中金 | 储能新技术观察：液流电池与压缩空气

Core Viewpoint - The rapid development of new energy storage technologies in China is evident, with a clear trend towards "long-duration" storage solutions, particularly in flow batteries and compressed air energy storage [2][3][4] Policy Support - National policies are increasingly supportive of large-scale and medium-to-long duration energy storage projects, with multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing the commercial viability of long-duration storage [3][5][7] - Local governments are also implementing subsidy policies to improve the economic competitiveness of new energy storage projects, with various regions offering significant financial incentives [7][8] Market Growth - The installed capacity of new energy storage projects in China surpassed 137.9 GW by the end of 2024, with new energy storage alone reaching 78.3 GW, marking a year-on-year growth of 126.5% [9][11] - The proportion of long-duration storage projects (4 hours and above) has increased to 15.4% of the total installed capacity, reflecting a growing focus on long-duration energy storage solutions [11][13] Technology Development - Flow battery installations have seen rapid growth, with a total capacity exceeding 1 GWh in the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 272% [14][15] - The flow battery market is diversifying, with all-vanadium flow batteries dominating but other technologies like zinc-iron and iron-chromium also making progress [15][17] - Compressed air energy storage projects are gaining traction, with 14 projects initiated in early 2025, totaling 4.1 GW/18.7 GWh, a 33.3% increase from the previous year [24][26] Project Scale - The trend towards larger-scale projects is evident, with the number of flow battery projects exceeding 100 MW increasing from 1 in 2023 to 4 in 2024, and 14 more in development [22][24] - Significant breakthroughs in large-capacity compressed air projects have been achieved, including the world's first 300 MW compressed air storage facility [26][29] Emerging Technologies - The potential of compressed carbon dioxide storage technology is beginning to emerge, with two projects under construction, totaling 200 MW/1400 MWh, indicating a growing interest in this area [29][30]