Storage systems bring renewable energy into the dark doldrums.
How can storage help in the dark doldrums?
Storage systems bridge dark doldrums by supplying previously stored renewable energy precisely when wind and sun are supplying less electricity. Scarcity signals on the electricity market provide targeted incentives: storage systems react to high prices and make power available when it is needed. This is how they work Automatically system-stabilising. The retrieval period can last several hours, days or weeks, depending on the type of memory. Also Heat accumulator will play an important role, as they significantly reduce electricity consumption for heat generation during a dark doldrums.
When we think of electricity storage systems, we usually think of pumped and Battery storage. Pumped storage capacities in Germany have been stagnating for years, simply because the geological conditions are limited. Battery storage, on the other hand, is currently being Bulk storage and Home storage massively built up. For the sake of completeness, it should be said that stored Fuels such as biogas, coal and natural gas should also be seen as storage facilities.
More information on the various storage systems
What storage technologies are available and how are they used?
How do e-car batteries & home storage systems affect dark doldrums?
The integration of electric cars and their batteries as well as home storage systems can improve the manageability of dark doldrums. significantly improve. As at the first of January 2025, there were 1.65 million e-cars registered in Germany. 2025 is another 545,000 vehicles added, meaning that around 2.2 million electric cars (as of January 2026) are on the road in Germany. This corresponds to a storage capacity of well over 1,000 gigawatt hours (GWh).
According to the market master data register 18.3 GWh of the total battery storage capacity Germany (as of June 2025).
Home storage systems and electric car batteries are relevant system variables and must be included in concepts for covering the residual load. Households can use these solutions to significantly reduce their electricity consumption from the grid and/or make their storage systems available in a way that benefits the system. In 2025, the operating conditions for battery storage systems at Prosumer plants and solar and wind farms. From 2026, these storage systems will be able to better realise their system benefits as part of direct marketing if grid operators do not restrict their operation too much.
In the meantime, the capacity of stationary battery storage systems (large storage systems) is already significantly greater than the almost 3 GWh from 2024. Study by Frontier Economics have a large-scale storage capacity of 57 GWh by 2030. The advantage: large-scale storage facilities are fully integrated directly into the electricity market and particularly favourable.
Safely through the dark doldrums: the two-page guide
The fact paper "Dark doldrums" shows on two pages how dark doldrums can be overcome today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Which fuels will we use? Which technologies will be used? How will battery storage help? How will biogas develop over the next few years? We have summarised the most important points on this website for you.