On August 14, Li Zhen, Deputy Secretary-General of the Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry Technology Alliance and Deputy Secretary-General of the Energy Storage Committee of the China Energy Research Society, stated that the Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry Technology Alliance (CNESA) expects the energy storage industry to enter a slower growth phase after experiencing explosive early-stage expansion. From 2026 to 2030, the compound annual growth rate in conservative and ideal scenarios is projected to be approximately 20.7% and 25.5%, respectively. By 2030, the ideal scenario forecasts 450.7 GW, while the conservative scenario projects 371.2 GW, indicating that despite a deceleration in growth, the absolute increases remain substantial.
The industry is transitioning from a policy-driven phase to a market-driven, high-quality development stage. CNESA also released an updated guidebook today, titled "China Independent Energy Storage Market Mechanism Policy Map 2026 First Half." Li Zhen noted that the "15th Five-Year Plan" period holds strong optimism for energy storage development, with the sector expected to maintain a rapid growth trajectory. Beyond traditional generation-side and load-side applications, the user side offers more diverse scenario integration, leading to increasingly diversified energy storage revenue streams.
In terms of technology upgrades, combined with the construction of new power systems, applications such as grid-forming energy storage, long-duration energy storage, and sodium-ion batteries are gaining increasing attention. Different technological routes are seeing rising practical application interest, and AI-integrated energy storage is also a key direction for optimizing technology upgrades. She also mentioned that while the international market faces both internal and external pressures, the robust resilience of China's energy storage industry chain is expected to help maintain its current strong leadership position.
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