EU Member States Are Making Uneven Progress In Implementing Energy Storage Strategies

EU member states are making uneven progress in implementing energy storage strategies, with only four setting quantified targets for 2030.

 

 

 

 

 

A report by the EU Joint Research Centre shows that member states are making uneven progress in implementing their energy storage strategies. The report points out that energy storage is the fastest-growing clean energy technology in Europe and a strategic necessity, but policies and regulations supporting its development and maintaining the interest of developers and investors remain essential. Data from the European Energy Storage Association shows that by the end of last year, Europe's cumulative installed energy storage capacity reached 100 gigawatts, covering various technologies such as pumped hydro storage and lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. When evaluating different solutions, factors like the energy capacity of a storage battery is rated in watt-hours or kilowatt-hours, which directly influences system design and cost. This is particularly relevant for emerging sectors like the wall mounted energy storage battery market, which has seen growing demand in residential and small commercial applications across Europe. The association and its research partners predict that Europe's cumulative capacity will exceed 215 gigawatts by 2030.

 

Of the 27 EU member states, only Germany, Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands have formulated national energy storage strategies. Although most member states have adopted legal definitions of energy storage, only Greece, Spain, Hungary, and Latvia have set overall quantified targets for 2030 in their national energy and climate plans, while six other countries have provided indicative targets for specific energy storage technologies. Innovations in thermal battery energy storage are also gaining attention as a complementary method for industrial heat management, though they are less common in current regulatory frameworks. As of April 2025, only Spain, Ireland, and Portugal have announced comprehensive energy storage regulatory frameworks. In the industrial segment, understanding the 100 kwh industrial battery cost energy storage dynamics is critical for project feasibility, with companies like BLOOPOWER actively working to provide cost-effective solutions to meet this growing market need.

 

According to the EU's electricity market reform plan, member states must adopt flexibility assessment reports by July 2026 and set energy storage deployment targets by early 2027. The policy head of the European Energy Storage Association pointed out that a single assessment methodology will help identify which countries need to implement support programs to promote energy storage applications. While this measure has shortcomings in considering long-term energy storage requirements, it will play a crucial role in creating support mechanisms from 2027 onwards.