AI Infrastructure, Energy Transition, and Grid Congestion: A Triple Drive for Growth in the Energy Storage Industry
On January 16, 2026, significant progress was made with the first overseas energy storage plan by the Southern Power Grid. According to a statement from Southern Power Grid 50Hz, Southern Power Grid International (Hong Kong) Company collaborated with Southern Power Storage Company and Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company to successfully complete a joint research project on electrochemical energy storage in Indonesia. This marks Southern Power Grid’s first overseas energy storage initiative and its first substantial collaboration with Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company.
AI Computing Power Equals Electricity, Making Energy Storage an Essential Support: Data centers are currently facing severe grid connectivity challenges, leading to ‘electricity access speed’ becoming the top priority. Energy storage has evolved from merely being a backup power source to actively supplying electricity. By utilizing peak shaving and valley filling techniques, it addresses voltage fluctuations and serves as a strategic infrastructure for the rapid deployment of AI data centers.
According to Guojin Securities, the global energy storage industry is entering a new growth cycle. It is projected that by 2026, an additional 438 GWh of global energy storage capacity will be installed, representing a 62% year-on-year increase. The growth drivers have shifted from solely absorbing renewable energy to a combination of AI computing infrastructure, the necessity of energy transition, and grid congestion as the three key factors pushing this change.
The supply and demand dynamics in the industry have significantly improved, transitioning from a depletion phase to a replenishment boom, with certain segments of the supply chain expected to experience both price and volume increases.
As reported by the Financial Association, some relevant publicly listed companies include: Kelun Electronics, one of the earliest entrants into the energy storage system integration sector in China, which has participated in the establishment of various industry-related technical standards and possesses substantial technical expertise and project experience in the energy storage field. Jinrong Tianyu, whose main business focuses on the research, development, production, and sales of precision metal components and new energy storage products, has electrical precision components widely used in data centers and other sectors.
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