Battery boom in the US: Storage capacity nearly doubled in a year and a half

Battery storage in the US reached a record 20.2 GWh in the second quarter of this year. The US energy storage market thus set a new quarterly record, driven primarily by rapid growth in battery storage projects by major utilities.

As RenewablesNow reported, this increase reflects growing demand for flexible electricity infrastructure as renewable energy generation expands. Managing an increasingly complex energy system is also benefiting projects focused on electricity storage.

According to the latest US Energy Storage Market Outlook report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, 20.2 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) were installed in the US in the second quarter. This represents a 108% increase compared with the previous quarter, bringing total installations in the first half of 2026 to 30.8 GWh.

Utility-scale projects accounted for most of the new capacity, adding 17.9 GWh during the quarter. Commercial and industrial installations contributed a further 1.8 GWh, while residential systems added 657 MWh. Growth was particularly strong in several states. Arizona recorded the largest quarterly increase in the country, with more than 6.2 GWh of storage added. Texas and California followed with 3.8 GWh and 3.6 GWh, respectively.

More than 74% of second-quarter installations were in states won by President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Battery storage is expanding across politically diverse energy markets. Overall, US utility-scale electricity storage capacity nearly doubled during the first 18 months of the Trump administration, from 88 GWh to 165 GWh.

Domestic manufacturing also grows with rising battery installations

SEIA and Benchmark have therefore increased their forecast for cumulative US energy storage capacity by 2030 by 11.5%, to 683 GWh. Annual installations are expected to exceed 110 GWh as developers continue investing in utility-scale energy storage.

Alongside the growth in installations, domestic manufacturing capacity is also expanding. During the quarter, two new battery cell plants opened in Ohio and Tennessee, while a battery module plant with a capacity of 50 GWh began operations in Texas. Total US domestic battery cell manufacturing capacity has now exceeded 50 GWh, while module manufacturing capacity has surpassed 100 GWh.