World energy consumption will grow by 56% between 2010 and 2040. This growth in electricity demand has to be matched with increased generation capacity and changing demand peaks—making energy storage essential for the entire energy system. Also, energy conservation policies are shifting the interest from fossil energy to alternative energy which will further augment the market for energy storage systems. Major markets for renewables—including Germany, Japan, and the United States—have enacted policies to encourage the adoption of energy storage systems for the purpose of integrating variable energy sources into the grid.

The global market for energy storage systems consists of a wide range of technologies at different maturity levels. Due to the varied technological spectrum, the contraction or expansion of the global energy storage market is affected by a country’s policy and economic situation. Pumped hydro storage is the most prominent and oldest of all the storage technologies. Energy storage can supply more flexibility and balance to the grid, providing a backup to intermittent renewable energy. But how practical is energy storage today? And what role can it play now and in the future?

This report, The Role of Backup Energy Storage in the Future Grid, explores the status of energy storage systems, and the challenges and opportunities associated with them.

Key Opportunities for Energy Storage

  • Power is no longer something that is exclusively produced by centralized units owned by large utilities. According to investment Bank UBS, by 2025, everyone will be able to produce and store power.
  • The rollout of the smart grid and microgrids implies that storage will be installed at customer sites. The market for small and dispersed energy storage systems is expected to be quite large.
  • Some of the market will be for conventional large-scale energy storage, such as pumped hydro storage, to enable the introduction of more large-scale renewable energy projects.
  • As the renewable energy market grows, the market for energy storage systems will also expand and require technical specifications and regulation frameworks for grid interconnections

[expand title=”Businesses and Organizations Discussed”]

  • ABB
  • AEP
  • AES Energy Storage
  • AFC Energy PLC
  • Alstom SA
  • Altergy Systems
  • Bonneville Power Administration
  • China Southern Power Grid
  • Enel Distribuzione
  • Generac Power Systems
  • General Electric
  • GS Caltex
  • Ice Energy
  • Kanden Engineering Co.
  • Kohler Co
  • Korea Electric Power Corp.
  • LG Chem Ltd
  • Maruho Co., Ltd.
  • Maxwell Technologies, Inc.
  • Mira Power Limited
  • MWH Global, Inc.
  • NEC TOKIN Corporation
  • NGK Insulators
  • Pacific Gas & Electric
  • POSCO
  • PowerSteam Inc.
  • Primus Power
  • Puget Sound Energy
  • Raytheon
  • Royal Dutch Shell
  • San Diego Gas & Electric
  • Snohomish County Public Utility District
  • Southern California Edison
  • State Grid Corporation of China
  • SunEdison
  • Xcel Energy
  • ZBB Energy Corporation
  • Zebra Technologies

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[expand title=”Regions and Countries Considered”]

  • Asia
  • Europe
  • North America
  • China
  • Germany
  • France
  • UK
  • United States

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