Off-grid energy storage market to grow at a 6% CAGR from 2011 to 2016
According to the firm, the off-grid storage market will grow from USD 9.9 billion in 2011 to USD 13.5 billion in 2016, a 6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Emerging technologies will be the fastest growing segment of the market, growing from USD 1.5 billion in 2011 in 2011 to about USD 4 billion in 2016, a 22% CAGR. “Considering the current financial and regulatory state of grid-connected storage, the off-grid market presents a relatively bright opportunity for emerging storage technologies,” said the report’s lead author, Steve Minnihan. “But given the sheer number of developers competing for a share of the market, decisive action is needed to succeed.”
The report bases its analysis on a lifetime cost calculation for each technology, market, and application it covers. Among its key conclusions, Li-ion sees small, steady growth in diversified markets. Li-ion batteries will grow from USD 795 million in revenue in 2011 to USD 2.2 billion in 2016, a 23% CAGR. Thanks to its improved cycle life and energy density over lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion will see narrow penetration into the high-end datacenter market, netting 6.8% of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) capacity and 5.8% of telecom backup capacity in 2016. If Li-ion developers can trim costs 33% to $400/kWh and demonstrate improved lifetimes, then the technology could usurp further market share in the telecom backup market in the latter half of the decade.
Flywheels and ultracapacitors will supplement, not lead, the UPS market. Together, flywheels and ultracapacitors will capture 10% of the datacenter UPS market by 2016. Flywheels will grow from USD 49 million in 2011 to USD 104 million in 2016 (a 16% CAGR), while ultracapacitors will expand from a base of USD 88 million to USD 248 million in 2016 (a 23% CAGR). High reliability, superior cycle life, unsurpassed power density, and minimal maintenance costs all help make these technologies strong candidates, but their limited energy capacity raises barriers against broad adoption.
Fuel cell potential is strong, with room for growth beyond 2016. Fuel cells will grow from USD 536 million in 2011 to USD 1.3 billion in 2016, a 22% CAGR, through adoption in the off-grid telecom power and datacenter market. This expansion won’t be enough, however, to support the expansive list of fuel cell developers, leading to fierce competition and consolidation.
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