Photovoltaic energy storage battery trends

In five key trends, pv magazine looks back over a year that saw PV module prices fall lower than many thought possible, while demand was restrained by grid congestion, among other challenges. Energy storage has had a strong year and geopolitics is seeing solar and battery manufacturing enter new regions as competition drives technical innovation.

Developers are increasingly building solar PV and battery systems as one integrated plant, capturing synergies in construction, grid connection, and operation. This is further cementing the market sentiment for this new setup ushering the era of battery storage integrated solar power systems.

This surge aligns with broader trends in utility-scale electric-generating capacity, where solar and battery storage are projected to constitute 81% of the total additions, with solar alone contributing over 50%. Source: EIA While lithium-ion batteries currently dominate the market, alternative technologies are gaining traction.

Early battery installations paired with solar often had only 1–2 hour storage capabilities. Today, improvements in BESS technology are extending that duration significantly, allowing solar energy to be time-shifted well into evening hours.

Crucially, adding storage to solar dramatically enhances the value of solar energy. A recent modeling study of a 300 MW solar plant in South Australia found that including an equal-sized battery (300 MW with 2 hours storage) would increase the energy exported to the grid by 33 percent, and boost project revenues by an astonishing 170 percent.

In this Review, we describe BESTs being developed for grid-scale energy storage, including high-energy, aqueous, redox flow, high-temperature and gas batteries. Battery technologies support various power system services, including providing grid support services and preventing curtailment.