A record 21.9 GWh of energy storage systems (ESS) were commissioned in Europe in 2024, with a total capacity of 12 GW. This is the 11th consecutive year of growth, but the pace has slowed to 15% due to a decline in the home storage segment. Despite the progress, Europe remains the third market after China (>100 GWh, 42 GW) and the US (37.1 GWh, 12.3 GW).

Leaders and laggards

78% of new capacity was accounted for by Germany, Italy, the UK, Austria and Sweden. Spain came in 14th with 250 MWh, while the Portuguese peninsula, where recent power outages have highlighted the vulnerability of the grid, did not make it into the top at all.

Plans and challenges

• Forecast for 2025: 29.7 GWh, up to 68 GWh by 2027.
• The main challenge: dependence on Chinese batteries. The failure of Sweden’s Northvolt (one of the key European manufacturers) calls into question the EU’s plans to produce batteries on its own.

SolarPower Europe calls on the European Commission to urgently adopt an Action Plan on Energy Storage to avoid new crises. Without accelerating investment and supporting production, Europe risks falling behind in the global storage race.