Battery energy storage cost comparison

Are battery electricity storage systems a good investment?

This study shows that battery electricity storage systems offer enormous deployment and cost-reduction potential. By 2030, total installed costs could fall between 50% and 60% (and battery cell costs by even more), driven by optimisation of manufacturing facilities, combined with better combinations and reduced use of materials.

How much does a non-battery energy storage system cost?

Non-battery systems, on the other hand, range considerably more depending on duration. Looking at 100 MW systems, at a 2-hour duration, gravity-based energy storage is estimated to be over $1,100/kWh but drops to approximately $200/kWh at 100 hours.

How are battery energy storage costs forecasted?

Forecast procedures are described in the main body of this report. C&C or engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs can be estimated using the footprint or total volume and weight of the battery energy storage system (BESS). For this report, volume was used as a proxy for these metrics.

How much does a battery cost?

Given the nature of these storage assets, an energy capacity–based cost comparison is used as opposed to a power-based one. The results show that the Li-ion battery has the lowest total annualized $/kWh cost at approximately $74/kWh of any of the battery energy storage technologies. This is followed by zinc-hybrid cathode technology at $91/kWh-yr.

How much power does a battery energy storage system use?

For battery energy storage systems (BESS), the power levels considered were 1, 10, and 100 megawatt (MW), with durations of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 hours. For pumped storage hydro (PSH), 100 and 1000 MW systems with 4- and 10-hour durations were considered for comparison with BESS.

What are base year costs for utility-scale battery energy storage systems?

Base year costs for utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are based on a bottom-up cost model using the data and methodology for utility-scale BESS in (Ramasamy et al., 2021). The bottom-up BESS model accounts for major components, including the LIB pack, inverter, and the balance of system (BOS) needed for the installation.