European research: Dutch energy storage market is growing

Earlier this month, EASE, the European umbrella organisation for the energy storage market, published its annual market research EMMES 9.0. This market research includes a country analysis, which among other things outlines the development of the Dutch energy storage sector.

Installed capacity grows to 758 MW

In 2024, the Netherlands achieved an installed capacity of 758 MW of electrochemical energy storage, with an expected growth to 9 GW in 2030. This growth is mainly driven by new flexible grid contracts that offer storage projects up to 65% discount on grid management costs via non-fixed connections. The planned abolition of the net metering scheme in 2027 will further boost the residential market, while the roll-out of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles will drive additional demand in the business segments.

Segment	2024 installed capacity (MW)	Share of total 2024	Motivations
Front-of-Meter	~455 MW	~60%	Flexible grid contracts (65% discount on grid management costs), high revenues from grid services
C&I	~230 MW	~30%	Rapid growth driven by business need for peak shaving and battery-integrated charging stations for electric vehicles
Residential	~ 73 MW	~10%	Limited by current netting, but under construction due to preparation for abolition of netting in 2027

Germany is the European leader

In comparison with the Netherlands, Germany is far ahead of the Netherlands with an installed capacity of 12.3 GW in 2024. Germany sees its capacity grow to over 45 GW in 2030, partly due to favourable innovation tenders and GridBooster projects that have now secured the majority of the pre-financing. Italy tops the ranking with 6.9 GW in 2024 and a forecast of almost 19 GW in 2030, driven by capacity auctions (MACSE) and a shift from subsidies to commercial applications. In the United Kingdom, the installed capacity of 5.8 GW in 2024 is among the highest in Europe and is expected to grow to almost 24 GW, with the first pilot projects for long-term storage (LDES) now being developed in addition to traditional business models.

The Netherlands establishes itself in the middle group

In relative terms, the Netherlands is in the middle of the European spectrum, lagging behind the big three (Germany, Italy, UK) but outperforming smaller markets such as Poland (221 MW in 2024) and Greece (76 MW). Thanks to the high share of renewable generation and a tight grid, a potential of around 9 GW of Front-of-Meter (FoM) storage is needed to ensure future grid flexibility. The success of the Dutch sector will largely depend on the speed at which bottlenecks around grid connections are resolved and additional incentives, such as the abolition of net metering and the resolution of high transport tariffs, are actually implemented.

According to the study, these foundations will enable the Netherlands to develop into one of the leading energy storage markets in Europe in the long term, provided that the combination of technological innovations, market incentives and grid development continues to go hand in hand.

Country	2024 installed capacity	2030 forecast power	Growth 2024–2030	Key drivers
The Netherlands	758 MW	9,000 MW	+1 086 %	Flexible grid contracts, PV + battery subsidy, net metering phase-out
Germany	12,300 MW	45,400 MW	+269%	Innovation tenders, GridBoosters, residential market growth
Italy	6,900 MW	18,900 MW	+174%	MACSE auctions, merchant projects, Superbonus shift
UK	5,800 MW	23,800 MW	+310%	Capacity market, LDES pilots, 0% VAT incentive
Poland	221 MW	12,700 MW	+5 648 %	Capacity and flexibility markets
Greece	76 MW	4,600 MW	+5 947 %	Storage auctions, renewable ambition, grid acceleration measures