In the first quarter of 2026, two gigawatt hours of new battery storage capacity went into operation. The stock of stationary accumulators grew to about 28 gigawatt hours across 2.5 million units. The German Solar Industry Association warns against disadvantaging them in power plant auctions.
In the first quarter of 2026, two-thirds more battery storage was built than the previous year. The German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), citing figures from the Bundesnetzagentur, reports that from January to March, about two gigawatt hours of storage capacity went into operation. This increased the total stock of stationary accumulators to around 28 gigawatt hours, spread across 2.5 million units.
More than half of the addition came from large-scale storage exceeding one gigawatt hour – nearly quadruple the previous year. In the home storage segment with 5 to 20 kilowatt hours, additions stagnated at about 0.74 gigawatt hours.
The installed capacity equates to the average daily private electricity consumption of roughly three million households, according to BSW-Solar. It could balance weather-related fluctuations in solar and wind power production.
BSW-Solar managing director Carsten Körnig voices concerns over plans from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs: "Battery storage must not be disadvantaged against gas power plants in upcoming power plant auctions through unsuitable bidding criteria," he says.
