 2023 when installations hit 13,518 MWh by cumulative volume.

How has the IRA impacted the energy storage industry?

The energy storage industry has continued to progress over the course of 2024 and into 2025, buoyed in significant part by the federal income tax benefits in the form of tax credits enacted under the IRA. Energy storage was one of the major beneficiaries of the IRA’s new rules on both the deployment and manufacturing sides.

What is the future of energy storage?

Looking further into the future, breakthroughs in high-safety, long-life, low-cost battery technology will lead to the widespread adoption of energy storage, especially electrochemical energy storage, across the entire energy landscape, including the generation, grid, and load sides.

How many energy storage financing and investment deals were completed in 2024?

Through the first three quarters of 2024, 83 energy storage financing and investment deals were reported completed for a total of $17.6 billion invested. Of these transactions, 18 were M&A transactions, up from 11 transactions during the same period in 2023.