Solar and Storage Industry Announces New Partnership with Top Intelligence Firm to Release Market-Leading Energy Storage Research

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is announcing a new partnership with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, an international research firm and market leader for data on the energy storage market. Beginning Q1 2026, SEIA and Benchmark will release a new, quarterly market outlook report.

The Energy Storage Market Outlook (ESMO) will draw on Benchmark’s proprietary, grid and behind the meter data on U.S. energy storage deployment, which when combined with SEIA’s industry leading expertise, will provide a detailed analysis of the state of the U.S. energy storage market and forecasts to inform industry leaders, investors, manufacturers, and policymakers.

“Energy storage is a critical part of how we meet skyrocketing demand in this country. In state after state, we’ve watched how solar and energy storage together have kept the lights on and kept energy prices down during natural disasters and spikes in demand,” said Darren Van’t Hof, Interim President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “Investors recognize that energy storage is no longer an add on to solar, but rather a central technology for America’s energy future. SEIA already offers unmatched advocacy for the energy storage sector, and this new partnership with Benchmark will arm industry leaders with the insights and analysis they need to invest in more energy storage.”

“The US energy storage market is entering a phase where scale, policy and capital deployment are converging,” said Andrew Miller, CEO at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. “Through this partnership with SEIA we are combining robust, bottom-up data with policy and market expertise to deliver a clear, credible view of how energy storage and its supply chain is evolving in the US. The Energy Storage Market Outlook will give industry leaders and policymakers the transparency they need to make informed decisions as storage becomes a core pillar of the US power system.”

Benchmark’s award-winning research has a global footprint. Benchmark experts have testified in front of the United States Senate and legislative bodies in the United Kingdom and Canada. Its insights are frequently cited in global publications, and are trusted by developers, manufacturers, utilities, investors, suppliers, and policy-makers worldwide.

This new partnership is central to SEIA’s deepening advocacy on behalf of energy storage in 2026 and beyond. In January, SEIA experts hosted an Energy Storage Policy Forum on Capitol Hill to bring together policy and industry stakeholders to discuss the importance of energy storage to meeting rising energy demand. SEIA also released a suite of new resources and energy storage policy priorities to grow the sector in 2026.

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Press Contact:

SEIA’s Director of Communications, Rachel Skaar ([email protected], 406-461-9694)

About SEIA®: 

The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy. SEIA works with its 1,200 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power. Founded in 1974, SEIA is the national trade association for the solar and solar + storage industries, building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org and follow @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Benchmark Mineral Intelligence:  

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence provides mine to grid battery supply chain intelligence – from upstream raw materials through to batteries, electric vehicles, charging and energy storage. In 2024, Benchmark acquired downstream intelligence leader Rho Motion creating the world’s largest dedicated expert analyst team, specialising in energy transition supply chains. Benchmark’s battery raw material price assessments are assured to IOSCO Type 2 standards and are used to support supply contract settlement, indexation and risk management across the supply chain. Clients also rely on Benchmark for market forecasts, sustainability/ESG analysis, bespoke consultancy and global events. Benchmark’s experts have been called upon by the US Senate, UK House of Commons and Canadian House of Commons, and the company was recognised with The King’s Award for Enterprise in 2024. Benchmark welcomed Spectrum Equity as a minority investor in 2023. Learn more at benchmarkminerals.com.