The necessity for energy storage technologies was analyzed in order to develop feasible large-scale energy storage technologies in the future. Besides, the advantages and disadvantages of various energy storage technologies, including mechanical energy storage, electricity storage, and thermal energy storage, were reviewed. Moreover, the characteristics of large-scale energy storage technologies comparable to fossil fuels were summarized. The analysis shows that Carnot battery (also known as pumped-thermal energy storage) and thermochemical heat storage are the most promising technologies to achieve large-scale energy storage at present. © 2021, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press. All right reserved.