With the large-scale access of renewable energy, the randomness, fluctuation and intermittency of renewable energy have great influence on the stable operation of a power system. Energy storage is considered to be an important flexible resource to enhance the flexibility of the power grid, absorb a high proportion of new energy and satisfy the dynamic balance between the supply and demand of a system. At present, the cost of energy storage is still high, and how to achieve the optimal energy storage configuration is the primary problem to be solved. Therefore, the current research progress in energy storage application scenarios, modeling method and optimal configuration strategies on the power generation side, grid side and user side are summarized in this paper. On this basis, the shortcomings that still exist of energy storage configuration research are summarized, and the future research direction for energy storage configuration is prospected. This review can provide reference for the latest development and future research and innovation direction for energy storage configuration.