Europe: Batteries installation increases, but is far from needed

ANDm 2025, Europe increased battery installation by 48 percent, with a capacity reaching 36 gigawatts-hour (GWh). However, SolarPower Europe says that is still far from sufficient for the energy storage needs for 2030.

In its report “Perspectives of the European Battery Market 2026-2030”, the European PV association points out that the accumulated operational capacity of batteries in the European Union reached 77 GWh by the end of 2025 and expects it to reach around 470 GWh by 2030.

However, this estimate is still far from the 600 GWh that the association considers necessary to monitor climate targets, improve energy security and contain prices.

The European market as a whole has for the first time exceeded the 100 GWh of accumulated operational capacity after the installation of 36 GWh of battery storage systems last year, an increase of 48% over 2024 and the 12th consecutive year of growth.

This increase was mainly driven by large network-linked systems, which have already represented more than half of the new annual facilities, in contrast to a residential market which lost part of the exceptional momentum recorded during the 2022 energy crisis.

SolarPower Europe envisages that the European market will now enter a phase of strong expansion and that the new annual facilities will exceed 50 GWh in 2026 and reach 138 GWh in 2030 in its average scenario.

As regards the European Union (EU), the association estimates that the accumulated capacity goes from 77 GWh in 2025 to 470 GWh in 2030, which would mean multiplying by more than six the current capacity, although still far from the target of 600 GWh.

The report warns that the EU continues to present a flexibility gap in its electrical system, with a ratio of eight solar power units installed by each battery unit at the end of 2025.

This represents an improvement in relation to the proportion of 10 for one registered in 2024, but remains insufficient to absorb the rapid growth of renewable energy, the employer's association stresses, warning that the lack of storage has contributed to network congestion, among other problems.

In this context, it calls on the European Commission to draw up a specific plan for batteries that accelerates authorisations and connections and eliminates barriers and tariffs.