Battery storage deployment in Germany up 91%, reforms needed to maintain momentum – solar industry

Germany installed 91 percent more new battery storage capacity in the first nine months of 2026 than in the same period a year earlier, according to the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar). 

Germany added more than half a million new storage units with a total capacity of some 8.2 gigawatt-hours (GWh), driven mainly by large-scale battery parks, whose additions more than quadrupled and accounted for roughly half of the new capacity. Total new full-year capacity is estimated to reach more than 10 GWh. In order to maintain that momentum, the association is calling for reforms outlined in a newly published 15-point plan that it says would remove existing investment barriers, improve the utilisation of current power grids, and help avoid unnecessary costs related to grid expansion and the promotion of renewable energy.

Storage systems can absorb surplus solar and wind power and release it when needed, thereby easing the strain on the electricity grid. That service is becoming more valuable as renewable energy sources expand. BSW Solar said that battery storage systems can not only accelerate the energy transition but also make it significantly cheaper. According to a recent report by the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE), an additional 80 GWh of battery storage capacity – had it been available since the start of last year – could have saved consumers and the federal budget nearly 4 billion euros annually, it said. 

"Battery storage systems are becoming a growth driver and a key lever for efficiency in the energy transition,” said BSW-Solar head Carsten Körnig. “They help make the power system more efficient and generate savings in the billions. Now, we must further fuel this storage boom with a 'storage booster'." 

BSW-Solar’s proposals focus on three key measures: fair and flexible grid connection agreements to facilitate the operation of storage systems in conjunction with solar and wind power plants and at locations where energy is consumed; distribution grid tenders for battery storage systems at substations that can provide grid services; and changing Germany’s curtailment procedures to ensure surplus solar power to be stored instead of switched off during temporary bottlenecks.

The dynamic expansion of Germany’s energy storage sector was significantly boosted last year when grid operators cleared more than three times more battery storage capacity than in 2024.