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Eight of the ten largest energy storage companies in the world are Chinese, and BYD took the global lead in the sector in 2025 by distributing more than 60 GWh in stationary systems, surpassing the 46.7 GWh installed by Tesla. According to the portal insideevs UOL, the Chinese manufacturer, which has already surpassed the American in electric car sales, now also dominates the large-scale battery market used to store electricity from renewable sources and stabilize power grids.
The Chinese dominance in the sector became even more evident when installation numbers are compared by country. In 2025, global installations of BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) advanced 51% and approached 315 GWh, and a good part of this expansion came from China itself. In December 2025 alone, the country installed about 65 GWh in large-scale storage projects, a volume higher than what the United States recorded during an entire year. The data reveals that the competition between BYD and Tesla is, in fact, a reflection of a much larger difference between the energy infrastructure that China is building and what the rest of the world is still planning.
BYD: from electric cars to global leader in storage
The rise of BYD among the largest energy storage companies is no coincidence. The Chinese manufacturer operates with a vertical production model where it internally manufactures cells, batteries, and complete systems, using its own technologies such as Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. This verticalization reduces costs, gives control over the entire production chain, and allows the company to launch integrated products without relying on external suppliers for critical components.
Tesla, on the other hand, still purchases cells from companies like CATL and BYD itself to power its Megapack systems. The American manufacturer also signed a billion-dollar agreement with LG Energy Solution to expand supply in the coming years, which demonstrates that, despite designing and marketing the Megapack, Tesla does not control the supply chain with the same depth as the Chinese competitor. In the energy storage market, where cost and scale define competitiveness, manufacturing everything in-house is an advantage that translates directly into a lower price per megawatt-hour stored.
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HaoHan: the system that has almost three times the Megapack
One of the decisive factors for BYD surpassing Tesla among the largest energy storage companies was the launch of the HaoHan system, introduced in the second half of 2025. The platform offers a capacity of 14.5 MWh per unit in the standard configuration, almost three times more than the current Tesla Megapack. For large-scale projects that need to store gigawatt-hours of energy, the difference in capacity per unit reduces the number of modules needed, simplifies installation, and lowers the total system cost.
The HaoHan has already begun to be adopted in giant-scale projects, including a 12.5 GWh program in Saudi Arabia developed in partnership with the Saudi Electricity Company. The Saudi venture is considered one of the largest energy storage projects in the world and demonstrates that BYD not only manufactures batteries: it positions complete systems in strategic markets where the demand for storage is growing exponentially. For Tesla, which built its reputation in storage with the Megapack, losing a contract of this magnitude to the Chinese competitor is a sign that leadership in the sector has changed hands.
The Chinese dominance: eight out of the top ten
The ranking of the largest energy storage companies reveals a geographic concentration that few global industries present. Behind BYD and Tesla are names like Sungrow, CATL, CRRC Zhuzhou, and Hyper Strong, all Chinese, completing a scenario where eight of the top ten in the sector belong to the same country. According to the consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, BYD reached 13% of the global market in 2025, followed by Tesla with 10%.
The Chinese concentration is not just numerical: it is structural. China dominates lithium extraction and refining, battery cell production, module assembly, and complete system integration. When an energy storage project is contracted anywhere in the world, the chances that the batteries come from China are over 80%. For countries seeking to diversify their energy supply chains and reduce dependence on China, this data is as concerning as it is relevant to understanding the market.
315 GWh installed and a market growing 51% per year
The numbers of the global energy storage market in 2025 show a rapidly expanding sector. Global installations of BESS systems advanced 51% in the year, reaching close to 315 GWh, while global shipments of cells for stationary storage exceeded 600 GWh. The shipped volume is practically double the installed, indicating that many projects are under construction and will become operational in the coming months.
The 51% growth in a single year transforms energy storage into one of the fastest-expanding infrastructure markets in the world. The demand is driven by the multiplication of solar and wind projects that need batteries to operate at night or on windless days, the growth of data centers that require stable power supply, and the need to modernize aging power grids. For the largest energy storage companies, each gigawatt-hour of solar or wind capacity installed worldwide generates proportional demand for battery systems that ensure stability.
Tesla grows 49%, but not enough to lead
Tesla did not stand still while BYD advanced. The American manufacturer recorded an annual growth of 49% in energy storage installations in 2025, reaching 46.7 GWh distributed globally with its Megapack systems. It is an impressive number that, in any other year, would have consolidated the company’s leadership in the sector. But BYD’s 60 GWh were greater.
The loss of leadership to BYD does not mean that Tesla is failing in storage, but that the growth rate of the Chinese competitor is incompatible with the American production structure. Tesla designs, markets, and installs the Megapack, but buys cells from external suppliers. BYD does everything internally, from the cell to the ready system, and can scale production without the supply bottlenecks that limit the American company’s expansion speed. While Tesla negotiates supply contracts with CATL and LG, BYD simply increases production in its own factories.
A market that China built and that the world needs to compete for
Eight of the ten largest energy storage companies are Chinese, BYD leads with the HaoHan system of 14.5 MWh operating in a 12.5 GWh project in Saudi Arabia, and China installed more storage in a single December month than the US did in the entire year of 2025. The global market grows 51% per year and approaches 315 GWh installed, but most of the capacity, technology, and supply chain is concentrated in a single country. For the global energy transition, this concentration is as indispensable as it is risky.
Did you know that BYD surpassed Tesla also in energy storage? Tell us in the comments what you think about the Chinese dominance in this market, whether Brazil should invest in national battery manufacturing, and how you evaluate the difference between the 14.5 MWh HaoHan and Tesla’s Megapack. We want to hear your opinion.
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