National energy storage targets compiled by UK-based think tank Ember total 822 GW by 2030, 45% below the 1,500 GW committed internationally at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29). The gap persists despite official targets having nearly tripled since 2024 and annual battery installations reaching record levels.
The COP29 commitment, made by 74 countries, calls for global energy storage capacity to increase sixfold to 1,500 GW by 2030. Before the November 2024 summit in Baku, national targets totaled 284 GW. The current 822 GW represents a 190% increase but remains 678 GW below the international commitment.
National targets also fall short of BloombergNEF’s forecast of 1,200 GW of global battery storage capacity by the end of the decade. Ember estimates that maintaining the installation rate recorded in 2025 through 2030 would bring cumulative global storage capacity to approximately 1,020 GW. That would exceed current national targets by 24%, but still fall short of the COP29 commitment.
Global installed energy storage capacity reached 430 GW at the end of 2025. A further 118 GW was added during the year, 40% more than in 2024. Batteries accounted for 108 GW of the additions, driving most of the sector’s growth.
Annual battery additions increased from 9.5 GW in 2021 to 108 GW in 2025, more than an elevenfold rise in four years. China accounted for 54% of new storage installations in 2025, followed by the United States with 16%. Falling system costs have supported expansion, with Ember estimating average annual cost reductions of around 20% over the past decade.
Storage power capacity, measured in gigawatts (GW), indicates the maximum rate at which a system can charge or discharge. The service each installation can provide also depends on its duration, typically measured in megawatt-hours (MWh) or gigawatt-hours (GWh). Power capacity targets alone therefore do not establish how much energy each country can shift from periods of renewable surplus to periods of higher demand.
Meeting existing national targets would require an average of 78 GW of additional storage capacity annually between 2026 and 2030. That is below the volume installed in both 2024 and 2025. Ember sees the difference as a sign that governments could raise their targets.
Most of the increase in ambition is concentrated in China and the European Union. China has raised its 2030 target from 130 GW to 460 GW. The revised goal includes 300 GW of new-generation energy storage, predominantly batteries, and 160 GW of pumped hydro storage.
The European Union adopted a target of 200 GW of energy storage by 2030 in June 2026. China and the EU together account for more than 80% of the national targets identified by Ember. Since COP29, eight countries and the EU have raised their targets or announced new commitments, but most major solar markets have made no significant changes to their plans.
Australia has revised its projections to 33 GW by 2030, while Vietnam has set a target of 22.3 GW, comprising 16.3 GW of batteries and 6 GW of pumped hydro. India, Spain and Italy are among the markets that have not increased their targets since the Baku summit.
Spain retains its target of 22.5 GW of energy storage by 2030, included in its National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), approved in September 2024. The plan envisages 12.5 GW of daily or weekly storage and a further 10 GW of seasonal storage, without specifying the allocation between batteries and pumped hydro.
Ember identifies updating national targets as the main challenge. As renewable generation capacity grows, power systems need more storage to shift electricity between hours, limit renewable curtailment, manage grid congestion and provide flexibility. Battery deployment continues to accelerate, but national policy targets for 2030 have yet to reflect either the pace of installations or the international commitment to 1,500 GW.
From pv magazine España
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