The battery storage boom is here. In 2024, there were just 178 BESS projects in the U.S. By 2025, that number had skyrocketed to 838 projects — a staggering 370% increase in only one year.
This oversaturation of BESS is subsidy-driven, not consumer-driven. Michigan already has 17 GW of battery storage projects proposed, which is nearly 700% above the state’s clean energy goal.
The growth of BESS projects raises urgent questions: who benefits from this rapid expansion — residents or flash in the pan (pun intended) energy storage developers?
Project Count Reference: https://cleanview.co/battery-storage-projects/us
Michigan’s new 2.5GW energy storage target sets pace for US Midwest clean energy transition: https://www.energy-storage.news/michigans-new-2-5gw-energy-storage-target-sets-pace-for-us-midwest-clean-energy-transition/
Governor Whitmer Signs Historic Clean Energy & Climate Action Package: https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2023/11/28/governor-whitmer-signs-historic-clean-energy-climate-action-package
Planning & Zoning for Battery Energy Storage Systems: https://graham.umich.edu/project/bess-guide
