Global Battery Storage Capacity to Grow Sixfold by 2030 as 4-Hour Systems Become Standard

A new report forecasts global installed battery storage capacity will increase sixfold by 2030, driven by 4-hour systems becoming the standard, with several large projects underway in Germany.

This article was drafted with AI assistance from multiple sources and was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication.

Global installed battery storage capacity is expected to grow sixfold between 2025 and 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 42%, according to a new report from Global-Data titled 'Strategic Intelligence: Batteries in Power (2026)'.

At the end of 2025, China and the United States together accounted for 74.6% of global installed storage capacity. The report notes that the power sector is increasingly standardizing on 4-hour battery storage systems instead of the earlier 2-hour designs. 'The global power sector is standardizing on 4-hour battery storage systems instead of 2-hour designs,' said Rehaan Shiledar, analyst at Global-Data.

Examples of this shift include programs from the California Public Utilities Commission, tenders in Victoria and New South Wales in Australia, a move in the UK toward energy and capacity revenues, and solar-storage contracts in the Middle East designed for evening dispatch.

In Germany, several concrete projects illustrate the trend. Eku Energy is entering the German market with the 'Dion' project in Lamspringe, Lower Saxony, featuring 400 MW / 1,600 MWh capacity and commissioning expected in late 2029. Flower Infrastructure Technologies, based in Sweden, is developing projects in Hamburg-Bergedorf (100 MW/400 MWh) and Döllnitz in Saxony-Anhalt (63 MW/257 MWh). BW ESS is building a storage facility in Klostermansfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, with a capacity of 1,000 MW and up to 5,700 MWh.

Battery storage is also evolving beyond its traditional role as uninterruptible power supply to become a central tool for data centers, providing voltage and frequency correction in milliseconds, load peak shaving, and enabling growth at grid-limited sites. In Texas, storage operators are monetizing price volatility by charging at low prices and discharging during price spikes.