Germany's solar battery capacity doubles in 2023

The expansion of solar power storage in Germany accelerated rapidly in 2023 with both the total number of batteries installed and their storage capacity doubling in just one year, according to solar industry association BSW.

More than half a million new solar batteries were installed in Germany last year, BSW said citing preliminary data from the Federal Network Agency. Thus, the market for residential and commercial storage has grown by over 150% in 2023.

More than one million solar power storage units are now in operation across Germany with a capacity of around 12 GWh which corresponds to the average private daily electricity consumption of around 1.5 million two-person local households.

“When installing new solar power systems on private buildings, energy storage has now become standard. Increasingly, businesses are also storing solar power from their own roofs to be able to use it around the clock,” comments BSW's director Carsten Koernig.

“However, this positive development should not overshadow the fact that the opportunities and potentials of battery storage for the power system continue to be politically underestimated, and market barriers impede their widespread adoption,” Koernig added.

The association welcomes the energy storage strategy presented by the German government. However, there is a need for further development to establish batteries as an independent pillar in the power system, alongside generation, grids, and electricity consumption, according to BSW.