In Wood Mackenzie’s first global ranking of battery energy storage system (BESS) integrators, Sungrow claimed the top spot, surpassing major players such as Tesla and CATL. In a sector where global battery storage installations exceeded 100 GW in 2025, technological maturity, R&D investment, and supply chain resilience stand out as key criteria. This rapid growth is being supported by the entry of automotive giants into the stationary storage market and the commercialization of emerging technologies such as sodium-ion batteries, transforming energy storage from a niche application into essential infrastructure.
Competition in the sector is shifting away from production scale toward reliable project delivery capabilities and innovation. All companies in the top 10 have achieved vertical integration by producing key components such as cells, power conversion systems (PCS), and battery management systems (BMS) in-house. In addition, 90% of the companies in the top 10 allocate more than 4% of their annual revenues to R&D activities.
The commercial and industrial battery storage sector is undergoing a major transformation as of 2026. More than $1.35 billion in financing and over 20 GWh of newly announced capacity in just the past six weeks demonstrate that the sector is moving from the “pilot” stage toward becoming “essential infrastructure.” The entry of automotive giants such as Ford into the stationary storage market and the transition of sodium-ion batteries from laboratory environments to grid-scale applications reflect a proactive search for solutions to lithium-related constraints.
Major developments are also taking place in the European market. Under a multi-year agreement with NatPower, Tesla aims to deploy a total of 25 GWh of battery storage capacity across Italy and the UK. Valued at $4–5 billion, the project is planned to eventually expand into a 100 GWh storage network. These systems will support grid stability through Tesla’s Megapack batteries and energy trading software.
Meanwhile, manufacturing capacities are also expanding rapidly. Moment Energy has commissioned the world’s largest electric vehicle battery repurposing facility, while NextStar Energy has launched a new production line at its Windsor facility, providing full vertical integration from cells to finished battery packs. Established manufacturers such as Exide Industries are also updating their strategies for the EV era by focusing on lithium-ion cell production. This intense activity across the sector is also making it necessary to reassess intellectual property rights and patent strategies, as the shift of automotive technologies into stationary storage brings different risk profiles and regulatory requirements.
Source: Solarbaba – In Turkish
