As the share of renewables rises in energy grids around the globe, the inflows of energy to the grid become more variable, placing stress on localized systems, causing price volatility, and even threatening energy security. Keeping energy grids stable and reliable through the clean energy transition will require a monumental expansion of energy storage capacities and technological advances for novel energy storage methods. 

“Increasingly competitive, renewables – especially solar PV and wind – are rapidly transforming power systems worldwide,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reported. “As the share of variable renewable energy increases, policies ensuring investment in all forms of flexibility become crucial. Solutions include enhancing power plant flexibility, unlocking demand-side management, supporting energy storage and improving grid infrastructure,” the EIA went on to say.

As a result, energy storage is gearing up to be “clean energy’s next trillion-dollar business.” According to Dimension Market Research, the global Energy Storage Market is projected to reach a whopping USD 204.8 billion by 2033, up from  USD 58.9 billion in 2024. This represents an explosive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.8%. 

Solar and wind energy are the fastest growing renewable energies worldwide. Both of these are variable energy sources, meaning that their production levels vary according to external and uncontrollable factors including the weather, time of day, and the seasons. The inevitable misalignment of variable energy production and consumer demand patterns places a significant strain on electric grids designed for a steady and easily manipulated supply of fossil fuels. 

This has led to complex issues in global energy markets, and even negative energy prices in places where wind and/or solar dominate the energy mix. Negative energy prices, while good for consumers, could spell disaster for investors in renewable energy expansion. “This lowers the potential for spot market earnings for producers and highlights the need for complementary investments in flexibility and storage capacity,” the International Energy Agency reports. 

Creating additional complexity, an increasing number of people have residential solar panels, making them both energy producers and consumers with a two-way flow to grids built with only outflow in mind. On the other hand, expanded residential solar could also prove to be an invaluable testing ground for energy storage startups. 

Vaulta, an Australian battery storage company, recently realized that the country’s rapidly growing off-grid energy sector can help lead the way for the development of its next-generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs. “Offgrid is a big market for us and we learn a lot from customers in the space because it’s critical power – if it doesn’t work, they don’t have power,” Vaulta CEO Dominic Spooner recently told PV Magazine. “It’s a really important space for us.”

Some of the most critical advances in Vaulta’s LFPs are a better ability to gauge a battery’s lifespan, and compliments that allow internal cells to be removed, repaired, recycled, and reused. Creating a more circular LFP economy is critical, as hazardous waste is one of the biggest issues associated with this kind of battery pack.

This kind of beta-testing and refinement is hugely important for the nascent sector. Practical improvements in battery storage technology could have far-reaching consequences for global renewables deployment and energy security. At present, battery storage makes up the lion’s share of the rapidly expanding energy storage sector. 

However, this could soon change. The energy storage sector is highly fragmented and competitive, with varied technologies vying to disrupt the market. So far, lithium-ion batteries are dominant, but they have key drawbacks, and are only able to store energy for short periods of time compared to other technologies like gravity storage and pumped hydro. 

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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