- Current projections foresee the global energy storage market growing to 358GW (1,028GWh) by 2030, more than 20 times its size in 2020.
- The study confirmed more than 1.7 GW of projected global BESS capacity developments by 2027 across the continent.
The African Continental Power Systems Masterplan (CMP) study into Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) has shown that the confirmed development of BESS across Africa is still small compared to global projections. The study reveals that it is less than 0.5 per cent of the global BESS capacity of 358 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. Africa’s rapidly growing power requirements and the already planned contributions from variable renewable energy (VRE) do not fully reflect the potential for BESS on the continent. The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) is developing the masterplan with the EU-GTAF, IRENA and IAEA.
The study added, “A conservative estimation, not including all power pools for lack of data, suggests that 4.8 to 7.7GW installed capacity is reasonably possible by 2030 and 2040, respectively. Cost trends show that breaking the $20/kWh cost threshold, believed necessary to support a 100 per cent VRE power system, is likely within the foreseeable future. The study says current projections foresee the global energy storage market growing to 358GW (1,028GWh) by 2030, more than 20 times its size in 2020. “Costs of batteries are expected to drop with market growth. This downward price trajectory is already evident for lithium-ion batteries, currently the most deployed battery technology.”
In terms of Africa, the study notes that developments of just more than 1.7GW by 2027 were confirmed across the continent, that is 0.4 per cent of the projected global BESS capacity of 358GW by 2030. “Considering Africa’s rapidly growing power requirements and the already planned contributions from VREs, it is obvious that these existing commitments have not fully tapped into the potential for BESS on the continent.” BESS is another form of energy storage, similar to the more familiar pumped storage hydropower. Batteries do not generate electricity; their value lies in providing energy in the right form, where needed, and at the right time, and as a range of ancillary services that can enhance system stability throughout the electricity supply chain.