The US grid will almost double its cumulative battery energy storage capacity this year, to 30 GWh, and China will grow to almost 100 GWh. Per data published in February the Energy Information Administration expects 14.3 GW added this year, up from a cumulative end-2023 figure of 15.5 GW, as per developer reports. In 2023, 6.4 GW was added, which was a 70% increase on 2022’s annual installations, and means over 100% growth this year. California is still the leader on battery energy storage, recently passing the 10 GW / 40 GWh threshold (85% of it is utility-scale) – with their grid participation typically looking like 3-5 GW instantaneous charging draw when it’s sunny and then 5 GW discharge in…