IHS: Commercial solar set for storage boom

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Commercial PV storage is set to grow by a factor of 700 by 2017 to become the largest segment in the solar storage market, projections by IHS suggest.

Currently the smallest market segment at just 3.2MW, commercial storage is due to mushroom to almost 2.3GW by 2017, dwarfing use of the technology in residential and utility-scale PV.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Such growth would see commercial storage leap from a 5% to a 40% share of the PV storage market between 2012 and 2017, according to IHS’s report ‘The Role of Energy Storage in the PV Industry’.

IHS said the predicted growth would be driven by a combination of rising electricity prices and the demand among businesses for back-up power in areas where grid supplies are unreliable.

“Just last year, commercial was the smallest market for PV storage systems, far behind the residential and utility-scale segments,” said Abigail Ward, PV analyst at IHS.

“However, facing rising energy prices and the growing need for backup power supplies, commercial enterprises are turning to PV storage solutions that work in concert with their solar-power systems. This will allow commercial to surge past residential and utility to become the largest market for PV storage in just four years.”

Leading the charge will be businesses in North America, which IHS said would account for 40% of commercial-scale PV storage installations by 2017.

Japan will also be a key market, as it looks for new indigenous power sources to make up the generation capacity lost with the closure of its nuclear reactors following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

But the report said the growth of commercial energy storage was now constrained by the small number of suppliers for the market segment.

“At present, many of the suppliers active in the PV storage business are targeting the residential PV market, where systems are largely being installed to increase the on-site self-consumption of a PV system owner,” Ward said.

“However, installations in the commercial PV sector potentially can reach the point of payback much more quickly than those in the residential area. This will encourage many PV storage suppliers to enter the business in the coming years.”

Read Next

September 18, 2025
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) has forecast that Canada will add between 17GW and 26GW of solar PV over the next decade.
September 18, 2025
Researchers have called for enhanced international standards to detect ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID) in PV modules after identifying “severe” levels of the problem in operational n-type panels.             
September 18, 2025
Indian PV makers have welcomed the government’s plan to add solar wafers to its ALMM List-III from June 2028.
September 17, 2025
US renewables developer Longroad Energy has reached financial close for its 400MW 1000 Mile solar project in the US state of Texas.
September 17, 2025
Spanish renewables developer and operator Acciona Energía has commissioned its 412MWp Juna solar PV plant in Kawani village in the western state of Rajasthan. 
September 17, 2025
Spanish IPP Velto Renewables has acquired a portfolio of 53 operational solar assets in Spain with a combined capacity of 260MW.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA