Overview
- This week construction started on new large batteries in Aachen and Hamburg while Vattenfall made a final investment decision for a 254 MW, up-to-1,000 MWh project at the former Brunsbüttel nuclear site.
- Germany now has about 29.6 GWh of installed battery capacity according to RWTH Aachen data, a level that makes batteries a material new tool alongside roughly 39 GWh of pumped hydro storage.
- Falling battery costs, record summer heat and sharp price spikes in 2026 have pushed utilities and developers to invest in storage to balance midday solar surges and evening demand peaks.
- Industry groups warn long grid‑connection procedures and local network limits are slowing many projects, and a contested EEG draft from July 2026 that would cap injections at 50 percent at the house connection point could restrict home batteries and bidirectional EV charging.
- Developers are targeting operation dates around 2028 for several large projects and are reusing industrial or former nuclear sites while transmission upgrades such as the Umspannwerk Isar and SuedOstLink are expected to be key enablers for gigawatt‑scale storage.