Battery storage moved from a specialist component to mainstream energy infrastructure in only a few years. The International Energy Agency reports that 108 GW of new battery storage was deployed globally in 2025, around 40% more than in 2024. Installed capacity was already eleven times its 2021 level.
The chemistry behind that growth matters. Lithium iron phosphate, usually shortened to LFP, accounted for about 90% of battery-storage deployment. It has become the default choice for many stationary systems because the design prioritises cycle life, thermal stability and practical cost over the highest possible energy density.
Capacity is not the whole product
A label such as 16 kWh describes nominal energy, but it does not tell a buyer how much energy is usable, how quickly it can be delivered or how the battery communicates with the inverter. A useful comparison must include usable capacity, continuous and peak current, cell configuration, battery-management system, supported inverter protocols, enclosure, operating temperature and warranty conditions.
System architecture also changes the result. A modular battery can be easier to expand and service, while an integrated cabinet can simplify installation. Neither approach is automatically better. The correct choice depends on available space, expected daily cycling, backup requirements and the power that the connected inverter can actually use.
Ask what the system will do every day
A domestic photovoltaic system may need to move solar production from afternoon to evening. A commercial site may care more about peak shaving, tariff optimisation or keeping essential equipment running. Those duties create different demands even when the headline capacity is identical.
Before choosing hardware, measure the load profile and estimate the realistic surplus in each season. Then separate loads that must remain electrical from energy that can be stored directly as heat. This avoids paying for electrochemical capacity that spends much of the year unused.
A practical buying checklist
- Compare usable energy, not only the nominal figure.
- Check continuous charge and discharge power against the inverter.
- Confirm the exact communication protocol and firmware support.
- Review expansion limits, balancing method and service access.
- Allow for temperature, ventilation, clearances and total installed weight.
- Read warranty throughput and operating conditions, not only the number of years.
The rapid rise of LFP gives buyers more choice, but it also makes disciplined comparison more important. WodaTherm groups compatible battery products with their technical and logistics information so that capacity, control and installation can be evaluated as one system.
Primary source: International Energy Agency · source language: English · published: 2026-04-20. This is an original WodaTherm™ briefing, not a copy of the source publication.