Why was "developing new types of energy storage" included in the government work report?

On the morning of March 5, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress opened in Beijing, and Premier Li Qiang delivered the government work report. The report clearly stated that efforts will be focused on building a new power system, accelerating the construction of smart grids, developing new energy storage, and expanding the application of green electricity.

New energy storage technologies include lithium-ion battery energy storage, compressed air energy storage, and flow battery energy storage. According to data from the National Energy Administration, by the end of 2025, the installed capacity of new energy storage systems in operation nationwide reached 136 million kilowatts/351 million kilowatt-hours, an increase of over 40 times compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Currently, the industry is dominated by lithium-ion battery energy storage, accounting for 96.1% of the installed capacity.

Industry insiders generally believe that new energy storage plays a crucial role in the construction of new power systems. The future power system's reliance on energy storage power stations will continue to increase, and the industry's development will shift from simply relying on scale expansion to a development stage focused on operation and application.

Tian Qingjun, Senior Vice President of Envision Energy, stated that developing new energy storage technologies is a rigid requirement for building a new power system. The volatility of renewable energy generation places higher demands on the safe and stable operation of the power grid; energy storage, as a key regulatory resource, serves as both a "stabilizer" to smooth out fluctuations in renewable energy output and a "ballast" to ensure reliable power supply to the power system.

He cited an example: in 2025, the maximum adjustable power of new energy storage in the State Grid's operating area will reach 64.23 million kilowatts, with a peak capacity equivalent to nearly three Three Gorges hydropower stations, providing strong support for the safe operation of the power grid during the peak summer season.

Furthermore, new energy storage has a strong industrial driving effect. Tian Qingjun pointed out that the new energy storage industry chain is long, not only driving the coordinated development of upstream materials and midstream manufacturing, but also giving rise to new tracks such as computing-electricity collaboration and green fuels. AI large-scale model training requires massive computing power, and computing centers are essentially "high-energy-consuming" infrastructure. China possesses globally leading new energy power generation capabilities; by using energy storage systems to smooth out fluctuations in wind and solar power output, it can provide stable and reliable green electricity for computing centers.

According to Tian Qingjun, the current development of new energy storage faces challenges such as low-price competition, insufficient market mechanisms, quality and safety hazards in some energy storage power stations, and fluctuations in raw material prices. He suggests that, regarding low-price competition, bidding rules should be further improved, the weight of technology should be increased, and the industry should be guided from a "price-oriented" to a "value-oriented" approach; regarding quality and safety hazards, a sound quality standard and operation monitoring system should be established, and full life-cycle safety supervision should be strengthened.

Zhang Tianren, Chairman of Tianneng Holding Group, told the Economic Observer that 2026 is a crucial year for the energy storage industry to move away from extensive expansion and return to value creation. The energy storage industry is currently undergoing profound changes: the accelerated deployment of zero-carbon industrial parks and the explosive growth of AI computing centers are creating a rigid demand for long-duration, new-type energy storage and grid-based energy storage; technological iteration and scenario innovation are reshaping the competitive landscape of the industry.

"Practice has proven that the core value of new energy storage lies not in scale expansion, but in scenario adaptation, technological leadership, and operational efficiency," said Zhang Tianren. (Pan Juntian)