PV Austria: Fivefold Storage Surge Needed by 2030 or Transition Stalls

A new energy storage study from PV Austria, conducted with Austrian Power Grid (APG), TU Graz, and d - fine, reveals how critical battery energy storage is for Austria to meet its renewable energy goals of 100% electricity from renewables by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2040.

Austria’s Storage Gap: 1.1 GW Today → ~5.1 GW in 2030 → 8.7 GW by 2040

Current storage capacity stands at just ~1.1 GW.

By 2030, Austria will need 1 GW, a more than five - fold increase.

By 2040, storage demand rises to 7 GW, an eight - fold increase.

Drivers Behind the Surge

• Electricity demandis projected to nearly double to ~125 TWh by 2040.
• The need for flexible energy — the amount shifted over time — will increase sixfold to ~41 TWh.
• Storage becomes the central linkbetween generation and consumption, balancing PV output and grid needs.
• Austria’s solar PV capacity is targeted to grow from ~9 GW todayto 21 GW by 2030 and 41 GW by 2040.

Regional Outlook

• Lower Austriacarries the highest share of national storage demand (28%), followed by Upper Austria (19%) and Styria (17%).
• The study breaks down needs across states, districts, and application areas — offering a clear roadmap for regional deployment.

From PV Austria: Storage Must Keep Pace with Renewables

Herbert Paierl, Chair of PV Austria, emphasizes that “renewable expansion must go hand in hand with storage deployment — only then can an affordable energy transition succeed!”.

As Alfred Weinberger (Amarenco Solar Austria) puts it:

“Photovoltaics without storage is like a Ferrari without wheels — lots of power, but the horsepower doesn’t reach the road.”
Storage needs to become economically viable to attract investment and support the entire system.

Policy Recommendations

PV Austria outlines three urgent policy areas to support the storage build-out:

1. Flexible grid tariffs & elimination of double charging: Ending dual fees (network & charges on stored electricity) via updates to the Electricity Industry Act (ElWG).
2. Subsidies for market friendly storage systems: Enhance PV plus storage incentives through the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG)— fixed support for systems under 20 kWh and reverse bidding above that threshold.
3. Streamlined permitting: Use the Renewable Energy Expansion Acceleration Act (EABG)to simplify and accelerate approval processes across Austria.

Why It Matters

• Annual deployment must hit ~650 MW/yearin the second half of the decade to meet the 2030 goal — yet in 2024, only ~450 MW was installed, building a significant shortfall.
• Without sufficient storage, solar generation during peak periods may be curtailedor lost, threatening grid stability and undermining Austria’s renewable targets.
• Only by scaling storage in tandem with PV growthcan Austria ensure flexibility, reliability, and continuity in its energy system.

Austria currently has around 1.1 GW of battery storage, but needs to reach roughly 5.1 GW by 2030 — a more than fivefold increase — and 8.7 GW by 2040. Storage isn’t just optional: it’s the backbone of Austria’s energy transition. Policies to remove barriers, accelerate permitting, and incentivize storage integration are urgently needed to prevent renewable ambitions from stalling.