Batteries & Energy Storage
Batteries and energy storage cover two linked bets. One is the next chemistry, where solid-state cells promise more range and better safety for electric vehicles. The other is grid storage, the battery systems that hold electricity for later. This pillar starts with the Korean cell makers and materials suppliers that lead both ends of the theme.
- This theme covers two linked stories: the next generation of battery chemistry (led by solid-state cells) and battery energy storage systems (ESS) that store electricity for the grid.
- ESS is the near-term cash story: BloombergNEF expects global storage capacity to reach roughly 2 TW (7.3 TWh) by 2035, about eight times the 2025 level, driven by renewables and AI data-center power demand.
- Solid-state batteries are the longer-dated prize: Korea's Samsung SDI targets mass production in 2027 and LG Energy Solution aims to commercialize all-solid-state EV cells by 2029, so the technology is still largely pre-revenue.
- This pillar starts with the Korean cell makers and materials suppliers that lead both ends of the theme.
What does this theme cover?
It joins a technology story and a market story. The technology is the solid-state battery, a cell that swaps the liquid electrolyte for a solid one to pack in more energy and reduce fire risk. The market is the battery energy storage system, the container-scale batteries that store power for the grid. The same companies, Korea’s big cell makers, sit at the center of both.
Why is energy storage growing so fast?
Grids built around solar and wind need something to smooth the gaps, and increasingly so do AI data centers that want reliable power. BloombergNEF expects global storage capacity to reach roughly 2 TW / 7.3 TWh by 2035, about eight times the 2025 level (BloombergNEF). The demand for electricity behind that is real: the IEA expects data-center power use alone to climb sharply through 2030 (International Energy Agency).
Energy storage installations globally will keep gaining momentum over the next decade as other markets pick up pace.
— Isshu Kikuma, Senior Associate for Energy Storage, BloombergNEF
When do solid-state batteries actually arrive?
Later than the headlines suggest, and it pays to be honest about that. Samsung SDI targets mass production in 2027 and LG Energy Solution aims to commercialize all-solid-state EV cells by 2029 (electrive). Those are targets, not shipments, and battery roadmaps slip. So the storage business is the near-term cash flow, while solid-state is the option on the next decade.
Explore this theme
Companies
How can you invest in it?
The Solid-State Batteries & Energy Storage concept covers the Korean leaders, from Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution to the materials suppliers around them. The Akros Korea Solid-State Battery ESS TOP2 Plus Index tracks the theme.
- Akros Korea Solid-State Battery ESS TOP2 Plus Index · AkrosKorean companies tied to solid-state battery and ESS. No licensed tracking ETF; Koscom realtime only.
What are the risks?
Batteries are cyclical and price-competitive. Chinese makers dominate on cost, EV demand has been uneven, and a solid-state timeline that slips would hit the names that are valued on it. Storage is healthier, but it depends on policy support and on grid-connection queues that move slowly. This is a long-horizon, volatile theme.
Frequently asked questions
What is the batteries and energy storage theme?
It groups two related investments: advanced battery chemistry, where solid-state batteries promise higher energy density and better safety, and battery energy storage systems that store electricity for the grid. The first is a long-dated technology bet; the second is already a fast-growing market.
How big is the energy-storage market?
BloombergNEF expects global energy-storage capacity to reach roughly 2 TW / 7.3 TWh by 2035, about eight times the 2025 level (BloombergNEF). Growth is driven by renewables that need firming and by AI data centers that need reliable power.
When will solid-state batteries reach mass production?
Most commercial timelines sit late in the decade. Samsung SDI targets mass production in 2027, and LG Energy Solution aims to commercialize all-solid-state EV cells by 2029 (electrive). These are targets, not shipments, so timelines can slip.
How can you invest in batteries and energy storage?
The Solid-State Batteries & Energy Storage concept covers the Korean cell makers and materials suppliers. The Akros Korea Solid-State Battery ESS TOP2 Plus Index tracks the theme; there is no licensed tracking ETF yet. Always check fees, holdings, and risk before investing.
Sources & references
- Global Energy Storage Boom: Three Things to Know · BloombergNEF, 2025-01-01
- Global electricity demand is set to grow strongly to 2030 · International Energy Agency, 2025-02-14
- Samsung SDI to start mass production of solid-state batteries in 2027 · electrive, 2024-03-05
- LG Energy Solution to Commercialize Solid-State EV Batteries by 2029 · Seoul Economic Daily, 2026-02-18