Energy storage technologies hold tremendous potential to help stabilize, regulate, and balance the flow of electricity through the power grid. While long-duration energy storage systems (ESS) for renewables integration and peak load shifting have been a topic of much discussion within the industry, a variety of short-duration applications for energy storage are also a critical factor in the development of the sector.

Such short-duration energy storage systems may be utilized for ancillary services including frequency regulation, spinning reserves, voltage control, and load following, among others. Key technologies for these ancillary services include flywheels, pumped hydro, compressed air energy storage (CAES), and battery technologies such as lithium ion, sodium sulfur (NaS), and advanced lead acid batteries.

In the initial period of adoption, the ESS for ancillary services market will be limited to regions with suitable market structures, primarily deregulated electricity markets. The key regions will be North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, particularly for frequency regulation, load following, spinning reserves, and short-duration renewables integration. Pike Research forecasts that global revenues for ESS for ancillary services will surpass $3.2 billion by 2021.

This Pike Research report provides an in-depth examination of the market potential for energy storage systems for ancillary services including an analysis of legislation, financing, and market structures that will shape the sector as it develops in the coming decade. The study includes an assessment of technology issues, key application areas, and profiles and SWOT analysis of the principal market players in each segment. Global market forecasts, segmented by world region and technology, are provided through 2021.