- Global energy storage cell shipments hit 205.52 GWh in Q1 2026, up 98.7% year-on-year.
- All top 10 shippers were Chinese, with CATL leading and CR10 at 85.3% amid rising competition.
- Residential shipments surged 298.98% to 27.25 GWh while 500+ Ah and 280/314 Ah cells gain rapid traction.
As the global energy transition enters deeper waters, the energy storage industry delivered a near-doubling of results in the first quarter of 2026.
According to the latest global energy storage supply chain data report released by InfoLink Consulting, global energy storage cell shipments reached 205.52 GWh in Q1 2026, up 98.70% year-on-year, nearly doubling.
According to InfoLink data, the top 10 global energy storage cell shippers in Q1 2026 were all Chinese companies.
Among them, CATL continued to hold the top spot, Hithium ranked second, EVE Energy third, BYD Energy Storage and CALB ranked fourth and fifth respectively. The top five companies (CR5) together accounted for nearly 58.9% of the market share, while the top ten (CR10) accounted for 85.3%.
Notably, the industry concentration ratio (CR10) has been trending downward, indicating increasingly fierce market competition. The top-six ranking, which had remained unchanged for over a year, was officially broken after Canius replaced REPT BATTERO to enter sixth place. InfoLink noted that against a backdrop of full-capacity production and sales, and considering the production release schedules of various manufacturers, mid-tier players may still have room to advance.
The large-scale energy storage market continued to contribute the main incremental growth.
In Q1 2026, global large-scale energy storage cell shipments reached 178.27 GWh, up 84.54% year-on-year and down 3.47% quarter-on-quarter.
The top five companies in the large-scale storage market were CATL, Hithium, BYD, EVE Energy, and CALB. The main change this quarter was BYD Energy Storage returning to the top three.
In terms of technological iteration, the upgrade to large-capacity cells became an industry focus.
In Q1 2026, the penetration rate of 500+ Ah cells approached 5%, with InfoLink expecting the full-year penetration rate to reach nearly 20%. The progress varies among manufacturers: leading players are relatively aggressive and have entered stable mass production; mid-tier players are more cautious, mostly retrofitting old 314 Ah production lines or adding a small number of new lines to enter 500+ Ah production, carefully observing market trends.
The residential energy storage market saw a surge in Q1 2026, with small-scale storage cell shipments reaching 27.25 GWh, up a staggering 298.98% year-on-year and 55.27% quarter-on-quarter.
In terms of competitive landscape, EVE Energy continued to rank first, followed by REPT BATTERO and Great Power tied for second, Gotion High-Tech fourth, and Canius entering the top five for the first time.
InfoLink noted that the residential storage market currently features a wide variety of cell models, with 100 Ah remaining mainstream. However, 280/314 Ah cells are gaining traction rapidly due to their cost-effectiveness. In Q1 2026, the penetration rate of 280/314 Ah cells in the residential market approached 22%, and it may rise to 30% in the second quarter.
Looking ahead to the full year of 2026, InfoLink has revised its shipment forecast upward based on current guidance from various manufacturers, projecting global energy storage cell shipments to reach 897 GWh in 2026, with the market maintaining medium-to-high growth momentum.
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