Global BESS Shipments Nearly Double in First Half of 2026

Global shipments of battery energy storage systems (BESS) continued to accelerate during the first half of 2026, with both battery cell and complete system shipments approaching twice the levels recorded a year earlier.

Data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence shows that more than 490 GWh of BESS cells were shipped globally during the first six months of 2026. Complete BESS system shipments reached approximately 313 GWh, representing a 93% increase compared with the first half of 2025.

The figures illustrate the growing importance of battery storage as electricity systems absorb larger volumes of variable renewable generation and seek additional sources of flexibility. Storage systems can shift electricity between periods of low and high demand, support grid balancing and help integrate solar and wind generation without requiring immediate consumption.

The growth is also reshaping competition across the battery supply chain.

Chinese Manufacturers Maintain Dominant Position

Chinese companies continued to dominate BESS cell production during the first half of the year. All ten of the largest cell suppliers identified by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence were Chinese companies.

CATL remained the largest supplier, accounting for 22% of global cell shipments. Although its market share was broadly unchanged from 21.7% during the same period in 2025, the company's shipment volumes approximately doubled year on year.

HiTHIUM ranked second with a 10.2% share after increasing shipments by 63.5%, while EVE Energy ranked third with 9% and recorded shipment growth of 54.9%.

BYD Energy Storage moved from sixth place in the first half of 2025 to fourth in 2026, securing 6.7% of global shipments following an 83.3% increase in volume. Cornex moved into fifth place with a 6.5% market share after shipments increased by 116%.

Other suppliers are also expanding rapidly. Benchmark reported that Ganfeng Lithium returned to the global top ten after increasing shipments by around 250%, while Great Power recorded growth exceeding 200%, supported in part by demand for residential energy storage cells.

Despite China's continued dominance, market concentration is declining. The ten largest battery cell manufacturers accounted for 83.3% of global shipments during the first half of 2026, down 6.3 percentage points from a year earlier.

This suggests that demand growth is creating more room for mid-tier manufacturers, particularly as leading suppliers operate close to capacity and customers qualify alternative suppliers.

Separate data from InfoLink Consulting points to a similar trend. The consultancy estimates global energy storage cell shipments at 467.84 GWh during the first half of 2026, up 94.8% year on year. Its methodology and supplier coverage differ from Benchmark's, explaining the difference between the two estimates. InfoLink found that the ten largest suppliers represented 82.3% of shipments, compared with 91.2% a year earlier.

System Integration Market Becomes More Fragmented

Competition is even more dispersed among companies supplying complete energy storage systems.

Benchmark estimates that global BESS system shipments reached around 313 GWh during the first half of 2026. The ten largest system integrators represented approximately 60% of shipments, a decline of 16.8 percentage points compared with the previous year.

BYD Energy Storage led the system integration market with a 9.1% share after increasing shipments by 96.6%. Sungrow Power ranked second with 8.8%, followed by CATL with 8%.

Tesla ranked fourth with a 7.1% share and was the only non-Chinese company among Benchmark's ten largest BESS system integrators. Its energy storage system shipments increased by 11.5% year on year, although its market share declined substantially as the overall market expanded more rapidly.

HyperStrong completed the top five with approximately 7% of global shipments and year-on-year growth of 83.3%.

The changing rankings indicate that rapid market expansion is not necessarily consolidating demand among a small number of system suppliers. Instead, customers are sourcing systems from a wider range of integrators as markets expand geographically and different project segments develop.

Demand Increasingly Extends Beyond China

The growth of storage deployment outside China is another significant shift.

InfoLink estimates that approximately 248.73 GWh of energy storage cells were shipped to markets outside China during the first half of 2026, representing about 53.2% of global shipments under its dataset. Europe, Australia, Latin America, the Middle East, India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia are among the markets supporting growth.

Independent data from SNE Research also indicates that markets outside China have overtaken China in terms of energy storage battery shipments. It estimated that China accounted for 43.9% of global shipments in the first half of 2026, compared with 50.5% a year earlier.

Actual deployment volumes remain lower than shipment volumes because batteries and complete systems can be manufactured and shipped months before projects are commissioned.

Benchmark data cited by Energy-Storage.News shows that global BESS installations exceeded 320 GWh during 2025, while cell shipments exceeded 600 GWh and system shipments reached around 460 GWh. The difference reflects project development timelines as well as inventories and supply-chain buffers.

That distinction remains important for companies and policymakers assessing the pace of the energy storage transition. Shipment growth indicates manufacturing activity and future deployment potential, but it should not be interpreted as equivalent to operational storage capacity.

Supply Pressures Could Persist Through 2026

Rapid demand growth is also creating pressure within the battery manufacturing supply chain.

InfoLink reports that widely used 314 Ah energy storage cells have remained in tight supply, with prices increasing by more than 15% over the previous six months. At the same time, manufacturers are developing larger cell formats, with batteries rated at 500 Ah or above accounting for more than 10% of the utility-scale market during the first half of 2026.

The consultancy has increased its forecast for global energy storage cell shipments in 2026 to approximately 1,026 GWh, compared with 612.39 GWh in 2025. If achieved, the industry would pass the 1 TWh annual shipment threshold for the first time.

For utilities, renewable energy developers and large electricity users, increasing manufacturing volumes could expand the pool of available suppliers and support larger storage procurement programmes. Falling concentration among both cell manufacturers and system integrators could also increase competitive pressure.

However, higher shipment volumes alone do not eliminate supply-chain risks. Equipment qualification, battery safety, warranties, system performance, financing requirements and access to locally compliant supply chains remain important considerations, particularly as governments introduce trade restrictions and domestic manufacturing requirements.

The first-half figures nevertheless indicate that battery storage is moving rapidly from a supporting technology into a major component of electricity infrastructure. With both established suppliers and emerging manufacturers expanding output, the next phase of the market is likely to be shaped not only by manufacturing scale, but also by price, safety, bankability, supply-chain resilience and the ability to deliver projects across increasingly diverse electricity markets.

Source: sustainabilityonline.net