Germany's electricity storage strategy to fall short of industry expectations – media

The long-awaited electricity storage strategy by Germany's economy ministry (BMWK), due to be published today (19 December), is unlikely to meet the expectations of the renewable energy sector, reports Table.Media based on the document's draft. Although the strategy highlights rapid growth in electricity storage – installed capacity has doubled in the last year – there are no targets set for the future. The paper also contains no concrete strategies on how to make the construction of new storage system - including large-scale battery storage, pumped storage power plants, commercial storage and home storage - attractive. As part of the strategy, the government highlights a number of obstacles that stand in the way of the expansion of electricity storage, reports PV Magazine. One such obstacle is that planned new storage systems that sometimes also store grey electricity (not just green from renewables) could no longer apply for subsidies.

Urban Windelen, managing director of the Federal Association of Energy Storage Systems (BVES), told PV Magazine that the strategy is an early Christmas present. “We are pleased that this storage strategy specifically addresses the biggest obstacles in the storage industry and offers concrete solutions,” he said. Storage will become key in the next phase of the energy transition, as Germany aims to cover 80 percent of power demand with renewable sources by 2030. A traditional electricity system doesn’t require much storage, because power generation can be adjusted to match demand. This changes dramatically as the system uses more renewable energy, because power generation from wind turbines and solar PV systems depends on the weather.