A research report from CSCIB reveals that, commencing in 2026, the pace of large-scale domestic energy storage installations is set to decelerate, with actual project execution falling below anticipated levels and revealing notable disparities when compared to bidding data. CSCIB's analysis indicates that the principal cause of this slowdown is the narrowing gap between peak and off-peak electricity prices in the northwest region. This can be attributed to a deceleration in load growth, the practice of energy storage peak-valley arbitrage, and the suppression of peak evening electricity prices due to a substantial surge in new wind power installations. Furthermore, other contributing factors include escalating system operation costs, the sluggish implementation of provincial capacity electricity price policies, rising lithium carbonate prices, and delays in the grid connection approval processes. These elements have collectively undermined the economic feasibility of energy storage projects, thereby impeding their progress.

In light of these developments, CSCIB has downwardly adjusted its forecast for new large-scale domestic energy storage installations in 2026 to a range of 230-250 GWh, signifying a year-on-year increase of approximately 21%-32%. Looking towards 2027, however, the outlook is more optimistic. With the anticipated decline in lithium carbonate prices, a burgeoning demand in regions such as North China, Northeast China, and South China, coupled with the promotion of innovative application scenarios like computing power collaboration, the domestic energy storage market is poised to maintain its growth trajectory and potential.