Battery Storage Passes 250 GW, Beating Pumped Hydro

The world just hit a historic milestone in the race to store clean energy, and it happened faster than almost anyone predicted.

Battery energy storage systems now power more than 250 gigawatts of capacity worldwide, officially surpassing pumped hydropower storage for the first time in history. This shift represents a fundamental change in how we store electricity and manage renewable energy on the grid.

The growth has been nothing short of explosive. In 2025 alone, the world added more than 100 gigawatts of battery storage, nearly triple what was installed just two years earlier. Between 2020 and 2025, battery storage grew at over 100% per year, making it one of the fastest-expanding energy technologies this decade.

Pumped hydropower, which has dominated energy storage for over a century, relies on massive reservoirs and geographic features that take years to build. Batteries can be installed almost anywhere in months, making them far more flexible for modern grids trying to balance wind and solar power.

The momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Experts project that 2026 will see even bigger gains, with 130 gigawatts of new battery storage coming online worldwide.

China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany continue leading the charge. But exciting new markets are emerging fast, including Italy, Saudi Arabia, Chile, and Eastern Europe, where government policies and grid needs are finally aligning with the technology.

The Ripple Effect

This breakthrough does more than just store electricity. It solves one of renewable energy's biggest challenges: what to do when the sun sets or the wind stops blowing.

With massive battery capacity now available, grid operators can store excess solar and wind power during peak production times and release it when demand is high. This makes renewable energy far more reliable and reduces our dependence on fossil fuel backup plants.

The speed of adoption also signals something bigger. As battery costs continue falling and performance improves, clean energy becomes increasingly practical for countries at every income level. Emerging markets no longer need to choose between reliable power and clean power.

What took pumped hydropower more than a century to build, batteries matched in just a handful of years, proving that when technology and timing align, transformation happens faster than we imagine.