Key highlights from the report “Germany’s Battery Opportunity”, published by EMBER are:
- Germany hosts around a quarter of the EU’s total large-scale battery capacity, with over 2.5 GW operational by the end of 2025 which is more than double the capacity of just two years earlier. A robust project pipeline and high social acceptance of the technology among German municipalities point to continued growth, with over 10 GW expected capacity, but policy barriers could hold it back.
- If Germany’s expected new large-scale battery projects had been operational in 2025, they could have avoided approximately one-third of wind and solar curtailment, cutting redispatch costs and gas purchases by about €0.8 billion. This exceeds the required investment in batteries.
- Germany’s residential battery market is Europe’s largest and shows prospects for continued growth, roughly one in six homeowners already has a battery installed, and 30 per cent are considering purchasing one within the next five years. Smart charging of these batteries could relieve bottlenecks in the distribution grid and avoid significant system costs.
- Germany has a strong grid-scale battery pipeline, but the lack of an ambitious clean flexibility strategy and the preferential treatment of gas in forthcoming auctions risk slowing deployment, causing the country to forego the benefits of batteries and remain locked into gas import dependency for decades. Empowering batteries will help fortify Germany’s energy security.
Access the report here