As the sun sets on fossil fuels, China''s storage leaders aren''t just building batteries – they''re wiring the nervous system of tomorrow''s energy internet. Will your province make the next top 5?
By December 31, 2024, China''s total installed capacity stood at 62 GW and 141 GWh. The majority—95%—of these installations were either standalone storage units or systems paired with renewable energy sources.
China had almost 74 GW of installed new energy storage capacity in 2024, a 130% increase from the previous year''s 31 GW (most of which was battery storage capacity).52 China defines new energy storage as batteries and other emerging technologies such as compressed air, flywheel, and thermal energy storage.53
The cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage in China is expected to exceed 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, according to the Energy Storage Industry Research White Paper 2025 released by the Institute
North China represents a highland of the sector with its installed capacity accounting for 30.1 percent of the national total, followed by northwestern regions at 25.4 percent, and eastern regions at 16.9 percent.
According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 2024 China''s installed capacity of power storage projects has reached 137.9 GW, accounting for 37.1% of global. The installed capacity of new energy storage reached 78.3
In terms of application, equipping energy storage in renewable electricity generation projects is the main application field for new type energy storage, with a cumulative installed capacity ratio accounting for more than 90% (49% in generation-side storage, 43% in grid-side storage).
In 2024 alone, China added 42.37 GW/101.13 GWh of new storage capacity (excluding pumped hydro), with an average discharge duration of 2.3 hours—up from 2.1 hours in 2023.
In 2024 alone, China added 42.37 GW/101.13 GWh of new storage capacity (excluding pumped hydro), with an average discharge duration of 2.3 hours—up from 2.1 hours in 2023.
According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 2024 China''s installed capacity of power storage projects has reached 137.9 GW, accounting for 37.1% of global. The installed capacity of new energy storage reached 78.3 GW in 2024, accounting for 47% of global, with lithium-ion batteries dominating.
Lithium-ion batteries accounted for 97.4 percent of China''s new-type energy storage capacity at the end of 2023 and other technologies are developing rapidly, said Bian Guangqi, an NEA official, at a press conference.
The cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage in China is expected to exceed 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, according to the Energy Storage Industry Research White Paper 2025 released by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics on 10 April.
Independent and shared storage facilities now make up 46% of total capacity, while co-located storage with renewable energy accounts for 42%. Operational efficiency also improved significantly in 2024, with national average equivalent utilization hours increasing by 300 hours over the previous year.
China had almost 74 GW of installed new energy storage capacity in 2024, a 130% increase from the previous year''s 31 GW (most of which was battery storage capacity).52 China defines new energy storage as batteries and other emerging technologies such as compressed air,
The most notable finding: by the end of 2024, China had reached 73.76 GW / 168 GWh in cumulative new energy storage capacity—an increase of more than 130% year-on-year. This figure accounts for over 40% of the global total, consolidating China's leading position in the international NES market.
By the end of 2023, China had completed and put into operation a cumulative installed capacity of new type energy storage projects reaching 31.4GW / 66.9GWh, with an average storage duration of 2.1 hours. The newly added installed capacity in 2023 was approximately 22.6GW / 48.7GWh, which is three times that for 2022 (7.3GW / 15.9GWh).
The new energy storage market in China has great development potential in the future. The cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage in China is expected to exceed 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, according to the Energy Storage Industry Research White Paper 2025 released by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics on 10 April.
CNESA’s involvement reflects the report’s collaborative yet government-led nature, ensuring data integrity and broad sectoral representation. The most notable finding: by the end of 2024, China had reached 73.76 GW / 168 GWh in cumulative new energy storage capacity—an increase of more than 130% year-on-year.
Currently, there are dozens of new energy storage technology routes in China, including advanced compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage, lithium iron phosphate batteries, vanadium redox flow batteries, and sodium-ion batteries, each suitable for different scenarios based on their characteristics.
Coal still accounted for most (62%) of the energy consumed in China (Table 1).3 In 2024, non-fossil fuels accounted for 56% of total installed electricity generation capacity. Although most of the electricity generation (63%) came from fossil fuels, fossil fuels share of generation decreased by 1% from the previous year.4
