The cost of power station energy storage batteries

What is energy storage cost?

Energy storage cost is an important parameter that determines the application of energy storage technologies and the scale of industrial development. The full life cycle cost of an energy storage power station can be divided into installation cost and operating cost.

Why are battery system costs expressed in $/kWh?

By expressing battery system costs in $/kWh, we are deviating from other power generation technologies such as combustion turbines or solar photovoltaic plants where capital costs are usually expressed as $/kW. We use the units of $/kWh because that is the most common way that battery system costs have been expressed in published material to date.

Are battery storage costs based on long-term planning models?

Battery storage costs have evolved rapidly over the past several years, necessitating an update to storage cost projections used in long-term planning models and other activities. This work documents the development of these projections, which are based on recent publications of storage costs.

How much does a 4 hour battery system cost?

Figure ES-2 shows the overall capital cost for a 4-hour battery system based on those projections, with storage costs of $147/kWh, $243/kWh, and $339/kWh in 2035 and $108/kWh, $178/kWh, and $307/kWh in 2050 (values in 2024$).