Energy storage is gradually becoming an indispensable new infrastructure for the power system from a supporting facility for new energy, "said Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of CATL, at the 2026 World Energy Storage Conference held from October 14th to 16th.

From a data perspective, the global energy storage market has experienced rapid growth this year. According to SNE Research data, global energy storage battery shipments increased by 71% year-on-year in the first half of the year, with markets outside of China accounting for more than half for the first time.

Irina Radoslavova Stefanova, Director of the International Renewable Energy Agency Action Alliance, told Economic Observer that the sustained growth in global demand for energy storage is mainly due to the current high prices of traditional energy, growing demand for electrification, and increasing attention to energy security.

According to Irina Radoslavova Stefanova, traditional energy prices are reaching historic highs, especially for net energy importing countries, which face greater pressure. However, their shift towards fully utilizing renewable energy requires energy storage facilities; The electrification needs mainly come from the increase in the use of electric vehicles and the construction of data centers; In terms of energy security, the resilience of the energy system is receiving increasing attention, and energy storage facilities can provide flexibility to the power system.

For example, in Chile, according to Anna Lea Rojas, Executive Director of the Chilean Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Association, fossil fuels account for about 63% and require 4% of GDP to be spent annually on importing fossil fuels. Switching to renewable energy can effectively reduce expenditures on fossil fuels.

In South Africa, energy storage facilities mainly support grid renewal. According to Will Nishan Ramnalan, President of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, the stability of the South African power grid is not high and cannot cover the needs of the entire population. Energy storage facilities can be used to serve remote areas and meet the 51% of total electricity consumption from new energy generation.

Zeng Yuqun stated that in order for energy storage to truly become a new type of infrastructure in the future, it is necessary to strengthen three aspects of capabilities: firstly, to meet the diverse needs of the power grid and create a whole station level solution capability; Secondly, we must adhere to bottom-up innovation and enhance our technological adaptability in complex scenarios; The third is to shift from product component testing to systematic and whole station level empirical testing.

He gave an example that the demand for power grids in different regions of the world is becoming more differentiated: Europe needs more flexible resources to absorb green electricity; The rapidly expanding computing power centers in the United States have an urgent need for highly reliable power supply; The power grid infrastructure in Africa and Southeast Asia is relatively weak, and energy storage still needs to undertake the task of stabilizing voltage and frequency.

Energy storage systems in high-temperature areas need to have better thermal stability, delay lifespan decay, and reduce auxiliary source power consumption; In cold regions, high capacity retention capability is required; In the face of rapid load fluctuations, higher power and faster response speed are required.

Huang Kangqiao, Director of the Energy Storage Policy Research Department at Ningde Times, stated that as energy storage moves towards new infrastructure, safety is a key challenge.

According to his observation, many energy storage power plants around the world will significantly increase the frequency of accidents after two years of operation. Of the over 100 energy storage plant safety accidents that have occurred globally, 80% are due to system integration or critical electrical components. Product design, manufacturing, testing, and validation are all very important.

Huang Kangqiao stated that in the future, the world should gradually establish regular inspections based on energy storage power stations, gradually phasing out facilities with high risk factors through regular safety assessments.