Subsidies for battery storage

No. A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) can have a viable business case without subsidies. The financial value comes primarily from what the battery enables your business to do.

A BESS can, for example, reduce peak demand, increase the use of your own solar energy, enable energy trading or help you operate within the limits of an existing grid connection. Combining several of these applications can further strengthen the business case.

Subsidies should therefore be seen as an additional incentive. They can reduce the initial investment or shorten the payback period, but they do not have to be the reason for investing in battery storage.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

Governments use subsidies to accelerate investments that contribute to the energy transition. Battery storage can help integrate more renewable energy, make electricity consumption more flexible and reduce pressure on increasingly congested electricity grids.

The Dutch Flex-e scheme is a good example. It supports businesses that make their electricity consumption more flexible and explicitly includes battery storage as one of the eligible measures.

At European level, the objectives are generally broader. Programmes such as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) support strategic energy infrastructure and cross-border projects.

Subsidies are therefore not simply intended to make batteries cheaper, but to accelerate developments that support wider energy and climate objectives.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

If you want financial support for purchasing and implementing a BESS at your business location, start with national and regional subsidy programmes.

These programmes are generally closer to actual implementation. In the Netherlands, for example, Flex-e can support investments in battery storage when they are used to make electricity consumption more flexible.

European programmes are generally more relevant to larger projects involving innovation, demonstration or strategic infrastructure. CEF Energy, for example, primarily targets eligible European energy infrastructure and cross-border projects rather than a standard commercial battery installation.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

Yes, there are programmes specifically aimed at making electricity consumption more flexible and reducing problems caused by limited grid capacity.

The Dutch Flex-e programme is a clear example. In 2026, businesses with a large-user electricity connection can apply for support for flexibility measures, including battery storage. The programme includes support for flexibility scans and feasibility studies as well as the implementation of flexibility measures.

Whether your BESS qualifies depends on the requirements of the current funding round, including the size of the installation and how it will be used.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

Yes, but usually not simply because a battery is connected to solar panels. Eligibility depends on what the complete project achieves and the objectives of the subsidy programme.

A battery can make solar generation more useful by storing electricity that cannot be consumed immediately and making it available later. This can increase self-consumption and reduce peak loads or pressure on the grid.

Depending on the country and programme, financial support may therefore be available for the battery itself, the wider energy project or the flexibility that the combination of solar and storage provides.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

Sometimes. A battery storage project may qualify for more than one form of financial support, but this does not automatically mean that they can all be used for the same investment.

National and European state aid rules can limit how much public support a project may receive. Individual schemes may also exclude certain combinations or require other subsidies to be deducted when calculating the eligible amount.

If several programmes appear relevant, check their combination and state aid conditions before submitting the applications.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

Most subsidy programmes work with individual funding rounds or application periods. New rounds may be introduced annually, but the budget, eligibility requirements, subsidy amounts and application dates can change from one round to the next.

For example, the conditions of the Dutch Flex-e scheme changed between its funding rounds, while European programmes such as CEF publish separate calls with their own budgets, deadlines and eligibility criteria.

This means that a subsidy that was available for a battery project last year may have different conditions this year, or may no longer be available at all.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.

Start with three questions: where will the battery be installed, what will it be used for and what type of project are you developing?
For a business purchasing a BESS for its own location, national and regional programmes are usually the most relevant starting point.

Once you know the location, application and scope of your battery project, you can compare these characteristics with the eligibility requirements of the current subsidy programmes.

Need help finding the right subsidy fit? Our experts are happy to help.