In Europe, there is a growing consensus amongst policymakers that energy storage is crucial to securing affordable and low carbon energy. In May 2022, European Union launched their REPowerEU plan, a part of the European Green Deal, which mandates that 45% of Europe’s energy generation needs to come from renewable sources by 2030.
The database of over 2,600 projects includes detailed data on current installations by customer segment (residential, C&I and front-of-meter) across 24 European countries, future projects and forecasts to 2030. The Market Monitor is based on the most extensive database of European energy storage projects.
The electrical energy storage capacity annually installed grew by 49% between 2016 and 2017 in Europe, which is a steady growth rate since 2015. In 2018 it is expected to grow at a similar rate (45%) with the level of new installations accelerating.
The European energy storage market contracted in 2019 to 1 GWh, with a cumulative installed base of 3.4 GWh across all segments. However, the future of energy storage in 2020 in Europe remains positive as the energy transition progresses.
EASE supports the deployment of energy storage to enable the cost-effective transition to a resilient, carbon-neutral, and secure energy system. The report covers 14 countries; Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Norway, Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The technology at the most advanced stage of development is Pumped Thermal Energy Storage. There are no commercial operating projects in Europe with these technologies as of end of 2023. Projects like that will require additional support, as the current revenue stack is not enough to justify the initial investment.