Mechanical Energy Storage Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Mechanical Energy Storage Market is projected to expand from USD 20.07 Billion in 2025 to USD 30.49 Billion by 2031, registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.22%. This market encompasses systems designed to conserve electricity as kinetic or potential energy, employing technologies like flywheels, compressed air, and pumped hydropower to release power upon demand. The primary forces driving this growth include the intensifying need for grid modernization to support intermittent renewable energy sources and the global push toward decarbonization, which requires dependable load-balancing capabilities. Highlighting the enduring reliance on these mechanical systems, the International Hydropower Association reported in 2024 that global pumped storage hydropower capacity increased by 6.5 GW in the previous year, bringing the total to 182 GW.

Despite this favorable trajectory, the sector faces a substantial obstacle regarding the high initial capital expenditures necessary for facility construction. Large-scale mechanical storage initiatives typically involve significant upfront costs and extended development schedules, factors that can discourage investment and hinder rapid implementation in cost-sensitive regions. These financial and temporal demands create barriers to deployment, potentially slowing the momentum of these essential infrastructure projects.

Market Drivers

The assimilation of intermittent renewable energy sources acts as a fundamental catalyst for the Global Mechanical Energy Storage Market. As nations expedite the deployment of wind and solar assets to meet decarbonization goals, grid operators face the challenge of managing the inherent fluctuations between energy generation and consumption. Mechanical systems, especially gravity-based solutions and pumped hydropower, serve as crucial shock absorbers that stockpile surplus renewable energy during peak production and discharge it during generation deficits. Underscoring the urgency for such storage infrastructure, the Global Wind Energy Council's 'Global Wind Report 2024' noted in April 2024 that the global wind industry added a record-breaking 117 GW of new capacity in 2023, highlighting the necessity for robust mechanisms to handle large-scale power variability.

Simultaneously, the rising demand for long-duration energy storage is stimulating the adoption of advanced mechanical technologies. While electrochemical batteries often encounter technical and economic constraints beyond four hours of discharge, mechanical alternatives like compressed air energy storage (CAES) offer a cost-efficient means for utility-scale balancing over longer periods, ensuring supply reliability during seasonal shifts or prolonged weather events. This commercial viability was demonstrated when, according to the China Energy Media Group in April 2024, the world’s largest CAES station, the Hubei Yingcheng 300 MW project, was connected to the grid. Further reflecting this sector momentum, the LDES Council reported in June 2024 that the cumulative global pipeline for long-duration energy storage projects had surpassed 140 GW, indicating strong market interest in non-battery options.

Market Challenges

The substantial initial capital expenditure required to construct mechanical energy storage facilities represents a significant barrier to market expansion. Technologies such as compressed air energy storage and pumped hydropower demand extensive land acquisition, specialized heavy machinery, and massive civil engineering undertakings, all of which result in prohibitive upfront costs. This financial burden generally limits the pool of potential investors to state-funded entities or large utilities, effectively excluding smaller private enterprises and delaying project initiation in developing economies where capital availability is restricted.

Consequently, the rate of installation falls considerably short of the global requirements for achieving net-zero transitions. The scale of this financial hurdle is evident in the investment deficits identified by industry organizations. For instance, the International Hydropower Association stated in 2024 that doubling global capacity by 2050 would necessitate a cumulative investment of roughly US$3.7 trillion, or approximately US$130 billion annually. This immense funding requirement emphasizes the difficulty in securing adequate capital, thereby stalling the rapid deployment needed to effectively support grid modernization and decarbonization efforts.

Market Trends

The expansion of Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) is emerging as a pivotal trend, marking a transition from pilot phases to widespread commercial deployment. Unlike pumped hydro, which is constrained by specific geographic requirements, LAES utilizes excess electricity to liquefy air for storage in tanks, providing the location flexibility necessary for modernizing diverse power grids. This technological maturity is now attracting significant capital for large-scale infrastructure projects, as evidenced by Energy-Storage.news reporting in June 2024 that Highview Power secured a landmark £300 million investment to build a 300 MWh commercial-scale LAES plant in the UK, signaling robust investor confidence in cryogenic storage as a scalable solution for network stabilization.

Concurrently, the practice of retrofitting decommissioned mines for underground mechanical storage is gaining traction as a method to repurpose legacy industrial assets. This strategy leverages existing deep shafts to move heavy weights, generating gravitational potential energy while simultaneously addressing land scarcity issues. By utilizing pre-built vertical infrastructure, developers can avoid the steep civil engineering costs associated with greenfield projects and revitalize dormant industrial zones. Illustrating the growth of this niche, PV Magazine Australia reported in October 2024 that Green Gravity raised $9 million in Series A funding to implement its gravitational technology in unused mine shafts, demonstrating a strategic shift towards circular economy principles by transforming abandoned sites into critical energy assets.

Key Players Profiled in the Mechanical Energy Storage Market

• Schneider Electric SE
• General Electric Company
• Toshiba Corporation
• Hydrostor Inc.
• Redflow Limited
• AES Corporation
• Centrica PLC
• S&C Electric Company
• Eos Energy Storage LLC
• Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Mechanical Energy Storage Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Mechanical Energy Storage Market, by Type:

• Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS)
• Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)
• Flywheel Energy Storage (FES)

Mechanical Energy Storage Market, by End-User:

• Utilities
• Industrial Sector
• Commercial Sector

Mechanical Energy Storage Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Mechanical Energy Storage Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.