Global energy storage deployment reached a record 8GWh in 2018— nearly double that of the previous year, according to a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report.
Behind-the-meter storage “matched grid-scale storage investments” for the second consecutive year, and deployment in both categories reached record levels in 2018 with significant growth in South Korea, Australia, Japan, Germany and the US, the report said.
Lithium-ion battery storage continued to be the most widely used, making up nearly 85% of all new capacity installed. However, the IEA said flow batteries “emerged in Germany as a potential alternative to the general predominance of lithium-ion”.
According to the IEA, Korean storage deployment was “strong as a result of favourable policy measures”, despite “negative headlines” triggered by a number of storage plant fires. South Korea led once again in global grid-scale and behind-the-meter installations, accounting for more than one-third of all global capacity installed in 2018.
China was the 2018 global market leader in terms of new battery storage installed— with nearly 0.5GW (12% of the global total) and 1GW under development.
Energy storage activity in Europe was led by Germany and the UK, the IEA said. German behind-the-meter storage increased in 2018 “even beyond the support of subsidy programmes, reaching over 100,000 installed systems”.
Germany and France together committed €1.7 billion to support local battery manufacturing, the IEA said.
In the US, there was a “range of favourable state-level policy developments”, such as New York’s ‘Green New Deal’, which includes a target of 3GW of storage by 2030.