Battery storage is no longer a nice-to-have in the renewable energy sector, it has become a necessity: now that the legal foundations for its deployment are largely in place, specific regulatory frameworks must follow – and they need to come as quickly as possible, as energy market expert Lukas Stühlinger emphasizes.
Without battery energy storage systems (BESS), there will be no energy transition. Experts such as Lukas Stühlinger are convinced that this is far more than just an empty buzzword used in the energy industry. The founder and managing partner of FINGREEN, a consultancy focused on green finance and green tech investment, brings more than 20 years of experience in financing sustainable projects and technologies. In this interview with Enery, he discusses the opportunities and challenges of BESS – in Austria and beyond.
What’s the current status of battery storage systems in Austria?
Lukas Stühlinger: In Austria, BESS are still in their infancy. Many projects were developed and submitted in 2025, but so far only a handful have actually been implemented. Because the entire sector is only just getting started here, grid operators and authorities were effectively overwhelmed by the number of applications. Now the wheat is being separated from the chaff: companies that truly understand energy markets, know the industry, and have navigated the legal framework and the complexities of energy trading will play a decisive role in the market.
At such an early stage, the opportunities for success should be particularly large, shouldn’t they?
Absolutely – and these opportunities head in two directions. On one hand, there are standalone projects – namely, storage systems built directly at substations. On the other hand, there are co-location projects, where battery storage is integrated with a photovoltaic or wind power plant. A major wave of upcoming projects is already building momentum – but it will still take some time before they are fully implemented.
Why?
This mainly has to do with the legislative implementation. The Austrian Electricity Industry Act (ElWG) plays a key role in this: it establishes a new framework and therefore determines which projects will ultimately move forward and which will not. However, many detailed issues are still open and must be defined by the regulator, E-Control, through specific regulations. One key topic is the exemption from grid charges. The ElWG provides this possibility for energy storage in general – and particularly for battery storage systems. So, if a storage facility provides system relevance, the electricity it draws from the grid may be exempt from grid charges – under certain conditions. E-Control is currently working on defining what exactly constitutes system relevance; initial proposals have already been presented and are being widely debated. Which projects are economically viable will ultimately depend on these definitions.
What revenue streams can be expected?
Revenue generation is based on three pillars. The first is the day-ahead market, the daily electricity market. At midday, when a large amount of photovoltaic electricity is produced, prices tend to be low; in the evening they peak. Electricity is therefore stored when prices are “cheap” and fed back into the grid when prices increase. This creates a natural logic for charging and discharging the storage system. The second pillar is intraday trading, where numerous small price differences can be captured throughout the day within the same charging cycle. This market is more granular, but it allows operators to react to short-term price spikes. The third revenue stream is the balancing energy market, which essentially serves to offset the difference between forecast and actual generation. The key question now is: how will E-Control’s regulation affect these three pillars?
Speaking of co-location: will BESS, combined with photovoltaics, save the PPA market?
I wouldn’t go so far as to say saving. Photovoltaic PPAs struggle with the challenge of volatile prices – and storage can help mitigate that. If I add BESS to my photovoltaic plant, the value of my generation increases. At the same time, I can actively avoid price spikes because the additional flexibility gives me more control. In other words, I have far more options than with photovoltaics alone. As a result, interest in hybrid solutions is increasing significantly. We can already see in other countries that this trend is gaining momentum, making PPAs more attractive again.
What is the situation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)?
In countries such as Bulgaria and Romania, there is already a clear storage strategy. They are simply much further ahead than Austria, and very large projects are already being built. Enery is at the forefront here, with large-scale projects in Bulgaria, Romania and Estonia. There is a very different level of momentum in CEE – but we will see that momentum in Austria as well. We can already observe it in project development; we just don’t see it on the ground yet. But it is coming.
In order to make this happen: what would you like to see beyond the ElWG?
The ElWG itself is solid – it contains everything needed for expansion. What really matters now is how quickly and precisely E-Control sets the necessary course through its implementation regulations. That is the decisive factor. Many projects are ready to go, and if it takes too much time to define the framework conditions, they will not be implemented in a timely manner. Yet Austria needs storage projects, because our demand for flexibility in the energy system is increasing.
And regarding regulation?
In Austria, regulation is almost always slower than the actual pace of development. It often takes two or three years just to retroactively correct developments. That is a key characteristic of the system here. Austrian energy legislation requires a two‑thirds majority in Parliament, which means it takes time – and compromises. In Germany, legislation can be passed with a simple majority, making the process much faster. The current Electricity Industry Act dates back to 2010; if a new law takes more than 15 years to be enacted, that is simply too slow for such a dynamic sector as energy. Of course, one could argue for less regulation, but the real issue is the ability to respond more quickly.
How about beyond Austria?
Negotiations on the European Grids Package are currently underway. One issue being discussed is how the costs of grid expansion should be distributed among member states. The vision is “One Grid. One Price.” – but it will likely take some time before that becomes reality.
A look into the future: where will Austria stand in energy terms in five years’ time?
I am convinced that in five years there will be no renewable energy plant without storage. The only question is whether we will also find solutions to balance seasonal differences. However, I have been in the energy industry long enough to know that developments are far too dynamic – and often surprising – to predict precise scenarios. For example, just two years ago very few people were focused on battery storage, because BESS were still too expensive and the volatility of electricity markets was not yet foreseeable at this scale. In the energy sector, you can really only focus on finding solutions to the challenges of today.