New analysis reveals over 1 million European homes are solar battery-powered

• Latest analysis from SolarPower Europe reveals that, in 2022, the total residential battery capacity in Europe is set to come to 9.3 GWh and power over 1 million households.

• Germany tops the ranking of European countries with most battery storage, hosting 59% of the European market share in 2021, followed by some margin by Italy, Austria, UK, and Switzerland.

• Although further growth for home batteries lies ahead, the full market potential in Europe can only be tapped if the current battery shortage is addressed and policy frameworks dramatically improved.

BRUSSELS (Belgium), Tuesday 6th December 2022: The latest figures on home batteries installed in European homes – which are used to support rooftop solar PV systems – demonstrate a clear trend of consumers seeking protection from high electricity prices. 

The total home battery capacity across Europe jumped from 650,000 installed in Europe in 2021, to 1 million home batteries in 2022. Europe now hosts enough home batteries to power more than every household in Latvia.

Technically, this translates to total capacity growing from around 3 GWh in 2020 to over 5 GWh in 2021 and hitting the 9 GWh mark in 2022. In 2021, the European residential battery storage market more than doubled and broke two new records, adding more than 2.3 GWh in a single year and more than 200,000 individual units. 

Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, said, “Solar and storage are the perfect pair. Batteries supply the power of the sun, around the clock. In years defined by high retail electricity prices, solar & storage helps to reduce electricity bills. It is no surprise that consumers are installing record numbers of battery powered homes every year.”

The top five European markets for home batteries (Germany, Italy, Austria, UK, and Switzerland) were responsible for 88% of the installed batteries in Europe in 2021 – with Germany leading with a 59% share alone. To accelerate solar & storage deployment, SolarPower Europe calls on EU policymakers to use existing funds to support the battery component of solar systems in emerging residential solar markets. 

Michael Schmela, Director of Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe, said, “An occasionally overlooked technology, batteries have essentially become a standard component of household solar systems in leading markets. This success story needs to be replicated across Europe. European policymakers must recognise and follow the clear market signals coming from their citizens. People are seeking true control of their energy bills and affordable, reliable, and clean power supply – in other words, solar & battery storage.”

The number of homes hosting solar batteries in Europe will only increase in coming years, most-likely tripling today’s market to 3.5 million battery-powered homes by 2026. In the best-case scenario, it could be nearly 40% more, but also a third less, if the right policy frameworks are not put in place and the severe battery shortage is not addressed. 

To anticipate this bottleneck, and to complement renewable energy targets, SolarPower Europe is calling for a comprehensive EU electricity storage strategy and a target of 200 GW by 2030. EU countries should integrate individual targets in the upcoming revision of their National Energy and Climate Plans. 

Raffaele Rossi, Head of Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe, said, “The energy systems of today and tomorrow need coordinated policy efforts on electricity storage. In an energy crisis we can’t afford to waste renewable generated electricity because we don’t have the means to store it. This means urgently setting EU and national storage strategies, as well as developing the right policy frameworks to support storage and self-consumption business models.”

 ©SolarEdge