The venture-capital-style returns once available in Australia have disappeared, according to panellists at the Battery Asset Management Summit Australia 2026.

The global battery energy storage market is entering a new phase, with shifting cell prices, intensifying competition and rapid international expansion reshaping the supplier landscape.

A new wave of cell price hikes is sweeping the battery energy storage industry. Major manufacturers have initiated price increases, with smaller producers quickly following suit.

Australia’s 58 grid-scale battery storage systems in the NEM generated a combined AU$28.79 million in estimated gross energy and FCAS revenue.

We are pleased to announce that we’re now working on the 2027 edition of the Energy Storage Report, our annual publication looking at the big trends shaping the industry. 

PJM has proposed a major overhaul of how it procures power capacity in response to surging data centre demand that has driven auction prices up more than 1,000% in two years and threatens to add US$70 per month to average household electricity bills by 2028.

As the battery storage industry matures through competition and scale, a significant push for efficiency is coming, writes Dr Kai-Philipp Kairies, CEO and co-founder of ACCURE Battery Intelligence.

Copper theft has become a recurring security issue at Australian battery storage sites, with one regulator reporting multiple incidents.

CNESA’s report is a comprehensive overview of China’s energy storage sector in H1 2026 and outlines the industry outlook under the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Inertia could provide a strong boost to BESS project returns in Germany, but operators are still waiting for the first prequalified inverters.