Italian grid energy storage sector

Could Italy's grid-scale battery storage market see a massive expansion?

Grid-scale battery storage | Cameron Murray writes about the nascent market for large-scale battery storage in Italy, which could see a massive expansion in the short term. Italy’s grid-scale energy storage market: a sleeping dragon Render of a co-located battery storage project in Italy from Innovo Group. Credit: Innovo Storage smart power

How many energy storage systems are there in Italy?

As of Sep. 30, 2024, Italy had a cumulative 692,386 energy storage systems, with a total rated power of 5,034 MW and an energy storage capacity of 11,388 MWh. Almost all of the systems – 92% – had a capacity of less than 20 kWh, 99.9% were twinned with solar panels, and 99.1% were home installations.

How will Italy invest in electricity storage?

Italy will promote investments in utility scale electricity storage to reach at least 70 GWh, and worth over Euro 17 bn, in the next ten years. The new storage capacity will be acquired through tenders published by Terna, the manager of Italy’s high voltage grid. The next tender will be released in 2024.

Does Italy need electricity storage?

As Italy’s energy mix is increasingly composed of variable renewable energy sources, electricity storage will be needed to integrate power generated by renewables into the national grid and make it available when sun and wind energy are not accessible.

Why is energy storage important in Italy?

In addition, electricity storage is critical to avoid congestion in the power grid since most of the renewable production originates in Southern Italy but is consumed mostly in the north. Therefore, PNIEC also provides for the installation of new energy storage infrastructure with the aim of reaching 22.5 GW of installed storage capacity by 2030.

Are battery energy storage systems needed in Italy?

Therefore, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are needed in Italy. The Italian market for BESS is growing rapidly and currently amounts to 2.3 GW but it almost exclusively consists of residential scale systems, associated with small scale solar plants, having a capacity of less than 20 kWh.