China’s new energy storage capacity surges to 74 GW/168 GWh in 2024, up 130% YoY

In 2024 alone, China added 42.37 GW/101.13 GWh of new storage capacity (excluding pumped hydro), with an average discharge duration of 2.3 hours—up from 2.1 hours in 2023.
Image: BYD

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) announced on January 23 that the country’s installed capacity of new energy storage had surged to 73.76 GW/168 GWh by the end of 2024, marking a twentyfold increase from the end of 2021. Compared to the 31.39 GW/66.87 GWh recorded at the end of 2023, this represents an annual growth rate exceeding 130%.

According to NEA’s definition, new types of energy storage exclude pumped hydro and include electrochemical energy storage, compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage, superconducting energy storage, supercapacitor energy storage, and hydrogen energy storage.

In 2024 alone, China added 42.37 GW/101.13 GWh of new storage capacity, with an average discharge duration of 2.3 hours—up from 2.1 hours in 2023. Grid operators reported that these systems operated for approximately 1,000 equivalent full-load hours throughout the year, supporting renewable energy integration, peak shaving management, and grid stability.

Regional data highlights the concentration of storage deployment in key provinces. The top five regions by cumulative installed capacity are Inner Mongolia (10.23 GW/24.39 GWh), Xinjiang (8.57 GW/28.71 GWh), Shandong (7.17 GW/15.55 GWh), Jiangsu (5.62 GW/11.95 GWh), and Ningxia (4.43 GW/8.82 GWh). Ten other provinces, including Hebei, Zhejiang, Gansu, and Guangdong, have each surpassed 2 GW in cumulative storage capacity. In contrast, China’s northeastern region lags in deployment due to climatic and infrastructure constraints.

The data also reveals a trend towards larger-scale energy storage projects. Systems exceeding 100 MW now account for 62.3% of total capacity, up by 10% from 2023. Installations between 10 MW and 100 MW represent 32.8%, while projects under 10 MW comprise just 4.9%.

Energy storage duration is also increasing, with 15.4% of installations now exceeding four hours, 71.2% ranging between two and four hours, and only 13.4% operating below two hours.

In tandem with rapid capacity expansion, China achieved breakthroughs in energy storage technology in 2024. The year saw the integration of several non-lithium storage projects into the grid, including a 300 MW/1,500 MWh compressed air energy storage facility, large-scale sodium-ion battery installations, high-power flywheel storage, supercapacitor storage, and redox flow batteries.

China’s rapid energy storage expansion aligns with the country’s broader strategy for renewable energy integration. According to the “Power System Regulation Capacity Optimization Action Plan (2025–2027)” issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the NEA, China aims to support an annual addition of 200 GW of new renewables between 2025 to 2027, maintaining a national renewable energy utilization rate of no less than 90%. This policy suggests that the rapid growth of new energy storage will continue in the coming years.

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