Italy significantly increased its utility-scale battery storage capacity in 2024 despite fewer total installations, as large-scale solar battery storage exceeding 1 MWh dominated market growth, according to the industry report.
Grid operator Terna's data shows a decrease in residential and C&I battery deployments, while utility-scale energy storage systems saw a significant expansion. The country's installed battery storage utility scale capacity surged from 507 MWh (2023) to 3,359 MWh (2024), with power capacity jumping from 222 MW to 851 MW.
Key developments include:
- ▲ 14 new utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) activated in 2024
- ▲ All surpassing 10 MWh in size, including two lithium-ion battery utility-scale plants of ~800 MWh each
- ▲ Combined 3,310 MWh/811 MW added through grid-scale electricity storage projects
- ▲ Growth driven by capacity market incentives for utility-scale storage deployment
This shift highlights Italy's strategic focus on utility-scale battery storage systems to support renewable integration, with large-scale solar battery storage projects increasingly paired with photovoltaic farms. The energy storage utility scale sector now accounts for 98.5% of Italy's newly added battery capacity, demonstrating the critical role of megawatt-scale solutions in national grid modernization.
Looking Ahead: Consolidation and Renewables Integration
The dominance of utility scale storage, particularly utility scale battery storage systems, underscores a strategic shift towards massive infrastructure. These grid scale electricity storage assets are crucial for stabilizing the network as Italy integrates more renewable energy.
The sheer size of the new utility scale energy storage systems deployed in 2024, far exceeding previous years' projects, highlights the effectiveness of capacity market mechanisms in incentivizing large-scale deployment. Future growth in the energy storage utility scale sector is expected to focus on further increasing utility scale battery storage capacity and integrating utility scale solar storage solutions directly with photovoltaic farms. This trend towards large scale solar battery storage complexes is key to maximizing renewable energy utilization and enhancing grid resilience nationwide, solidifying the role of utility scale battery energy storage systems as foundational pillars of the energy transition.
Post time: Jun-05-2025