Graph of the day: Batteries are beating solar to deliver the fastest energy transition in human history

It is now generally accepted that solar has delivered the fastest energy transition in human history, but new data put together by Future Smart Strategies suggests that this will be beaten by the stunning rollout of battery storage across the world.

The estimates of annual battery dispatch of electricity assume 80% daily dispatch and are based on reported global installation of utility battery capacity.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence data released this month show that China’s BESS installations in December 2025 alone (65.4 GWh) exceeded the entire USA’s 2025 total annual installations (46.5 GWh).

In December 2025, a record 71 GWh of BESS was deployed worldwide in one month. That took the total for the year to 315 GWh, and took cumulative global installed capacity to 690 GWh.

That 690 GWh of battery capacity can provide 414 TWh of dispatch in 2025 – this is necessarily an estimate as the cumulative data on global battery dispatch is not consolidated as yet.

Note: Given this does not include other batteries such as domestic and commercial storage, it is likely an overestimate for utility scale storage but an underestimate of all available stationary storage (we’re working on it).

The final curve for all batteries is likely steeper.

And, we’re expecting in 2026, a further 43 per cent jump in global BESS installations to more than 450 GWh in 2026, taking the cumulative total to more than 1,140 GWh (1.14 TWh). Annual dispatch will likely rise to around 333 TWh, or a 1.15% share global electricity demand (up from 0.16% in 2023)