Battery storage unlocks the era of ‘anytime solar,’ climate consultancy Ember says in new report

August 17, 2026 — Battery energy storage is increasingly enabling solar power to move beyond its traditional daytime-only profile, ushering in what climate consultancy Ember describes as the “era of anytime solar.” 

According to Ember’s latest report, “Batteries have unlocked the era of anytime solar,” solar accounted for 10% of global electricity generation in the first half of 2026. However, solar generation remains heavily concentrated during daylight hours, while fossil fuels continue to play a major role during evening and overnight periods.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS), particularly when co-located with solar projects, are helping address this gap by shifting solar generation into non-sunny hours. Ember estimates that 459GWh of new BESS capacity could be added globally in 2026, theoretically allowing around 34% of daily solar generation to be shifted into non-sunny hours, compared with 18% in 2025.

Several markets are already demonstrating the potential of solar-plus-storage. In 2025, Bulgaria and Chile installed enough BESS capacity to shift 77% and 76% respectively of their new daily solar generation, while Australia reached around 60%. By the first half of 2026, solar-plus-storage supplied more than 25% of California’s evening peak demand between 7pm and 9pm.

However, Ember stresses that simply installing more batteries will not be enough. Effective market design, improved battery optimisation and greater access to electricity markets will be essential to ensure storage assets are used where they can deliver the greatest value.

As solar deployment continues to accelerate globally, the combination of falling storage costs, expanding BESS capacity and better market integration could allow solar power to play a much larger role beyond daylight hours—making “anytime solar” an increasingly important part of the global energy transition.