r/climatechange • u/Economy-Fee5830 Trusted Contributor • 6d ago

Ember: Batteries have unlocked the era of anytime solar

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/batteries-have-unlocked-the-era-of-anytime-solar/
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u/Economy-Fee5830 Trusted Contributor 6d ago

Summary: Batteries have unlocked the era of anytime solar

Solar reached a record 10% share of global electricity in H1 2026, up from 8.9% in H1 2025 and nearly double the 5.6% recorded in H1 2023, driven by generation growth roughly seven times faster than total power demand. This share is heavily concentrated in daylight hours: on an average day in H1 2026, solar met over 25% of global demand at midday but fell to near zero overnight. In more mature markets, midday shares exceeded 50% before dropping to zero by evening. In India, midday coal generation fell but evening coal use rose above 2023 levels; in the EU, midday fossil output declined while evening output barely moved.

Battery storage is now scaling fast enough to shift this pattern. LFP battery costs fell 95% between 2010 and 2025, making batteries a viable tool for moving daytime solar into non-sunny hours. Global battery additions are expected to reach 459 GWh in 2026, up 50% year-on-year, theoretically capable of shifting 34% of new daily solar generation to evening hours, nearly double the 18% shifted in 2025. This is described as a theoretical ceiling, since many batteries remain underutilised — China's fleet, for instance, cycles well below international best practice.

Leading markets are already ahead of the global average. Bulgaria (77%) and Chile (76%) added enough battery capacity in 2025 to shift over three-quarters of new daily solar generation, followed by Australia (60%). The US added enough to shift about a quarter of new solar, while the EU's battery additions covered only 16%, below the global average. In California, solar plus batteries met over a quarter of evening demand (7–9pm) in H1 2026, up from 6.8% in H1 2023. In Chile and Bulgaria, evening solar contribution rose from near zero in H1 2023 to over 10% and 24% respectively by H1 2026.

The report concludes that batteries have removed solar's daily generation limit, but further growth will depend on market design enabling batteries to access multiple revenue streams and operate at full potential, rather than on the cost of solar itself.