Italy's battery gold rush: Energy storage creates a new market
Italy and Germany are experiencing a surge in demand for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to manage the volatility of renewable energy. Despite high interest, a significant gap remains between grid connection requests and actual operational capacity.
Why it matters
Energy storage is the critical bottleneck for the transition to renewable energy, as current grid infrastructure struggles to keep pace with the rapid growth of wind and solar power.
Household electricity bills remain high, yet on the wholesale market some operators can even be paid to consume energy. This is one of the paradoxes created by the growth of renewables: sun and wind produce when they can, not when the grid needs them, and in moments of oversupply prices can even turn negative.This is why huge batteries, BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) are needed, able to absorb surplus energy and feed it back into the grid later. Their role is so strategic that it has triggered a genuine gold rush, with Italy in a leading position.Batteries, 300 GW of connection requests in ItalyBy the end of 2025, connection requests for high- and extra-high-voltage storage systems submitted to Terna had reached 300 GW.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in