Italy’s battery fleet expands rapidly as standalone projects scale up
Source：ess-news
taly now stands as one of Europe’s most important markets for battery storage systems. The conclusion comes from Italia Solare, commenting on Gaudì-Terna data published yesterday.
Over the past year, the number of installed storage systems increased by 23%. Growth was even stronger when measured by energy capacity, which rose 52%, and by power output, up 40%.
“In our electricity system, utility-scale BESS awarded in the 2024 Capacity Market are now entering service. In 2026, projects awarded in the 2026 round will start coming online, followed by those from the 2027 auction. And 2028 will mark the arrival of the MACSE projects, after the first tender was held on September 30. The utility-scale segment is expanding in parallel with residential and C&I installations, helping to support system adequacy and balancing,” said Fabio Zanellini, co-coordinator of the Storage and Hydrogen Working Group.
According to Italia Solare’s assessment, as of September 30, 2025, Italy had 848,814 connected electrochemical storage systems, representing a total energy capacity of 17,416 MWh and total power of 7,068 MW.
Cumulative capacity for PV-coupled storage reached 10,467 MWh, up from 8,537 MWh at the end of Q3 2024 (an 18% increase). Standalone storage climbed to 6,891 MWh, a steep rise from 2,788 MWh at the end of Q3 2024 (+147%).
“This trend confirms that the growth of Italy’s storage market is no longer driven solely by household systems. It is steadily shifting toward more advanced applications with a larger impact on the power system,” Italia Solare concluded.