Portable outdoor power supply BESS price in Milan Italy

The Italian government is aiming for 15GW of BESS capacity by 2030 to maintain security of supply. The Italian government, regulator, and Transmission Service Operator (TSO) are creating an attractive regulatory environment for BESS by offering multiple incentive schemes and updating the grid code.

BESS, or battery energy storage systems, are an essential element of the energy transition: the Enel Group is playing an important role in the growth of the sector, in Italy and in the other countries where it is present. There can be no real energy transition in Italy without electricity storage systems.

Revenue Streams for BESS: The business case for BESS in Italy is underpinned by four main revenue streams: wholesale trading, the Ancillary Services Market (MSD), the Capacity Market (MC), and the new energy storage subsidy scheme (MACSE).

While Northern Italy currently has the largest installed BESS capacity in the country, a build-out of RES in the South is increasing energy price volatility, creating a more compelling investment case for BESS in this region.

That is why Italy aims to add 15GW of BESS capacity by 2030 (of which 11GW should be standalone and 4GW co-located). As of March 2025, Italy has got 1GW of grid-scale BESS capacity online, placing the country in third place in Europe (shared with Ireland) in terms of installed capacity, behind Germany (1.6GW) and the UK (5.6GW).

As of November 2024 Italy had 5.1 GW / 11.7 GWh of energy storage capacity. This is almost exclusively small-scale residential system, with utility-scale storage systems providing just 864 MW. To help achieve the target for utility-scale storage build-out, the Italian government has implemented the MACSE subsidy scheme as supporting legislation.