Financial support for energy storage industry

Why do energy storage projects need project financing?

The rapid growth in the energy storage market is similarly driving demand for project financing. The general principles of project finance that apply to the financing of solar and wind projects also apply to energy storage projects.

Can you finance a solar energy storage project?

Since the majority of solar projects currently under construction include a storage system, lenders in the project finance markets are willing to finance the construction and cashflows of an energy storage project. However, there are certain additional considerations in structuring a project finance transaction for an energy storage project.

Is it profitable to provide energy-storage solutions to commercial customers?

The model shows that it is already profitable to provide energy-storage solutions to a subset of commercial customers in each of the four most important applications—demand-charge management, grid-scale renewable power, small-scale solar-plus storage, and frequency regulation.

Why is energy storage financing so important?

The Energy Storage program’s concessional financing has been crucial in securing a total of $276 million through the Climate Investment Fund, the Green Climate Fund, and similar facilities to co-finance projects in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Maldives, Ukraine, and Zanzibar.

Why do companies invest in energy-storage devices?

Historically, companies, grid operators, independent power providers, and utilities have invested in energy-storage devices to provide a specific benefit, either for themselves or for the grid. As storage costs fall, ownership will broaden and many new business models will emerge.

What is the energy storage program?

The Energy Storage program provides operational support to clients by working with World Bank teams to advance the IDA20 Energy Policy Commitment of developing battery storage in at least 15 countries (including at least 10 fragile and conflict-affected situations).