RE+ 2025 Insights: North American energy storage market trends and technology updates

The RE+ exhibition, North America’s premier renewable energy event, was held in Las Vegas from September 9 to 11, 2025. Many well-known manufacturers sin the energy storage sector converged at the exhibition, showcasing their latest technologies and products. At the event, InfoLink continued to track price trends across the storage supply chain, monitor new product launches by global leaders, and follow strategic developments of various players in the U.S. market.
 

Price trends

Energy storage cell

In Q3, energy storage cell costs have been supported by a rebound in lithium carbonate prices. Coupled with clear growth in demand from non-China markets, leading cell manufacturers have maintained high utilization rates. Prices of mainstream models in China, including 280 Ah and 314 Ah cells, have risen QoQ, with cell prices in China estimated to reach around USD 37/kWh in Q3 (excluding 13% VAT). At present, the rebound in Chinese cell prices has yet to transmit clearly to the U.S. market, where FOB prices of China-made 314 Ah and 280 Ah cells remain at around USD 46/kWh. Shipments of 306 Ah cells are mainly concentrated among leading producers, with prices hovering around USD 48/kWh.

Energy storage system (ESS)

According to InfoLink’s research at the exhibition, DC-side 2h ESS prices ranged from USD 75–88/kWh in the U.S. (mostly quoted by Chinese suppliers on an FOB basis), while AC-side prices ranged from USD 110–135/kWh (on a DDP basis).

Regarding trends, U.S. DC-side prices may decline further in Q3, while the FOB price gap between leading Chinese exporters and second- to third-tier manufacturers has narrowed. On the AC side (DDP basis), prices have risen under the impact of tariff policies effective since May 2025, with the tariff rate remaining at 40.9% in Q3.
 

Product trends

Energy storage cell

Chinese manufacturers are broadly following an iteration roadmap from 280 Ah/306 Ah/314 Ah toward 530 Ah/565 Ah/587 Ah. While 306 Ah cells were previously a flagship product for the North American market, leading players did not showcase this model at this expo, indicating that product promotion is now shifting to 530 Ah/565 Ah, with shipments of these models already underway in the U.S.

For Korean manufacturers, prismatic LFP cell roadmaps are becoming clearer. Samsung SDI has specified its next-generation storage cell as a 263 Ah prismatic LFP, with mass production and deliveries expected to begin in late 2026 at its Indiana plant. LGES, meanwhile, continues to focus on pouch-type LFP, but publicly displayed its mass production schedule for prismatic LFP storage cells for the first time at this expo.

As Korean manufacturers’ cell technology roadmaps increasingly align with those of Chinese players, competition between Chinese and Korean firms in overseas markets is expected to intensify further.

ESS

ESS manufacturers continue to pursue a “bigger is better” strategy, with stacking and modularization being the main drivers at present. At this year’s exhibition, companies including Trina Storage and Samsung SDI displayed battery energy storage system (BESS) solutions exceeding 5 MWh. Trina Storage launched its Elementa 2 Pro platform, featuring an integrated design from cell to AC end, offered in two configurations: 10 MWh (2h system) or 20 MWh (4h system). Samsung SDI, meanwhile, introduced an upgraded version of its SBB1.5 system product—the SBB1.7 (single-container capacity of 6.14 MWh)—along with the second-generation SBB2.0 (single 20-foot container module at 4.47 MWh, or 8.93 MWh in dual-module configuration). Notably, the SBB2.0 marks the first time Samsung SDI has launched a large-capacity system product based on prismatic LFP cell technology.

Multiple manufacturers have also introduced 2–8-hour lithium BESS solutions to meet U.S. long-duration storage demand. Hithium unveiled a “lithium–sodium hybrid” solution for data centers, including the ∞Power 6.25 MWh 8h lithium-based long-duration BESS . Sungrow launched its PowerTitan 3.0 system with a single-container capacity of 6.9 MWh, designed for 2–8–hour applications. Narada introduced a 6.25 MWh system based on 392 Ah LFP cells, also targeting 2–8-hour scenarios.

Updates of key manufacturers from non-China markets

At this exhibition, many companies prominently displayed markings of compliance with foreign entity of concern (FEOC) rules at their booths, while also placing U.S. flags on their exhibits to highlight domestic manufacturing.

South Korean manufacturers: LGES and Samsung SDI are making significant strategic investment in the U.S. market by expanding regional capacity, emphasizing local manufacturing, and accelerating product iteration cycles to capture this strategic window of opportunity. During the exhibition, several leading ESS integrators targeting the U.S. market held business discussions with LGES and Samsung SDI.

U.S. and European manufacturers: Tesla released its latest Megapack 3 storage unit and the Megablock integration platform, both highly competitive. However, given the rapid pace of product iteration in the energy storage industry, manufacturers will need to closely monitor its mass production timeline.
 

Key takeaways

At this year’s RE+, booths of leading and non-China manufacturers continued to attract a steady flow of visitors, while those of second- and third-tier players were relatively quiet. While the exhibition has now concluded successfully, intense competition continues in the industry. Companie continue to face an enduring challenge for their long-term development: how to leverage their strengths for international expansion amid today’s uncertain policy environment.