In August 2026, a set of data sent the entire new-energy sector into a frenzy.

According to statistics from GGII, domestic lithium‑battery production capacity scheduled for August increased by 7%–9% month over month, with the total market‑wide estimated capacity surpassing 300 GWh. Data from BaiChuan YingFu, based on a survey of 27 battery manufacturers, paint an even more robust picture: in August, Chinese battery makers collectively planned production capacity of 311.85 GWh, up 5.71% from the previous month.

Even more noteworthy is that battery‑cell production for energy storage is expected to exceed 120 GWh, accounting for roughly 40% of total lithium‑battery output—up by about 10 GWh from July. The bulk of this increase stems from large overseas energy‑storage orders: markets such as the United States and the Middle East have entered a phase of concentrated stocking and delivery ahead of year‑end grid‑connection deadlines, with some companies’ schedules extending as far as mid‑October.

Meanwhile, a wave of battery‑cell price hikes has officially begun. In August, the average price of mainstream 314 Ah lithium‑iron‑phosphate energy‑storage cells in China stood at approximately RMB 0.365 per Wh, marking a significant increase compared with the end of 2025. On August 1, CATL’s official online store was the first to raise its quoted price for 314 Ah storage cells to RMB 0.423 per Wh, and EVE Energy quickly followed suit, announcing that, effective September 1, it would increase prices by 2% across all domestic‑market cell categories.

Production scheduling is surging, and prices are rebounding—lithium‑ion energy storage is experiencing a robust upswing in both volume and pricing. What’s driving this trend, and how can we seize the opportunities it presents?

       Energy Storage: A Comeback from “Supporting Role” to “Leading Role”
In the past, when lithium batteries were mentioned, the first thing that came to mind was new-energy vehicles. But by 2026, the spotlight has shifted to energy storage.
A few sets of data make it clear: in the first half of 2026, global shipments of energy‑storage battery cells reached 467.84 GWh, nearly doubling year over year. Domestically, the momentum was equally strong: in the first half, cumulative sales of power and energy‑storage batteries in China totaled 979.4 GWh, up 48.6% from the same period last year. Among these, energy‑storage battery sales amounted to 318.1 GWh, with a year‑over‑year growth rate of 83.4%, outpacing that of power batteries.
Why has energy storage suddenly surged? Three factors are converging:
First, robust policy support. A joint notice issued by three government departments stipulates that, starting September 1, 2026, lithium-ion batteries will be subject to a consumption tax of 2%, which will increase to 4% as of September 2027, bringing an end to more than a decade of tax exemptions in the industry. Based on current average cell prices, a 2% tax rate translates into an additional tax burden of approximately RMB 8 million per GWh of battery capacity. Meanwhile, the National Energy Administration is accelerating the release of the “Guidelines for Virtual Power Plant Participation in Electricity Market Transactions,” and as electricity market pricing mechanisms continue to improve, the economic viability of energy storage is becoming increasingly clear.
Second, overseas demand is surging. In Europe, by early 2026, installed energy storage capacity had already reached 55 GW, and the EU’s newly signed Tripartite Agreement on Energy Storage aims to add another 45 GW between 2026 and 2028, with a 2030 target of as much as 200 GW. In the United States, utility‑scale energy storage capacity stands at 51.8 GW, with roughly 62 GW of planned projects still under development over the next five years. Emerging markets, including the Middle East, are likewise making substantial investments in energy‑storage projects.
Third, AI computing power is giving rise to new demand. This is a point that many may not have anticipated. AI data centers are voracious energy consumers, and energy storage—playing a critical role as both a backup power source and an integral component of hybrid solar‑storage systems—is rapidly becoming standard equipment for such facilities. Estimates suggest that by 2030, the U.S. alone could see AI data center battery‑storage needs reach approximately 105 GWh. Moreover, in 2026, “computing‑power‑electricity coordination” was included for the first time in the government work report, signaling that the convergence of computing power and energy storage is emerging as a brand‑new growth driver.
Energy storage’s transformation from a supporting role to a leading one is no accident; it is the result of the combined forces of policy, market dynamics, and the demands of the times.

       Prices have risen, and capacity is fully booked—finally, the industry chain is recovering.
The surge in energy storage demand has spurred a recovery across the entire lithium-ion battery industry chain.
The price of energy‑storage battery cells has risen from 0.31 yuan/Wh at the end of 2025 to 0.365 yuan/Wh in August, an increase of nearly 18%. Even more noteworthy is that this round of price hikes has been markedly uneven: leading manufacturers can afford to raise prices, while second- and third‑tier players struggle to do so. Industry leaders such as CATL and EVE Energy, leveraging their brand strength and quality premiums, have been able to pass on tax burdens and rising costs; meanwhile, smaller and midsize firms are left to absorb the pressure, and low‑end production capacity is being rapidly phased out.
In other words, price hikes have instead served as a catalyst for industry consolidation, further accentuating the competitive advantages of leading firms.
The separator segment is equally tight. In the first half of 2026, China’s separator shipments are expected to reach 21.8 billion square meters, up more than 60% year over year. The price of 7-μm and 2-μm wet‑coated base separators rose to RMB 1.235 per square meter by the end of June, an increase of about 8%. Ultra‑thin separators 5 μm and below are in even greater short supply, with most new capacity not coming online until 2027 or 2028.
In the copper foil sector, AI‑driven computing infrastructure has captured a portion of production capacity, resulting in tight supply. In the first half of the year, overall capacity utilization across the industry ranged from 82% to 86%, with the top eight companies reaching as high as 95%, operating at near‑full capacity.
In a nutshell: production schedules are expanding, prices are rising, and capacity utilization remains at high levels. The confluence of these three signals indicates that downstream demand has firmly permeated every link in the supply chain, suggesting that the lithium‑ion battery energy‑storage sector’s robust performance is not a fleeting trend but is underpinned by solid fundamentals.

       New-energy vehicle penetration has surpassed 60%, and exports have become the “second growth curve.”
Although energy storage is enjoying widespread acclaim, the “core business” of new-energy vehicles remains solid.
In June 2026, China’s new-energy vehicle penetration rate reached 58.5%. In the first half of the year, domestic sales of NEVs increased by 7.37% year on year, while export figures were even more impressive: 2.354 million vehicles were exported in the first half, a staggering 122.9% surge compared with the same period last year.
In the power battery sector, global demand is projected to reach approximately 2,122 GWh by 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 42%. Driven by both energy storage and power applications, total global battery demand is expected to surpass 3,000 GWh by 2026.

       How can you keep pace with this round of lithium‑ion energy storage market momentum? A 20cm‑high‑elasticity tool.

Can the current triple resonance—record-high production schedules, steadily rising prices, and increasingly robust policy support—in lithium‑ion energy storage sustain its momentum? The answer may lie in the monthly production data and price trends to come.