BNEF raises its US storage forecast 30%, to 434.4 GW cumulative by 2036
Serguey Asael Shinder1 min readBloombergNEF expects the US to deploy 30% more energy storage over the next decade than it forecast six months ago, according to its latest semiannual storage outlook, reported by Utility Dive. BNEF now projects cumulative US deployments of 213.9 GW by 2030 and 434.4 GW by 2036, senior energy storage analyst Isshu Kikuma said. Globally, it sees 3,098 GW/11,106 GWh installed by 2036, roughly ten times today's level.
BNEF names two near-term drivers in the US despite trade barriers and rising project costs: favourable economics for storage colocated with renewables, and data centres' demand for both behind-the-meter and front-of-meter capacity. Hyperscalers' interest in on-site and nearby storage turned into firm orders this year, it said. By the end of 2025 the US had 20.7 GW/66.4 GWh of storage colocated with 41.3 GW of solar, and about 4 GW more storage was colocated with solar in the first nine months of 2026.
The consultancy also measures how fast storage is catching up with solar: the global ratio of cumulative installed solar to storage capacity fell from 94:1 in 2016 to 7:1 in 2026, and BNEF expects it to settle at 4:1 in 2030, with annual additions steady at about 3:1 afterwards.
What it means
A 30% upward revision in six months is large for a ten-year forecast, and the reason given is demand that has already become orders, not policy. The solar-to-storage ratio is the more durable signal: storage is becoming a standard companion to new solar rather than an add-on, which changes how grid operators should plan evening peaks. The forecast is still a forecast from one consultancy, reported second-hand here.