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Energy Storage News: Tracking Industry Hotspots!

Release time:

2026-03-30

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On March 24, 2026, the National Energy Administration issued the “Guidance on the Approval of Standards Projects for the Energy Sector in 2026.” Annex 1, the List of Priority Areas for the Approval of Standards Projects in the Energy Sector in 2026, identifies six specialized areas: power system safety and stability, demand-side management, electricity markets and power supply services, new energy storage technologies, and hydrogen energy. The new energy storage category encompasses electrochemical energy storage, compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage, energy storage equipment, and intelligent operation of new energy storage systems. The power system safety and stability category includes power system planning and design, operational control, fault prevention, grid–source coordination, safe production, risk management, safety assessment, as well as power system regulation capabilities, grid-forming technologies, and power reliability management.

National Policies and Important News

01 The National Energy Administration Issues the “Guidance on the Approval of Energy Industry Standards Projects for 2026”

On March 24, 2026, the National Energy Administration issued the “Guidance on the Approval of Standards Projects for the Energy Sector in 2026.” Annex 1, the List of Priority Areas for the Approval of Standards Projects in the Energy Sector in 2026, identifies six specialized areas: power system safety and stability, demand-side management, electricity markets and power supply services, new-type energy storage, and hydrogen energy. Among these, the new-type energy storage area encompasses electrochemical energy storage, compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage, energy storage equipment, and intelligent operation of new-type energy storage systems. The power system safety and stability area includes power system planning and design, operational control, fault prevention, grid–source coordination, safe production, risk management, safety assessment, as well as power system regulation capabilities, grid-forming technologies, and power reliability management.

Electricity demand-side management encompasses the development of demand-side resource management, virtual power plants, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and integrated energy systems, among others.

The electricity market and power supply services encompass technical requirements for market access (including the participation of new market entities such as advanced energy storage), technical specifications for ancillary service markets, power supply service quality (with a focus on improving power quality), direct green-power procurement, and integrated source–grid–load–storage systems, among other areas.

In addition, power equipment and other components shall incorporate functional requirements suitable for new-type power systems, as well as system-friendly renewable energy power plants.

The document explicitly calls for promoting quality and efficiency improvements across industries, as well as for industry standard-setting initiatives that significantly enhance the overall technological level and the quality of products and services in the energy sector; industry standard-setting initiatives for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements from major national science and technology projects and key R&D programs in the energy field; and industry standard-setting initiatives that foster “AI+” development in the energy sector and drive digital innovation in energy-related technologies.

02 The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the National Energy Administration have jointly issued the “Implementation Plan for the High-Quality Development of Energy-Saving Equipment (2026–2028).”

On March 20, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the National Energy Administration jointly issued the Implementation Plan for the High-Quality Development of Energy-Saving Equipment (2026–2028). With regard to “accelerating the R&D and promotion of advanced energy-saving equipment,” the document explicitly calls for: advancing the R&D and upgrading of key materials and core components—such as silicon steel sheets, amorphous alloy strips, high-conductivity materials, and high-performance insulating materials—required for ultra-Grade-1-efficiency transformers; and speeding up the deployment of high-efficiency three-dimensional wound-core silicon steel transformers, large-capacity high-efficiency amorphous alloy three-dimensional wound-core transformers, environmentally friendly insulating-oil transformers, large-capacity solid-state transformers, and flexible DC transformers. It also emphasizes improving the energy efficiency and system compatibility of transformers in emerging energy sectors such as wind power, photovoltaics, hydrogen energy, and new types of energy storage. Furthermore, grid operators and new-energy companies are encouraged to conduct energy-saving and carbon-reduction diagnostics on in-service transformers. By 2028, the share of newly installed energy-saving transformers is expected to exceed 75%, while the share of in-service energy-saving transformers will reach 15%. In addition, to strengthen the coupling and matching between equipment and application scenarios, the document proposes: in the new-energy sector, promoting new types of transformers that are adapted to highly volatile and high-harmonic environments and possess rapid response capabilities, as well as environmentally friendly gas-insulated switchgear designed for operation under complex conditions; and advancing the R&D and application of new products such as power-flow-control transformers, low-frequency power transformers for long- and medium-distance offshore wind-power transmission, off-shore energy-absorbing reactors, rectifier transformers for high-power water electrolysis-based hydrogen production, high-frequency transformers for new-energy grid integration, and integrated all-in-one transformers.

03 Seven Departments Issue the “Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Green Transformation and High-Quality Development of Small Hydropower”

On March 9, 2026, seven departments—the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Energy Administration, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration—issued the “Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Green Transformation and High-Quality Development of Small Hydropower,” which stipulate the promotion of multi-energy complementary development for small hydropower. In regions with abundant renewable energy resources where conditions permit, leveraging the rapid regulation capabilities and energy storage potential of small hydropower, and following lawful environmental impact assessments, projects will be implemented to upgrade small hydropower facilities in a green manner and to develop wind–solar–storage–hydropower multi-energy complementary systems. Efforts will be made to explore the use of existing small hydropower infrastructure to advance integrated water–wind–solar–storage development, thereby creating system-friendly clean energy complexes; where pumped-storage hydropower stations are involved, rigorous feasibility studies must be conducted and compliance with the Interim Measures for the Development and Construction Management of Pumped-Storage Hydropower Stations and other relevant requirements must be ensured. Furthermore, the development and application of coordinated dispatch technologies for small hydropower and renewable energy will be strengthened, communication protocols with virtual power plant aggregation platforms and source–grid–load–storage systems will be established and refined, the construction of intelligent control platforms for multi-energy complementary microgrids will be encouraged, and pilot demonstrations and wider application of new technologies will be actively carried out.

Local Policies and Key News

01 Notice of the Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission on the Issuance of the “Several Measures for Promoting the High-Quality Development of New Energy Storage in Henan Province”

On March 24, 2026, the Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued a landmark document on energy storage, outlining clear development goals: by 2030, the installed capacity of new-type energy storage is expected to reach 23 GW, with user-side energy storage accounting for 8 GW, thereby driving direct project investment of RMB 40 billion.

With regard to refining price incentive policies, the electricity tariffs for independent energy storage power stations—both for their own consumption and for grid connection—are settled in accordance with spot market prices and rules. When an independent energy storage power station delivers electricity to the grid, the corresponding amount of electricity charged into the system is exempt from transmission and distribution tariffs as well as government-managed funds and surcharges. For small-scale standalone pumped-storage facilities and new-type energy storage power stations that deliver electricity to incremental distribution networks, no transmission and distribution tariffs or government-managed funds and surcharges are levied on the pumped water or the corresponding charging electricity.

Support coal-fired power plants paired with energy storage, standalone energy storage systems, and energy-storage aggregators in enhancing their grid-connected performance to capture revenue from frequency regulation, black-start services, ramp-up support, and reserve capacity. Based on a comprehensive assessment of project rated power, full-power discharge duration, and the duration of peak system demand, determine the effective capacity; refine and improve the capacity-based pricing mechanism for new types of energy-storage and other ancillary resources; and provide appropriate compensation for the reliable capacity of the power system.

With regard to strengthening industry–university–research–application collaboration, the document stipulates that lithium-battery energy-storage projects with an energy density exceeding 180 Wh/kg, more than 10,000 charge–discharge cycles, and a system cycle efficiency greater than 89%, as well as all-vanadium redox-flow energy-storage projects featuring a 100% depth of discharge, more than 20,000 cycles, and a duration of over four hours, shall be given priority support in terms of project inclusion in planning, approval, grid connection, and allocation of funds from the central budget.

For projects in Henan that establish national-level industrial technology engineering centers, technology innovation centers, laboratories, key laboratories, and demonstration bases in the emerging energy storage sector, a renewable energy resource allocation incentive of 50,000 kilowatts will be granted for every RMB 100 million of investment. For projects that secure national major science and technology programs, national demonstration projects, or the first-of-its-kind (set) major technological equipment projects in the energy sector, a renewable energy resource allocation incentive of 20,000 kilowatts will be granted for every RMB 100 million of investment.

The document supports new-energy projects with integrated energy-storage systems that have already been commissioned and have not previously applied for fiscal incentive funds, and encourages their timely conversion into standalone energy-storage power stations when conditions permit, thereby enhancing equipment utilization.

Support the integrated development of coal-fired power and energy storage to enhance the value of energy-storage projects. Promote the coordinated operation of coal-fired generating units with new types of energy-storage technologies, including electrochemical storage, compressed-air storage, flywheel storage, and thermal storage, optimize operational modes, and improve regulation capabilities.

On the user side, the development of integrated source–grid–load–storage projects is encouraged in industries such as chemicals, steel, manufacturing, data (computing power) centers, and metallurgy, with a focus on deploying long-duration energy storage to reduce reliance on reserve capacity and lower electricity costs. These integrated projects are also encouraged to leverage their installed storage capacity to withdraw from the bulk power grid and participate in peak-shaving and valley-filling operations on the public grid.

Improve electrolyte leasing and financing channels, support the establishment of platform companies, encourage enterprises to adopt a leasing model for electrolyte use, reduce the initial capital investment required for all-vanadium redox flow energy storage systems, and enhance their competitive edge.

02 The Development and Reform Bureau of Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, has issued the “Notice on Organizing Applications for Fiscal Subsidies for 2025 User-Side Energy Storage Projects” and the “Notice on Organizing Applications for 2025 User-Side Energy Storage Projects and the Second Batch of Fiscal Subsidy Projects for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation.”

On March 20, 2026, the Development and Reform Bureau of Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, issued the “Notice on Organizing Applications for Fiscal Subsidies for User-Side Energy Storage Projects in 2025” and the “Notice on Organizing Applications for User-Side Energy Storage Projects in 2025 and for the Second Batch of Fiscal Subsidy Projects for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation,” with the application scope limited to user-side energy storage projects implemented between 2022 and 2024.

On September 2, 2022, the Notice on the Implementation Plan for the Pilot Program for City-Wide Rooftop Distributed Photovoltaic Development was issued, proposing to actively promote the development of user-side energy storage. Non-residential distributed PV power stations are encouraged to install energy storage facilities at a capacity equal to 10% of their installed generating capacity, fully leveraging time-of-use electricity pricing mechanisms to proactively shave peak loads and fill valleys, thereby optimizing regional grid load demand. Efforts will be made to foster coordinated development between energy storage applications and the power grid, fully harnessing the balancing role of flexible, adjustable energy storage resources in the new power system. For non-residential user-side energy storage projects with annual utilization hours of no less than 600 hours, a one-time subsidy will be provided based on the power rating of the energy storage facilities, with subsidy rates decreasing annually from RMB 150, RMB 120, to RMB 100 per kilowatt; projects that have already received provincial-level subsidies will not be eligible for duplicate subsidies.

03 Anhui Provincial Energy Administration Issues “Notice on Soliciting Comments on the Draft Measures for Further Improving the Management of the New-Type Energy Storage Project Database”

On March 19, 2026, the Anhui Provincial Energy Administration issued the “Notice on Soliciting Comments on the Draft Measures for Further Improving the Management of the New-Type Energy Storage Project Database,” with an annex that published the “Recommended Grid-Side New-Type Energy Storage Connection Sites in Anhui Province (2026 Edition),” which lists a total of 78 recommended sites.

In principle, new grid-side energy storage projects should be strategically located in areas where large-scale integration of renewable energy is constrained by limited absorption capacity, where electricity demand exhibits significant volatility, and where high-capacity DC power is injected into the grid; priority support shall be given to the development of projects that are proposed for or recommended to be connected to designated grid connection points. Phased project registration and implementation are encouraged, with each phase’s capacity not exceeding an appropriate scale, a charge–discharge duration of no less than two hours, and support for the deployment of long-duration energy storage systems.

The investing entity shall possess adequate economic and technical capabilities; the construction plan, key technical specifications, and selection of critical equipment shall comply with relevant standards, codes, and requirements for new-type energy storage power stations; the project cost shall be reasonable; and priority shall be given to the development of grid-side new-type energy storage projects that have entered into long-term lease agreements of one year or more with new-energy project developers.

Effectively enhance the quality and safety of new-type energy storage power stations. In principle, the investing entity shall not be changed prior to grid connection of the project.

Among the recommended site access list, Hefei, Bozhou, and Fuyang each have the highest number of sites, with 15, 10, and 9 sites, respectively; Tongling has 1 site.

Based on the grid connection voltage level, 33 recommended connection sites are at 110 kV, 25 at 220 kV, 18 at 35 kV, and 2 at 110/220 kV.

04 Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission Issues the “Notice on Soliciting Comments on Matters Related to Promoting the Development of Direct Green Power Trading (Draft for Comments)”

On March 19, 2026, the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued the “Notice on Soliciting Comments on Matters Related to Promoting the Development of Direct Green Power Connections (Draft for Comments),” which states that energy storage facilities shall be managed in accordance with the regulations governing user-side energy storage projects. The accompanying “Outline for Preparation” requires that the energy storage configuration ratio be determined appropriately based on project-specific conditions and that the role of such configuration in enhancing system regulation capabilities and meeting requirements for peak–valley load difference ratios and power quality management be thoroughly analyzed. Direct green power connection projects must be implemented strictly in accordance with the approved overall plan to ensure synchronous commissioning of both generation and load resources. New energy projects, energy storage facilities, and direct connection lines included in these projects shall each be subject to strengthened management in accordance with the relevant regulations applicable to similar types of projects. In particular, centralized new energy projects shall be incorporated into the province’s annual development and construction capacity plan; energy storage facilities shall be managed in accordance with the regulations for user-side energy storage projects; and direct connection lines and associated grid infrastructure shall be included in the relevant provincial or prefecture-level city plans according to their voltage levels.

Grid-connected projects shall, in accordance with the “load-driven generation” principle, appropriately determine the types of new-energy power sources and their installed capacity, fully leverage flexible regulation capabilities, and strive to enhance the utilization rate of new energy. The proportion of annual self-generated and self-consumed new-energy electricity in the project’s total available generation shall be no less than 60%, and the proportion of such electricity in the project’s total electricity consumption shall be no less than 30%; by 2030, these ratios shall be no lower than 35%. The share of electricity fed into the grid in the project’s total available generation shall not exceed 20%, and during periods when it is difficult to absorb new energy, no reverse power delivery to the public grid shall be permitted.

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Energy Storage News: Tracking Industry Hotspots!

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Energy Storage News: Tracking Industry Hotspots!