This article was generated with AI assistance from cited sources and has not been individually reviewed by an editor.
A Fraunhofer IEE study sees potential for 60 GW of additional energy storage capacity in Germany through more intelligent control of existing medium- and high-voltage transformers — without building new substations. The finding reframes grid bottlenecks as a storage opportunity rather than a pure grid-investment problem.
The study argues that intelligently controlled battery systems can significantly improve the utilisation of existing transformer assets, which today often sit below capacity while congestion charges and curtailment rise around them. By co-locating storage with grid nodes and dispatching it against transformer limits, operators can defer or avoid some reinforcement spending.
For Germany, where grid connection has become one of the main constraints on BESS deployment, the study supports a shift in how storage is sited and dispatched. Germany’s ‘first-come, first-served’ connection queue has encouraged speculative applications, and the discussion is now moving toward prioritising project readiness.
The 60 GW figure is a modelling potential, not a forecast — but it matters because it points storage developers toward distribution and substation-level opportunities that are faster to permit than large transmission-connected plants.
