According to data from the Green Globe International, Inc. (GGII) Energy Storage Research Institute, China's energy storage lithium battery shipments are projected to reach 630 GWh in 2025, representing an 85% increase compared to the previous year. In the global market, China's share of worldwide energy storage battery shipments is expected to remain above 90% in 2025.
The top 10 companies in China by energy storage lithium battery shipment volume for 2025 are Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, BYD Company Limited, Hithium Energy Storage, EVE Energy Co., Ltd., CALB Co., Ltd., REPT BATTERO, Truneng New Energy, Envision AESC, Great Power Energy, and Guoxuan High-Tech (listed in no particular order). From a global shipment perspective, these top 10 Chinese companies also constitute the top 10 global suppliers of energy storage lithium batteries.
The year 2025 is witnessing an explosive growth phase for China's energy storage lithium battery market, driven by stronger-than-expected demand and simultaneous market expansion both domestically and internationally. This has resulted in a significant leap in shipment volumes. GGII data confirms the 85% year-on-year growth figure for 2025. This surge is primarily attributed to three key factors: 1) Domestically, the gradual phasing out of mandatory energy storage allocation policies and the accelerated implementation of independent energy storage projects are propelling the industry from a phase of "passive configuration" into a new era of "active investment." 2) Internationally, robust order growth is being sustained by factors such as a installation rush in the United States, demand释放 from emerging markets, and the conclusion of inventory drawdowns in overseas residential energy storage sectors, leading to a recovery in demand. 3) The gradual deployment and integration of new application scenarios, such as data centers, are continuously contributing to the growth in demand for energy storage battery cells.
Globally, the residential energy storage lithium battery market entered a new growth cycle in 2025, strongly pulled by mature overseas demand. Latest statistics from GGII indicate that global shipments of residential energy storage lithium batteries reached 55 GWh in 2025, a substantial increase of over 111% compared to the 26 GWh shipped in 2024. Starting from the peak demand season in mid-2025, 100Ah battery cells entered a state of supply shortage. Companies with stable production capacity and high-quality customer channels saw their competitive advantages magnified.
Looking ahead to 2026, the residential energy storage lithium battery market is expected to evolve along several clear trends, building upon the foundation established in 2025: 1) Capacity constraints are likely to ease, and a dual-main product matrix will become established. As production capacity for 100Ah cells gradually expands and the use of 314Ah cells in residential storage becomes standard practice, these two mainstream specifications will become standard options to meet different system requirements. 2) The globalization of supply chains will accelerate, with localized production becoming a key strategy. To address increasing trade barriers and demands for raw material origin tracing in certain overseas markets, leading residential storage cell manufacturers are actively planning or have already established dedicated production lines in overseas bases, such as in Southeast Asia and Europe. 3) The trend will move towards larger capacities and higher integration, with thermal runaway prevention for large-format cells established as a critical technological challenge.
The competition in the 2025 residential storage lithium battery market was essentially a contest of specialized production capacity and large-scale delivery capability. In this context, leading companies solidified their market share and industry standing.
Entering 2026, GGII anticipates that the energy storage lithium battery market will continue its high-growth trajectory. While the mass production of large-capacity batteries accelerates and demand from new application scenarios is released, the pace of new capacity deployment and fluctuations in raw material prices will form core constraints, simultaneously opening up new opportunities for industry competition.
500+Ah Cell Penetration Exceeds 20% in 2026 The penetration rate of 500+Ah large-format cells is projected to surpass 20% in 2026. In 2025, only small batch shipments were observed from models like CATL's 587, Hithium's 587 and 1175, and Sunwoda's 684. However, in 2026, most manufacturers are expected to begin mass production of their 500+Ah cells in Q3/Q4, with order books for the first half of 2026 already full for many.
AIDC Energy Storage Poised for Growth, Volume Ramp-Up Expected from 2027 Demand for AIDC energy storage in North America is forecast to see a significant surge starting in 2027. A key constraint currently is the lack of widespread adoption of the 800V power supply architecture, which is a core requirement for the rapid scaling of AIDC energy storage. Consequently, demand for large-scale storage in AIDC scenarios remains in a preparatory phase in the short term.
Capacity Constraints; Full-Year Cell Shipments Forecast at 850 GWh The average capacity utilization rate for energy storage in 2026 is expected to exceed 75%. Leading manufacturers are anticipated to maintain full production and sales throughout the year. Although full-year shipments are forecast to exceed 850 GWh, new capacity additions are primarily concentrated in the second half of the year and will require a ramp-up period, meaning capacity pressure will remain significant in the first half.
Raw Material Price Increases Expected to Drive Up Storage Cell Prices Energy storage cell prices are projected to increase by approximately 0.03 to 0.06 RMB/Wh in 2026. This is mainly driven by rising costs of key raw materials, including lithium carbonate, electrolyte and its raw materials, copper, and copper foil processing fees. As raw material costs climb, this pressure is expected to be passed downstream, leading to higher procurement costs for battery cells.