Ukraine emerged as Europe’s fourth-largest battery energy storage market in 2025, installing nearly 3 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) during the year, according to SolarPower Europe’s European Battery Market Outlook 2026-2030.
Ukraine’s battery storage additions increased approximately fivefold compared with 2024, placing the country behind Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy in terms of annual battery capacity additions.
More than 60% of Ukraine’s new battery storage capacity in 2025 came from distributed systems. Households, businesses, schools, hospitals, water treatment facilities and other critical infrastructure increasingly deployed solar-plus-storage and standalone battery systems to maintain electricity supplies during power outages.
Utility-scale battery systems accounted for nearly one-third of new capacity, providing flexibility and balancing services to Ukraine’s power system.
Energy Security Drives Distributed Storage
The Solar Energy Association of Ukraine (SEAU) said the country’s battery storage market differs significantly from other European markets, with energy security rather than electricity bill optimisation emerging as the primary driver for distributed storage.
Vladyslav Sokolovskyi, Chairman of the Board of SEAU, said households are increasingly installing small battery systems, typically ranging from 3 kWh to 5 kWh, to maintain power during outages. Many of these systems operate without solar generation.
Portable power stations with capacities of around 0.6 kWh to 2.5 kWh have also become increasingly common among households seeking backup power during blackouts.
Small and medium-sized businesses are deploying larger battery systems for similar energy security requirements, while utility-scale projects are increasingly participating in ancillary services and energy arbitrage markets.
Ukraine’s Storage Market Expands Amid Energy Infrastructure Challenges
Sonja Risteska, Head of SolarPower Europe’s Battery Storage Europe Platform, said Ukraine’s rapid deployment of solar and battery storage reflects the strategic importance of these technologies to energy security following repeated attacks on critical energy infrastructure.
Ukraine and Bulgaria each added close to 3 GWh of battery storage capacity in 2025. While Ukraine’s growth was primarily driven by energy security and system resilience, Bulgaria recorded Europe’s highest growth rate, supported by utility-scale funding programmes.
Bulgaria is also expected to maintain rapid battery storage expansion through 2027.
Europe Surpasses 100 GWh of Operational Battery Capacity
Battery storage deployment across Europe continued its record growth in 2025, with 36 GWh of new capacity installed, marking the continent’s 12th consecutive year of record annual additions.
Total operational battery storage capacity in Europe surpassed 100 GWh for the first time, while annual installations increased 48% year-on-year.
The growth was increasingly driven by utility-scale battery projects, which are playing a larger role in providing grid flexibility, balancing services and energy market optimisation across Europe.
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