Grid impact of batteries

Commissioned by multi client

Anselm Eicke, Lion Hirth

With Consentec

2026

Utility-scale batteries reduce generation costs, CO₂ emissions, price volatility, and renewables curtailment – but their potential to lower grid costs remains largely untapped, since the uniform bidding zone provides no incentive to consider congestion. A patchwork of proposed remedies, from differentiated connection charges to operational restrictions, risks stifling investment. For a consortium of five battery developers, with Consentec, we identified the main external effects of batteries on the grid and proposed guidelines for instruments that improve their grid impact without undermining the business case. This report was originally published in German.