Recording of Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Language: English | Duration: 9:57 .

Comprehensive Overview of Battery Storage and Grid Integration in Europe

An analysis by Yvette Simaman from Aurora Energy Research indicates significant growth in battery storage across Europe, particularly in Germany and Italy, with forecasts projecting an increase in capacities by factors of 10 and 17, respectively, by 2050. Accessing the grid remains a major challenge due to operator reluctance and long queues for grid connections, leading to a backlog of pending requests. Many planned energy storage projects are deemed 'ghost projects,' unlikely to progress, highlighting a gap between proposed plans and actual implementations. Developers face issues in project management, regulatory compliance, and financial constraints. The Netherlands and France have adopted different strategies to tackle grid integration challenges; the Netherlands has lowered grid tariffs to improve project viability, while France uses negative import tariffs to incentivize battery-friendly practices. Both approaches aim to enhance grid access and efficiency in energy use. Moreover, learning from successful strategies in neighboring countries can lead to improvements in energy solutions, supporting better integration of battery storage into the European grid.

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Speaker

Eva Zimmermann
Senior Research Associate Flexible Energy
Aurora Energy Research
Germany

Talk of session: Utility-scale Storage: New Challenges and New Strategies

As the energy storage market has evolved, one of the biggest barriers to battery storage deployment is grid connection. In Germany, one of Europe's most attractive markets, several gigawatts of storage remain stuck in connection queues, which questions project business cases as long-term revenues are unknown and projects cannot go online soon to benefit from existing prices and market conditions. Limited grid capacity means developers must act proactively and think creatively. Possible solutions include closer collaboration with DSOs to enable system-friendly integration, co-locating batteries with PV to use existing infrastructure, or cable pooling to optimize grid usage. Therefore, beyond trading and arbitrage, strategies like infrastructure sharing, partnerships with optimizers, and renting out batteries through tolling instead of developing projects are gaining ground. This session will examine how to navigate grid constraints and unlock the full value of storage in today's evolving energy system.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome and Introduction

Speaker

Anna Darmani
Principal Analyst, Energy Storage Europe
Wood Mackenzie
United Kingdom

To Talk

Beyond Revenues - Future Proof Revenue Stack for BESS

Speaker

Sebastian Glibic
Transaction Manager
Vattenfall
Netherlands

To Talk

Comparing Co-Location Models for Utility-scale Storage Across Europe

Speaker

Genna Boyle
Chief Commercial Officer & Head of EMEA
Gridcog
United Kingdom

To Talk

From Merchant Risk to Bankable Flexibility: Utility-scale Battery Storage Business Models in Grid-Constrained Markets

Speaker

Dr. Stefan Englberger
Head of Commercial & Investment Analysis
ECO STOR GmbH
Germany

To Talk

Enabling Utility-scale BSS Projects Through Cable Pooling - Status, Opportunities and Challenges

Speaker

Dr. Oliver Schmidt
CEO
dvlp.energy
Germany

To Talk

Panel Discussion

To Talk

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