Battery energy storage in Germany is expected to increase 40-fold by 2030 – reaching 57GWh with a connected capacity of 15 GW, according to a new study by consultants Frontier Economics. Commissioned by energy storage company Fluence and others, it also estimates such deployment will add €12 billion ($13 billion) to the economy.
This increase would depend on a supportive policy framework being in place. By 2050, the capacity of large-scale BESS in Germany can reach 60GW/271GWh, it said. It would be driven by the growing demand for flexibility services in the electricity system and falling costs of storage.
The deployment of storage is expected to grow in a similar way to photovoltaic (PV) technology in recent years, both in terms of cost and expansion. However, the deployment of storage is purely market driven, as new projects can be built and operated economically without government funding, it said.
The report estimates a €12 billion addition to the economy by 2050. This is based on the savings from the wholesale markets alone (a claimed €1/MWh on average). It will increase when additional benefits of storage, such as system services, decreased CO2 emissions, and participation in intraday markets, are taken into consideration, it said.
