Lithium-ion dominates grid storage project proposals in 2014

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries accounted for 90% of all proposed grid storage projects in 2014, according to a new study by Lux Research.

The early mover status of molten salt batteries by companies like NGK Insulators means that technology still represents the most installed capacity, despite having now fallen out of favour.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Li-ion accounted for 419MW and 1,555 MWh of proposed storage systems in 2014. Molten salt batteries, primarily sodium-sulphur (NaS), represent 64% of deployed MWh, or approximately 1614MWh, up to January 2015.

“Driven by renewable-connected systems and demand management, grid-scale energy storage is taking off, with 450 MW and 730 MWh of systems installed in 2014 ,” said Dean Frankel, Lux research associate and the lead author of its ‘Grid Storage Data Tracker’.

“As the market matures, new roles along the grid storage value chain are emerging – including financiers who enable leasing services to storage developers and their end-customers as well as battery operators who manage and control a systems’ role on the electric grid,” added Frankel.

The report also found that Japan and the US continue to have the lead in grid storage projects at present. Demand management and renewable energy connected systems are the leading applications for energy storage.

Main image: Flickr/Portland General

A grid-scale battery trial in the UK consisting of 3000 Li-ion batteries.

11 November 2025
San Diego, USA
The 2024 Summit included innovative new features including a ‘Crash Course in Battery Asset Management’, Ask-Me-Anything formats and debate-style sessions. You can expect to meet and network with all the key industry players again in 2025 from major US asset owners, operators, RTOs and ISOs, optimizers, software and analytics providers, technical consultancies, O&M technology providers and more.

Read Next

July 11, 2025
The Victoria government has launched the third round of its 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program, allocating AU$6.6 million (US$4.34 million).
July 11, 2025
Allegro Energy, an Australian-based developer of water-based redox flow battery energy storage solutions, has claimed its microemulsion flow battery (MeFB) could be tailored to support the “exponential growth” of data centres.
July 10, 2025
IPP Lydian Energy has successfully closed on a US$233 million project financing for three battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Texas, US.
July 10, 2025
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into a settlement agreement with IPP LS Power to direct cleanup after a lithium-ion battery fire at the company’s Gateway energy storage facility in San Diego, California. 
July 10, 2025
Zen Energy has received approval for a 200MW solar-plus-storage project, which could feature a BESS between 4 and 8 hours in duration.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter