Germany approved thousands of new batteries last year, with capacity comparable to pumped-storage plants

German grid operators last year concluded grid connection agreements for large battery storage facilities with capacity approaching the total storage capacity of Germany’s pumped-storage power plants. However, these projects currently exist only on paper, and it is uncertain how many will ultimately be delivered. The rapid growth of the battery storage sector is not only increasing pressure on grid capacity, but also on the economics of new investments. The Czech market faces a similar test.

German grid operators according to Clean Energy Wire last year concluded nearly 2,000 grid connection agreements for battery storage facilities with 54.2 GW of power and 142.4 GWh of capacity. The volume of approved capacity thus shows how quickly battery storage is moving to the forefront of Germany’s power sector transformation.

The scale of the newly concluded agreements is particularly striking compared with Germany’s pumped-storage power plants. The country operates 28 pumped-storage facilities with a combined capacity of 6.2 GW and storage capacity of around 147 GWh. The capacity of batteries with connection agreements from last year alone therefore almost matches the long-established storage capacity of pumped-storage facilities.