Battery boom: more and more solar power systems have storage

Martin Jungfer

26.3.2026

Translation: Megan Cornish

The number of batteries installed in Switzerland has increased by 400 per cent. And that’s within just four years. This means that more and more solar power can be stored to be used later.

For the first time, the Swiss Battery Monitor 2026 provides a comprehensive study of the number of solar batteries in Switzerland. According to the report, approximately 1,500 MWh of storage capacity is currently installed behind the distribution grid (as of the end of 2025), for example in the basements of homes or in workshops and industrial businesses. This amount of electricity is enough power around 500 family homes for the entire year. Overall, storage systems can cover at least 3.8 per cent of what’s known as local domestic electricity consumption.

According to Battery Monitor, there are several reasons for this massive growth in recent years and more foreseeable positive development:

• The feed-in tariffs for solar power fed into the grid are falling
• Network operators are introducing dynamic electricity tariffs, which can make it worthwhile to store cheaply purchased electricity
• Battery storage systems are becoming more affordable

Growth in retrofitting

Nearly 80 per cent of all newly installed storage systems are in family homes. While there’s stronger growth in industry and commerce and apartment buildings, the share of storage systems installed still relatively small – less than ten per cent in each case.

Statistics show that the average storage capacity for a family home is 12 kWh, with a slight downward trend. This is likely due to the increasing importance of retrofitting. Houses that already have solar panels on their roofs are now being retrofitted with storage systems.

Having your own battery increases your proportion of home-generated electricity consumption, which in turn lowers your electricity bill. According to the Swissolar association, optimising home consumption is the primary motivation in 95 per cent of all battery storage system installations.

Reasons such as «supporting grid stability» or «interest in the technology» are mentioned far less frequently. Household finances are the primary driver of battery storage systems.

Costs are now significantly lower

Home consumption with «just» a photovoltaic system is typically between 20 and 30 per cent. A storage system increases this significantly to 50 to 80 per cent – depending on the output of the PV system, the size of the battery and the household’s consumption.

Many photovoltaic system owners are likely starting to do the maths now, because prices for storage solutions have fallen significantly in the last two or three years. For example, when I installed a PV system at our house six years ago, I opted against storage, which was very expensive at the time. Electricity was also cheaper then. The sometimes extreme fluctuations caused by recent wars and crises were hardly predictable.

It’s now more affordable to install a battery storage system. According to the Battery Monitor, the average price per kWh for a 15 kWh system was 586 Swiss francs in 2025. For around 8,800 Swiss francs, you can now get a storage system that easily provides enough power for cooking in the evening after a sunny day, as well as running a heat pump, water heater and controlled ventilation throughout the night. The storage system also helps in overcast conditions. Two or three years ago, a 15 kWh storage system would’ve cost more than 12,000 Swiss francs.

Many factors determine how quickly investing in battery storage pays off. Using the AI tool Claude, I calculated when a PV system at my home would’ve paid for itself. The result? After seven years, or ten at the latest. This calculation assumed stable electricity prices and feed-in tariffs. However, these can change quickly due to the current global political situation and the whims of the US president.

Alternative 1: cheaper, smaller storage

8,800 Swiss francs for a 15 kWh battery is still a lot of money. Meanwhile, there are storage systems on the market that have less capacity yet are very easy to install and also inexpensive. For example, a 5 kWh module costs only around 1,200 Swiss francs in our shop. As far as I can tell, this model offers the best capacity for the price. It can simply be plugged into a wall socket and controlled via an app. This also saves you the cost of an electrician.

Electricity storage

Marstek Energycube Venus E

1

Other manufacturers, especially Ecoflow, also offer simple plug-and-play home storage systems. However, they can’t yet compete with this low price.

Electricity storage

EcoFlow Stream Battery Ultra X

1

Other storage solutions available at Galaxus offer higher capacities. These should generally be installed by a specialist company. They’ll also know whether, for example, the system is compatible with the existing inverter. Ideally, an expert can also connect the battery storage system to a smart energy management system.

Alternative 2: electric car as storage

You might already have the biggest battery. It’s the one on four wheels in your garage: your electric car. Manufacturers are gradually enabling the battery to both charge and supply power. However, bidirectional charging usually requires investing in a suitable wallbox and an energy management system. Incidentally, the misconception that frequent charging and discharging accelerates the wear on a car battery has now been largely disproven (article in German).

Alternative 3: wait and see

Yes, battery storage systems have already become significantly cheaper. The price of lithium-ion battery packs has fallen by over 93 per cent since 2010. Experts anticipate further price drops, but these are expected to be only three to five per cent per year. In Switzerland, storage prices are currently often still higher than in neighbouring Germany, for example. If you want to speculate that local suppliers will have to adjust their pricing further, it could be worthwhile.

Or you could focus on new technologies beyond lithium iron phosphate batteries. Sodium-ion batteries could be a viable alternative. However, the market share of «salt batteries» was recently only around two per cent, and the selection’s limited. It could take some time before they’re a widespread option.

So maybe now’s exactly the right time for a storage solution.

Battery becomes standard

If you’re not retrofitting a system but still want to install a new PV system, your situation’s clear. Matthias Egli, Director of Swissolar, says:

Every newly installed battery ultimately benefits everyone, Matthias Egli told SRF (article in German). «This has a very positive effect on the grid load. We can connect more systems to the same grid without expensive expansion.» Locally installed batteries ensure the electricity is consumed on-site, eliminating the need to transport it elsewhere. It’s no wonder that Swissgrid, which operates the high-voltage power lines in Switzerland, also considers batteries to be important elements in the electricity grid of the future.

Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment. more

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