Global ESS Market Soars 78% in Q1... Rising Expectations for Korean Batteries

Global ESS Market Share by Manufacturer. Source: Global Quarterly ESS Shipment Tracker (Q1 2026), SNE Research.

In the first quarter of this year, the global lithium-ion battery-based energy storage system (ESS) market grew by 78% year-on-year. Despite the slowdown in the growth of the electric vehicle market, Korean battery companies also performed well in the ESS market.

According to energy market research firm SNE Research, lithium-ion battery ESS shipments in the first quarter of 2026 totaled 195.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh), up 78% compared to the same period last year (109.9 GWh).

By region, China recorded a growth rate of 52%, while North America saw 83%, Europe 107%, and other regions 138%, highlighting the significant growth outside of China. As a result, China's market share decreased from 54.7% last year to 46.7%, while the shares of Europe (15.1%), North America (16.7%), and other regions (21.4%) expanded.

By application, grid-scale accounted for the largest share at 74.6%, followed by commercial and industrial (C&I) at 8.8%, residential at 10.6%, and others at 6.0%. Grid-scale and commercial applications grew by 72% and 74%, respectively, while residential applications showed a significant increase of 209%.

The rapid growth of the global ESS market is emerging as a new opportunity for Korea's battery industry.

In fact, LG Energy Solution posted a 253% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of this year, nearly doubling its market share from 1.4% to 2.7%. Samsung SDI's shipments increased by 34%. LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI ranked 10th and 11th, respectively.

Chinese companies still lead the market. CATL accounted for 29.9% of the total market, followed by EVE at 10.5%, Hithium at 9.5%, BYD at 9.1%, and CALB at 7.6%.

Hithium's shipments remained at a similar level to last year, causing its market share to fall from 16.8% to 9.5%. Meanwhile, CALB (+159%), BYD (+111%), and AESC (+110%) achieved growth rates that surpassed the market average.

SNE Research stated, "The growth trajectory of the global ESS market is expected to provide meaningful opportunities for the domestic battery industry," and added, "In particular, with Korean companies strengthening their ESS strategies, increased shipments and higher market shares are expected in the second half of the year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.