Demand for home solar energy storage rising in Switzerland

In Switzerland, roughly every second residential photovoltaic system is installed together with a battery energy storage system (BESS).

“Over the past three years, the total number of battery storage systems has doubled almost annually,” stated industry body Swissolar in its first storage market report, published at the organization’s Members’ Day, in Lucerne yesterday.

A key reason for the popularity of home energy storage is a continuing decline in equipment prices which Swissolar estimated at $115/kWh for 2024 (see chart below).

The analysis in the report refers to new storage capacity figures for 2023 and Swissolar also expects there to have been significant growth last year, with almost 1 GWh added.

“Battery storage systems are a key element for Switzerland’s security of [power] supply, with electricity from domestic renewable energy,” said Swissolar Managing Director Matthias Egli. “They make solar power more flexible to use and relieve the strain on the power grid.” Solar energy is expected to account for around 14% of Switzerland’s energy consumption this year.

The trade body has called for a rapid expansion of energy storage capacity, backed by incentives that prompt owners to operate in a manner which strengthens the grid.

“The necessary legal basis is in place, with the Electricity Act,” said Swissolar President Jürg Grossen. “Now everyone must do their part. The solar industry must optimize self-consumption with batteries and energy management systems. [Electricity] distribution grid operators must adapt their tariffs and tax instruments to the new production reality and politicians must further optimize the framework conditions. It is important that the solution we helped develop, namely remuneration at hourly market prices, is implemented quickly.”

Storage strategy

The association is calling for a national energy storage strategy to further promote the expansion of combined photovoltaic and energy storage systems.

“Battery storage systems that can temporarily store electricity and feed it into the grid within milliseconds, when needed, must be considered in future energy scenarios,” said Swissolar Vice President Gabriela Suter. The organization said a national strategy must encompass all energy storage systems – seasonal and short-term – to prevent disproportionate grid expansion.

The Swissolar report includes six recommendations for policymakers, grid operators, and the industry. It states decentralized BESS should be assigned an appropriate role in the energy system and adds it is important to properly design price signals and financial incentives. Targeted incentives must be provided for the intelligent integration of BESS into the energy system, according to the study, and district and regional energy storage systems would reduce the need for grid expansion. Swissolar also believes it is important to facilitate access for BESS to the grid balancing energy markets and to remove barriers to data exchange.

From pv magazine Deutschland.