BYD Energy’s Dominance in Global Storage Solutions: A Deep Dive into Their Ongoing Battle for Market Leadership

BYD Energy has once again secured its position at the top of the global energy storage system market. The year 2024 witnessed rapid growth in the global energy storage market, with an additional installed capacity of 188.5 GWh, representing an increase of 80% year-on-year. However, behind this rapid industry growth lies a fiercely competitive market environment. On one hand, the energy storage products are facing severe homogenization and intense market reshuffling, while on the other hand, BYD Energy continues to upgrade its Cube energy storage system, maintaining its lead in China’s market for energy storage systems (DC side) in global shipment volume. According to the GGII report on the “Top 10 Global Shipment Volumes of Energy Storage Systems (DC Side) in 2024,” BYD Energy remains at the forefront.

As a company that manages everything from battery cells to complete systems, BYD Energy demonstrated remarkable competitiveness in 2024. It frequently won bids overseas, from the deserts of the Middle East to the mountains of Chile, with its Cube energy storage system continuously illuminating the global map of energy transition. One of its key features is the ability to drive rapid iterations of highly competitive terminal products through foundational technology, which, coupled with a seasoned sales team, delivers direct customer engagement. Ultimately, BYD provides comprehensive lifecycle service through strong delivery capabilities and robust after-sales support. This seamless integration throughout the entire process creates a highly cohesive operation. BYD Energy’s “victories” are the result of numerous battles worth reviewing.

01 Global Conquest

On a morning in April 2025, workers at the Beibu Gulf Port in Guangxi may not have realized they were participating in Saudi Arabia’s energy transformation. This shipment contained the first 120 units of BYD’s MC Cube-T energy storage system cabinets for a 2.5 GW/12.5 GWh super energy storage project for the Saudi Electricity Company. Once the entire project, comprising 2364 energy storage cabinets, is delivered, the “energy heart” of the five major regions in Saudi Arabia will gradually be powered by Chinese manufacturing. This delivery is part of a broader expansion phase for the Middle Eastern energy storage market, which, driven by Saudi Arabia, is projected to exceed 30 GWh in total planned projects from 2024 to 2025, rapidly elevating the Middle East to the fourth largest global market for energy storage, outside of Europe and North America.

BYD Energy has already secured the first phase of the SEC project (2.6 GWh) and the third phase (12.5 GWh), totaling 15.1 GWh, which stands as the largest grid-side energy storage project globally to date. The Middle East is just one aspect of BYD’s overseas expansion in 2024. In South America, particularly in Chile, BYD is also making significant inroads. According to data from the Chilean Ministry of Energy, the share of renewable energy installations has reached 68%, with non-traditional renewable sources like solar and wind accounting for 48%. However, due to the disconnection between power generation areas in mountainous regions and coastal areas, a significant portion of new energy generation is wasted. Chile’s rich renewable resources and weak grid infrastructure have made it an attractive market for energy storage, drawing competition from major global players.

Similar to its strategy in the Middle East, BYD’s rapid movement from market entry to contract acquisition and delivery in Chile took just one year. At the beginning of 2024, BYD signed a contract with Grenergy for the “Oasis de Atacama” project in the Atacama Desert, which is one of the largest battery storage projects under construction globally, starting with an initial scale of 1.1 GWh. Following this, Grenergy announced an expansion of the storage capacity of the Atacama Oasis project from 4.1 GWh to 11 GWh, with a total investment of $2.3 billion, to be constructed in five phases. BYD will supply the first three phases.

BYD is also targeting developed markets such as Europe and North America, which have been fundamental to its overseas strategy. Since 2015, BYD’s first batch of containerized energy storage systems has been supplied to the largest PJM power frequency modulation market in the Eastern United States. Over the past 17 years, BYD Energy has built a formidable overseas team. By the end of 2024, BYD Energy products will be exported to over 110 countries and regions, providing energy storage system solutions for more than 360 domestic and international projects, with over 75 GWh of commercial operational experience. The company’s ability to consistently capture the largest contracts overseas can be attributed to its responsive sales teams and strong communication skills, as well as its technological capabilities driven by foundational innovations and robust manufacturing strength.

02 A Year to Forge a Sword

As BYD’s flagship energy storage product, the Cube system has maintained an impressive pace of iteration. The initial Cube project team was established in February 2022, and after 522 evaluations and 342 validations, BYD launched the “MC Cube” energy storage system in May 2023, which integrated its latest blade battery technology. This marked a significant leap in the scalability of BYD’s advanced battery products for energy storage. Leveraging its core technology of blade batteries combined with CTS (Cell-to-System) super integration, the system achieved a volume utilization rate of 33%, setting a new record for energy storage systems at that time. The Cube system is versatile, suitable for power-side, grid-side, and user-side energy storage, and can operate in various challenging environments.

Quickly becoming a best-seller, the Cube system’s shipments surpassed 10 GWh. Just a year later, in April 2024, BYD introduced the new generation of Cube battery system, the MC Cube-T, which upgraded the capacity to 6.432 MWh. More importantly, it featured an upgraded generation of energy storage-specific long blade batteries, achieving maximum increases of 11% for both single cell energy and single Cube energy, and a 35.8% increase in system energy. In terms of safety, the Cube system became the first Chinese company to complete the CSA TS-800 large-scale fire test, witnessing no fire spread between cabinets and achieving the industry’s narrowest failure range under extreme fire conditions.

Following the successful completion of the CSA TS-800 large-scale fire test, BYD Energy introduced new products on April 10, 2025, including the new generation large-scale energy storage system MC Cube-T Pro ESS, the innovative commercial energy storage solution Chess Plus, and the first integrated high-voltage residential energy storage product Battery-Box HVE, along with the first integrated low-voltage residential energy storage product Battery-Box LV5.0+ and inverters. These new products comprehensively cover power-side, grid-side, commercial, industrial, and residential energy storage scenarios. The MC Cube-T Pro ESS deeply integrates higher capacity cells with the inherited CTS super integration technology, featuring modular safety protection, decoupled designs for battery, electrical, and liquid cooling systems, and real-time fault warning systems, ensuring safe operation throughout the energy storage system’s lifecycle.

This rapid-paced, comprehensive product update demonstrates BYD Energy’s full-chain control from core technology research and development to building an industrial ecosystem. This confidence stems from its vertically integrated capabilities, from cell research and development to system iteration, as well as its ability to manufacture on a large scale and quickly adapt to innovative changes.

03 How the World Energy Storage Center in Shengzhou Was Forged

Before engaging in battle, logistics must be prepared. Without delivery capabilities, even the most advanced technology and strongest bidding capacity would be futile. A military adage states that “amateurs focus on tactics, while professionals focus on logistics.” In manufacturing, a common practice is that producing an aesthetically pleasing product might be relatively easy, but achieving high-volume and low-cost production is a significant challenge. To continuously win large-scale energy storage projects abroad, BYD must have a world-class energy storage manufacturing center to support its front-line teams.

Just as the most potent military forces are backed by substantial manufacturing and supply capabilities, BYD Energy’s effective execution of large-scale energy storage projects is rooted in its forward-thinking strategic positioning. This includes a commitment to full industry chain research and development, covering material research, manufacturing processes, cell design, and essential equipment like BMS, EMS, and the Cube system. From initial energy storage solution customization and delivery to post-delivery operation and maintenance, BYD Energy has established a standardized and systematic full-cycle management system.

BYD’s manufacturing base is located in Shengzhou, Zhejiang. This city, near Shanghai and Ningbo, is close to two world-class ports and has a developed local manufacturing industry, allowing for efficient logistics across the Pacific. Local residents still remember the bustling groundbreaking ceremony three years ago, where few could have imagined that this once tea-covered hillside would become the starting point for reshaping the global energy storage landscape. Today, BYD’s Shengzhou facility stretches as far as the eye can see, with hundreds of trucks transporting materials daily. On June 14, 2022, BYD officially launched its new energy battery project in Shengzhou, with a total investment of 13 billion yuan, marking the largest and fastest construction project for BYD in Zhejiang. Notably, the “unconventional” construction timeline was remarkable: signing in August 2021, commencing in October, and production starting in June 2022—all completed in just 10 months, 6.5 months ahead of schedule.

BYD is preparing to further invest in Shengzhou. At the BYD Americas Business Conference held in Shengzhou this year, Li Ke, Vice President of BYD Co., Ltd., announced plans to build a world-class energy storage center, seeking breakthroughs in the new energy sector. This initiative is backed by ongoing Phase II and III projects. The second phase involves an investment of approximately 6 billion yuan, covering an area of about 802 acres to build an annual production capacity of 15 GWh of new energy batteries. The third phase involves an investment of around 5 billion yuan to cover approximately 1067 acres, building production lines for 15 GWh of new energy batteries and related products.

With BYD’s rapid “land and commence construction” approach, this small city, which has been exporting tea for over a thousand years, is poised to evolve into a major hub for BYD Energy storage.

04 Continuous Progress

From the testing grounds in Shengzhou to project sites in over 110 countries, BYD Energy’s rise reflects the transformation of an industry leader rooted in technology. However, achieving the top position in the DC side is not enough for BYD to rest on its laurels. The core reasons for BYD Energy’s success lie in its combination of technological leadership, large-scale manufacturing, and systematic operations.

Technologically, BYD Energy is continuously pushing industry boundaries; conquering extreme temperature differences in the Saudi desert, stabilizing the operation of the world’s largest single energy storage project in the Chilean oasis, and overcoming challenges such as salt corrosion in Southeast Asia and stringent frequency regulation requirements in Europe. BYD Energy has demonstrated its commitment to expanding both the geographical and technological boundaries of energy storage deployment, thereby enlarging the entire energy storage market. BYD’s unique capabilities in large-scale manufacturing and project execution ensure that when technology opens up a new market, delivery capabilities follow closely, preventing any disconnect.

This capacity is ingrained in BYD Energy’s manufacturing DNA and is evident in the multi-billion yuan investment in the third phase of production in Shengzhou. Looking forward to this market, it becomes clear that BYD’s continued leadership is not solely reliant on a single flagship product but rather on its systematic operational capabilities: from customized solutions to rapid delivery and localized lifecycle maintenance services. This means that competitors face not just BYD’s standout products like the Cube but an entire battle-ready team and a cohesive system. This is why BYD Energy consistently clinches the championship in the global energy storage market—because sustained success is never accidental.