Italy increases battery storage capacity by 50% year on year, Czech Republic still waiting for its main boom

Italy has made significant progress in developing new battery energy storage systems (BESS). According to the country’s transmission system operator, Terna, the installed capacity of battery systems rose by approximately 50% year on year to 17.4 GWh. Further substantial growth is expected. The Czech Republic is still awaiting its boom, with large projects only at the preparation stage.

By the end of the third quarter, Italy had increased BESS capacity in the country by around 50% year on year, from last year’s 11.4 GWh to 17.4 GWh. According to the grid operator, this increase was driven primarily by large-scale projects, which are spread across a total of 849 thousand installations.

Despite the steep year-on-year increase in capacity, further significant and much-needed development is expected in the coming years. Italy, through Terna, recently awarded contracts for the development of BESS with total capacity of 10 GWh. More than half of the new capacity will be built by Italian energy giant Enel.