Ever since its political inception, Germany’s Energiewende has been facing a bogeyman: The Dunkelflaute – which sounds equally sinister in English translation as the “dark calm”. How does a society that strives to move on from fossil fuels source its energy needs when the sun is shaded and the wind silent?
This is a question that is more complex than it appears. Unlike fossil-based energy sources, the output of solar panels and wind turbines is inherently intermittent. Simply put, the volume of electricity generated from solar and wind varies across different weather conditions, locations and seasons. Conversely, during periods of Hellbrise – “bright breeze”, when the sun is shining and the wind blowing strongly – renewable generation can be so high that it produces more electricity than the grid can handle.
The idea of storing all that surplus energy and feeding it back into the grid when it’s needed most seems obvious. However, physics dictates that the power grid cannot store energy itself. So where can it go?
Enter Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS for short.
A fresh wind blowing the energy transition
Electricity storage technology is rapidly evolving. Electric vehicles with onboard batteries have become part of everyday life. If you plan on installing solar panels on the roof of your home, chances are you also want an EV charger and battery storage system installed. According to EY, even back in 2023, these home batteries still accounted for 85 percent of the total storage capacity of all installations in Germany. This figure has been shrinking ever since, as the real growth potential lies in commercial grid-scale applications. Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) defines these as systems with a gross capacity of more than 999 kW.
In late 2025, Germany’s Federal Energy Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) reported a total usable capacity of 3.2 GWh for these systems. For context, the UK, which has a 20% smaller population, reached 6.8GWh of connected grid-scale battery storage by the end of last year. However, the German storage rollout is accelerating with a further 10.4 GWh of capacity in active planning.
The German battery storage market is booming. But why?
Supporting energy security
BESS are not merely a place to store surplus electricity and draw it back out when demand is high. They also make the energy network more resilient. Storage acts as emergency backup power and frequency support, helping to stabilise the grid to prevent outages like the cascade across the Spanish energy system in April 2025. When power cuts do inevitably occur, stored electricity can be used to rapidly re-energise the system, helping to get lights across communities, homes and business back on more quickly.
The German Solar Association (Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft), recognises the benefits to renewable generators and has set a target of 100 GWh of installed battery storage capacity by 2030. An ambitious goal, but not an unrealistic one. If achieved, there would be enough storage capacity to make full use of Hellbrise periods and ensure Germany’s energy supply around the clock, resilient to prolonged periods of Dunkelflaute. In other words, if solar and wind expansion continues at its current pace through 2030, the end goal of the energy transition comes within reach: supplying the entirety of Germany’s energy demands with renewables alone.
Shedding more light on public acceptance of battery storage
BESS also offers a solution to a pressing communications challenge. The importance of storage for the next stage of the energy transition makes them an ideal counterargument to net zero sceptics and critics. Anyone speaking up for sustainable or “green” technologies can quickly find themselves on the defensive: accused of being out of touch with the reality that the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, driven by blind idealism to overlook the obvious. The rapid integration of electricity storage addresses this critique in an uncomplicated and intuitive way that consumers and voters can readily understand.
Thanks to BESS, the narrative can shift from innovation to infrastructure, from the uncertainty of “what’s new” to more reassuring messages around stability, security and affordability. As the world enters a further period of renewed uncertainty driven by hydrocarbon price volatility, this is the ideal ground for decarbonisation advocates and industries to win the debate.
Going on the offensive is no longer only paramount, it’s becoming essential. To be successful, we recommend:
- Emphasise commercial viability – Climate action and sustainability are important motivators for customers, but they need to be complemented by messages addressing more immediate economic concerns of energy security and affordability. Successful campaigns centre around reliable data demonstrating the value of renewables and storage to consumers.
- Highlight interoperability – Batteries, solar modules, and wind turbines are complementary building blocks of an entire ecosystem. They create synergies and make it possible to integrate additional technologies.
- Build trust and certainty – The wider public most readily connects with the assurance that clean energy will be available whenever it’s needed. Thought leadership and a big-picture perspective are essential to resonate with end consumers and socio-economic stakeholders alike: renewable technologies safeguard security of supply and enable transformation and energy independence.
Renewable energy deserves a story that’s as compelling as its technologies: a story that links climate targets with everyday reliability and economic value. For communications professionals, this is an opportunity to translate technical progress into a narrative of trust, continuity, and transformation and to finally put the Dunkelflaute myth to rest.
Looking to shape your communications around battery storage and renewable energy strategically? Our experts will work with you to develop tailored concepts: building a narrative that persuades. Get in touch with TEAM LEWIS’ energy experts today.
