Global grid battery installs hit 20.4GWh in September, up 61%

September's total was 61% higher than a year earlier. That brings 2026 to 208GWh so far, up 43% on the same nine months of 2025.

Where the batteries went

China switched on more than 12GWh, nearly two-thirds of the total. China usually takes 50% to 90% of the world's new storage. July was an exception, when Saudi Arabia was the top market with 37% of 33.5GWh.

Europe added over 2GWh for the fifth month in a row. September projects included a 600MWh EDF site in Belgium, a 773MWh Renalfa site in Bulgaria and Switzerland's largest storage plant. Asia outside China added 3,778MWh, Oceania 590MWh and North America only 224MWh.

Why it matters

Europe is now the fastest-growing region. It has added 22GWh in the first nine months, up 182%. The biggest single projects in September were in India and China. The average new battery could run for 2.9 hours at full output.

Beyond lithium

Lithium-ion batteries still dominate. Only a little over 600MWh came from other types, mostly in China. These included a 380MWh flow battery, which stores energy in liquid tanks, and two sodium-ion sites of 1MWh and 40MWh. Sodium-ion batteries use common salt-based materials instead of lithium.

What's next

The data do not say whether Europe can keep this pace through the last quarter. They also do not explain why North America added so little in September.