ESS shipments jump 71% H1

SNE Research said global lithium-ion battery shipments for energy storage systems reached 461.3 GWh in the first half of 2026, up 71% from 269.7 GWh a year earlier. CnEVPost, citing the South Korean market researcher’s August 4 data release, said CATL remained the largest supplier with 125.0 GWh shipped. (cnevpost.com) The figures point to a storage market that is expanding faster than many adjacent clean-energy segments, with demand broadening outside China. China’s share of global ESS demand fell to 43.9% from 50.5% a year earlier, according to the same data. ### How big was the jump, in practical terms? The 461.3 GWh total means the market added 191.6 GWh of shipments versus the first half of 2025. That increase alone was larger than the entire first-half market of many earlier years, based on the year-ago base of 269.7 GWh cited by SNE Research. Grid-scale installations led the expansion, while residential and commercial-and-industrial storage also grew, according to Battery-Tech’s summary of the SNE figures. North America and Europe were major drivers of that growth. A separate market summary citing the same SNE dataset said North America grew 83% year over year, Europe 74%, and other regions including the Middle East and Australia 119%. (cnevpost.com) ### Who captured the market share? CATL shipped 125.0 GWh in the first half, up 81% year over year, lifting its market share to 27.1% from 25.6% a year earlier, CnEVPost reported from the SNE data. Eve Energy ranked second with 48.0 GWh and a 10.4% share. Hithium was third with 46.2 GWh and a 10.0% share. (cnevpost.com) BYD ranked fourth with 35.7 GWh and a 7.7% share. CALB and Rept Battero Energy followed with 31.5 GWh and 31.4 GWh respectively, each at 6.8%, according to the same ranking. Metal.com, also citing the H1 market data, said CATL, Eve and Hithium together accounted for nearly half of global shipments. (finance.biggo.com) ### Why does China’s lower share matter? China accounted for 43.9% of global ESS demand in the first half, down from 50.5% a year earlier, even as the overall market expanded. That does not mean China shrank; it means other regions grew faster. Battery-Tech, citing the same market data, said North America and Europe overtook China as the top growth centers. (cnevpost.com) CnEVPost said procurement decisions in North America and Europe are being shaped increasingly by local production capacity, supply-chain stability and regulatory compliance, not only price. That suggests buyers are weighing origin, qualification and delivery risk more heavily as projects scale. (cnevpost.com) ### What does this say about the storage build-out? Battery-Tech said grid storage remained the dominant segment in the first half, with residential and commercial-and-industrial applications also posting gains. That mix matters because utility-scale projects consume very large battery volumes, while distributed storage broadens the customer base and regional demand profile. (cnevpost.com) CATL’s lead in stationary storage also comes as the company reports strong broader financial growth. On July 24, CATL said first-half net profit rose 41.98% to 43.28 billion yuan, while revenue rose 54.80% to 276.92 billion yuan. (cnevpost.com) ### What should readers watch next? SNE Research’s next monthly and quarterly storage rankings will show whether non-China markets continue to outpace China in the second half of 2026. The next markers to watch are shipment shares for CATL, Eve Energy and Hithium, and whether regional buyers in North America and Europe keep favoring suppliers with local manufacturing and compliance credentials. (battery-tech.net) (cnevpost.com 1) (cnevpost.com 2)