Germany sees rise in battery storage system capacity

Germany saw two-thirds more battery storage systems installed in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous year, industry figures showed on Sunday. 

The German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) said around 2 million kilowatt-hours, or two gigawatt-hours, of new storage capacity came online between January and March. 

This brought the total battery storage capacity to around 28 gigawatt-hours, spread across 2.5 million installations.

More than half of the new capacity added in the first quarter – over one gigawatt-hour – was accounted for by large-scale storage systems with capacities exceeding one megawatt-hour. This was almost four times the figure from the previous year. 

In the domestic storage segment, with capacities of 5 to 20 kilowatt-hours, expansion stagnated at around 0.74 gigawatts, however.

In purely mathematical terms, the total installed capacity corresponds to the average daily electricity consumption of around 3 million households in Germany, according to BSW-Solar. This capacity could be used to offset weather-related fluctuations in the production of solar and wind power.

However, BSW-Solar’s managing director Carsten Körnig is concerned about the current legislative plans from the Economy Ministry.

"Battery storage must not be disadvantaged compared to gas-fired power stations in upcoming power plant auctions due to unsuitable tender criteria," he said. 

Instead, storage should be specifically promoted. It is "a key component of a cost-effective, resilient and climate-neutral energy system," Körnig argued.