Not just 'electricity storage', new energy storage reshapes the future of energy
2026-06-29
In recent years, with the deepening of the global energy transition, especially in the context of the surge in computing power demand driven by AI (artificial intelligence) large model training, the trend of new energy storage technologies aimed at creating "safer, more sustainable, and more economical" continues to heat up. According to relevant data, the global new energy storage installed capacity will exceed 113.3 gigawatts by 2025, accounting for 56.2% of the total installed capacity of the electricity storage market. It is expected that the global cumulative installed capacity of energy storage will reach 1545 gigawatts by 2034. The industry is moving from a focus on liquid lithium batteries to a new stage of diversified competition for the coordinated development of multiple energy storage technologies, with constantly expanding and enriching scene applications.
From a single lithium circuit line to a multi technology matrix
Currently, new energy storage technologies around the world are accelerating breakthroughs. For example, in China, a new electrochemical energy storage power station project with a capacity of 200 MW/400 MWh has been built and put into operation in Shanwei, Guangdong, promoting the large-scale application of solid-liquid hybrid battery energy storage technology to a new level. The project has been selected as one of the "Top 10 Scientific and Technological Innovation Achievements in the Energy Industry in 2025" by the National Energy Administration. In the United States, Google has reached a strategic partnership with Forman Energy to introduce ultra long, high safety iron air batteries into data center power supply systems, providing a new solution for the energy base of the AI era. In Japan, South Korea, and the European Union, solid-state batteries are seen as a lever to reshape the future energy landscape, and many countries are striving to seize this technological high ground through policy guidance, capital injection, and industrial chain coordination.
Energy storage is an important support for building a new type of power system, which has changed the traditional mode of power generation and consumption that is completed simultaneously. The traditional energy storage technology is mainly pumped storage; New energy storage refers to a general term for various energy storage technologies that mainly output electricity, in addition to pumped storage. The main difference between it and pumped storage energy lies in its short construction period, simple and flexible site selection, fast response speed, strong regulation ability, and good compatibility with new energy development and consumption. It can be distributed and deployed on the power source side, grid side, and user side, deeply embedded in various links of the power system.
From a technical perspective, new energy storage technologies are mainly divided into two categories: electrochemical energy storage and physical energy storage. Electrochemical energy storage achieves energy storage and release through chemical reactions inside the battery, and has the characteristics of fast response speed and flexible deployment; Physical energy storage utilizes media such as air, water, and thermal energy to store energy, making it more suitable for large-scale, long-term energy storage scenarios.
Over the past decade, liquid lithium-ion batteries have dominated the electrochemical energy storage market with their high energy density and mature industrial chain, accounting for over 96% of the new energy storage market. With the rapid growth of actual demand, the requirements of the industry university research community for energy storage technology are far more than just "storing electricity", but rather like a "versatile" person who can simultaneously meet the complex needs of the power system in multiple dimensions such as safety, economy, resources, lifespan, and duration. In the face of these multiple goals, a single technology is no longer sufficient to cover the whole world. Instead, it is necessary to construct a multi-dimensional matrix that covers different time scales (referring to the time required for energy storage systems to receive instructions and complete discharge, covering the entire chain from millisecond level response to seasonal energy storage) and application requirements.
Electrochemical and physical energy storage demonstrate their respective abilities
In the field of electrochemical energy storage, new routes such as solid-state batteries, sodium ion batteries, flow batteries, and iron air batteries are rapidly emerging, demonstrating different technological advantages.
Solid state batteries are currently regarded as the "ideal technological form" in the energy storage industry and an important direction for the next generation of high-performance batteries. Unlike traditional lithium batteries that use liquid electrolytes, solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes to conduct ions, fundamentally reducing the risk of battery fire and thermal runaway. Meanwhile, solid-state batteries are expected to be paired with metal lithium anodes to further enhance energy density. The semi-solid (mixed solid liquid) energy storage lithium-ion battery developed by the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Weilan New Energy has achieved large-scale grid level application in the energy storage field, and the commercialization of all solid state batteries is expected to start around 2028. Toyota in Japan, Samsung in South Korea, and Soled Power in the United States are also accelerating the development of solid-state batteries and actively promoting large-scale production technology. It can be said that the breakthrough in material cost and manufacturing process of solid-state batteries will profoundly affect the future development pattern of large-scale energy storage and new energy vehicle industry.
As the complementary brother of lithium batteries, sodium ion batteries have attracted considerable attention from the industry. Sodium and lithium have similar chemical properties, but sodium resources are more abundant and widely distributed, and are known as "valuable resources" in the industry. And it can still maintain good working performance under conditions of minus 30 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius, showing great potential for application in scenarios such as energy storage, power grid peak regulation, and communication base stations in high-altitude areas. The Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongke Haina jointly built a mass production line to realize the demonstration application of 100 megawatt hour sodium ion energy storage system. French company Tiamat focuses on the research and development of fast charging sodium ion batteries, targeting the transportation and energy storage markets.
In recent years, the commercialization process of flow batteries has also significantly accelerated. Unlike traditional batteries that store energy inside the electrodes, flow batteries store energy in external electrolytes and have the characteristics of long lifespan and high safety, making them particularly suitable for large-scale, long-term energy storage scenarios. At present, China has built and put into operation the world's leading vanadium flow battery energy storage project - Dalian Flow Battery Energy Storage Peak shaving Power Station. The first phase of the project has a scale of 100 MW/400 MWh. The US Department of Energy continues to support the research and development of flow batteries and the construction of demonstration projects, hoping to promote the development of long-term energy storage technology. Australia and other countries are also actively introducing flow battery technology into energy storage projects supporting new energy bases.
Iron air batteries mainly use the reversible reaction of "rusting rust removal" to store energy. When discharging, the battery inhales oxygen from the air, which rusts the iron metal; When charging, rust is converted into iron, and the battery exhales oxygen. Traditional lithium-ion batteries generally have an energy storage time of 2 to 10 hours, while iron air batteries can slowly discharge for 100 hours during operation. Its core raw material, iron, has low prices and high safety, and the key breakthroughs in the future lie in electrode innovation and electrolyte optimization. The US Department of Energy has listed it as a key support direction, hoping to provide several days of power guarantee for the grid in extreme weather conditions.
In terms of physical energy storage, various technologies also demonstrate their own abilities. Compressed air energy storage utilizes surplus electricity to compress air and store it in underground spaces, releasing air when needed to drive generator sets; Flywheel energy storage utilizes a high-speed rotating rotor (flywheel) to store kinetic energy and has the characteristic of strong explosive power; Molten salt heat storage, cold storage and other technologies achieve energy regulation through thermal energy storage. China's independently developed advanced compressed air energy storage system continues to break single machine power records. The United States and Europe are actively exploring adiabatic compressed air energy storage solutions that operate in conjunction with wind and solar power.
Overall, different energy storage technologies are gradually forming a differentiated division of labor pattern: short-term frequency modulation applications within half an hour are currently dominated by flywheels, supercapacitors, and high-power lithium-ion batteries; At present, lithium-ion batteries are the main medium to short-term energy storage devices within 10 hours, and they are upgrading from liquid batteries to safer hybrid solid-liquid and all solid state batteries. Sodium ion energy storage batteries, which do not have resource pressure, are also rapidly developing; The long-term energy storage on the power generation side and the grid side is supported by technologies such as flow batteries, compressed air energy storage, iron air batteries, molten salt heat storage, and cold storage. Diversified technological routes complement and collaborate to provide comprehensive technical support for building a new type of power system.
Accelerate into the fast lane of large-scale applications
With the continuous maturity of technology, new energy storage is moving from demonstration projects to large-scale applications, and gradually integrating into multiple fields such as power systems, industrial production, and digital economy. New energy generation is currently the most important application scenario - energy storage can store surplus electricity and release it during peak electricity consumption, achieving peak shaving and valley filling, and providing important support for the high proportion of new energy connected to the power grid.
AI is becoming a new driving force for the growth of energy storage demand: the demand for electricity in large model training and AI computing centers is rapidly increasing, with Google, Microsoft Meta、 Amazon and other tech giants are deploying long-term energy storage projects, and new energy storage is becoming one of the important underlying capabilities supporting the AI era. At the same time, new energy storage is accelerating its entry into industrial parks, zero carbon parks, green buildings, and microgrids in remote areas, helping enterprises optimize their electricity consumption structure, increase energy self-sufficiency, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
AI has begun to deeply participate in the entire process of energy storage research and development, manufacturing, and operation. During the research and development phase, AI can quickly screen and predict the performance of new materials, shortening the battery development cycle; In the production stage, technologies such as digital twins and machine vision promote the development of battery manufacturing towards intelligence and unmanned operation; During operation, AI can monitor device status in real-time, predict lifespan degradation and safety risks, and dynamically optimize charging and discharging strategies based on weather, load, and electricity price changes.
From technological breakthroughs in the laboratory to important infrastructure supporting the operation of new energy grids, AI computing centers, and zero carbon parks, new energy storage is accelerating towards large-scale applications. Currently and in the future, a series of key issues need to be addressed: from a technical perspective, core goals such as security, long lifespan, and low cost have not yet been fully achieved; From an industrial perspective, the supply of key materials, equipment manufacturing, recycling, market regulation, and the construction of technical standard systems still need to be further improved.
I believe that with the continuous maturity of diverse technological routes, a more flexible, efficient, and low-carbon energy system will gradually form, writing a new chapter for the human energy revolution.(Outlook New Era)
Author: Li Hong (Researcher of Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) (Professor Chen Wei, University of Science and Technology of China, also contributed to this article)
Edit:Luoyu Responsible editor:Jiajia
Source:people.cn
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