ÚRSO: Battery storage is growing too fast
Battery storage facilities are becoming an integral part of the energy future, but their implementation must respect the technical limits of the electricity system in the Slovak Republic, said Holjenčík.
New analysis
The Slovak Energy Regulatory Authority (URSO) has prepared an analysis that highlights the risks associated with the rapid expansion of battery energy storage. The URSO analysis shows that in the V4 countries, Austria, Germany, France and Italy, the capacity of energy storage facilities (ESF) has increased from 3,525 MWh in 2022 to 9,326 MWh in 2024. This represents an increase of 165% over a three-year period.
URSO Chairman Jozef Holjenčík: “Battery storage facilities are becoming an integral part of the energy future, but their implementation must respect the technical limits of the electricity system in the Slovak Republic.”
In the context of the electricity industry, ESF most often refers to battery systems that allow the storage of electricity generated during times of low demand (e.g. from renewable sources) and its release later, when consumption is higher or the price of electricity rises.
Economic motivation often outweighs technical responsibility
ÚRSO Chairman Jozef Holjenčík: “While ZUEs increase the flexibility of the system, their economic motivation often outweighs technical responsibility. Charging batteries during times of low prices and discharging them during price peaks can destabilize the frequency balance.”
According to ÚRSO, battery storage operators are increasingly making decisions primarily based on profit – charging batteries when electricity is cheap and discharging them when it is expensive in order to maximize revenue.
The problem arises when these decisions do not respect the needs of the electricity system – for example, they can increase frequency deviations or worsen grid stability if many batteries are discharged at once during peak times without coordination with the system operator.