Understanding energy storage is crucial for grasping the future of energy in China. In this guide, readers will explore the various types of energy storage technologies currently in use, including batteries, pumped hydro, and thermal storage.
With China''s ambitious renewable energy targets, energy storage systems increasingly facilitate the integration of renewables into the national grid. The ability to store energy when generated and release it during
In the first half of 2023, China''''s new energy storage continued to develop at a high speed, with 850 projects (including planning, under construction and commissioned projects), more than twice that of the same
With China''s ambitious renewable energy targets, energy storage systems increasingly facilitate the integration of renewables into the national grid. The ability to store energy when generated and release it during peak demand accommodates high penetration rates of solar and wind power.
China''s National Energy Administration (NEA) has released the China New Energy Storage Development Report 2025, marking the first official and comprehensive government report dedicated to the country''s rapidly advancing new energy storage (NES) sector.
Carry out research on the configuration of new energy storage for offshore wind power; promote the rational configuration of new energy storage for coal-fired power; explore the development of new energy storage with nuclear power peak shifting and frequency regulation.
Carbon Brief explores how China has been driving the energy storage sector forwards and how it fits into the nation''s wider energy transition.
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.
Currently in China, the first seven types of technologies have been in use, as large-scale (megawatt scale) facilities or as demonstration facilities. This chapter will focus on these seven types of EES technologies.
Energy storage is crucial for China''s green transition, as the country needs an advanced, efficient, and affordable energy storage system to respond to the challenge in power generation.
Carbon Brief explores how China has been driving the energy storage sector forwards and how it fits into the nation''s wider energy transition.
The remaining half is comprised primarily of batteries and emerging technologies, such as compressed air, flywheel, as well as thermal energy. These technologies, known as the “ new type ” energy storage in China, have seen rapid growth in recent years. Lithium-ion batteries dominate the “new type” sector.
The majority of China’s storage capacity comes from large-scale storage projects, such as hydropower with reservoirs on the Yangtze River and gigawatt-level battery energy storage systems in Inner Mongolia. Arial view of the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei province, China. Credit: Sipa US / Alamy Stock Photo
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.
