What changes will occur regarding network charges? What deadlines do industrial companies now need to know? And what role can battery storage play in this context? CUBE CONCEPTS discussed these questions at the Rational Energy Use Working Group on September 24, 2026, at PUREM in Neunkirchen.
The economic viability of battery storage at industrial sites is no longer determined solely by declining system costs and revenues in the energy markets. At least as important is regulatory development: With the reform of network charges, the expiration of the current electricity NEV system, and existing transitional regulations, significant framework conditions are changing in the coming years.
For companies, this means primarily one thing:
Anyone who is planning to install a battery storage system on their own premises should not start planning until 2027.
That was exactly the aim of the working group on Rational Energy Use at PUREM in Neunkirchen. Jochen Schäfer, CIO of CUBE CONCEPTS, showed representatives from industry and business what battery storage can already achieve today – and why some decisions need to be made much earlier than the later commissioning would suggest.
From grid energy to network fees: One storage system, multiple tasks
Battery storage systems can perform various functions at an industrial site. They can reduce peak loads, increase the self-consumption of a photovoltaic system, or specifically shift the timing of electricity supply. At the same time, they can be used for regulating energy and trading on the electricity markets.
Therefore, the decisive question is not only whether a storage system can be used economically. It is also crucial how it is designed, connected and operated over its lifetime.
It is precisely this flexibility that gains additional importance through the changes in the network tariff system.
Why the focus on 2027 is not enough
A focus of the presentation was on § 118, paragraph 6, of the EnWG and the planned transitional arrangements in the context of the network tariff reform.
For new power storage systems, the existing regulation can allow for a 20-year exemption from network charges for the purchase of the energy to be stored. However, several deadlines are relevant for this.
According to the current status of the regulatory procedures, the final investment decision must already be made. before January 1, 2027 the corresponding proof must be provided to the responsible network operator within a period of March 31, 2027 the commissioning will take place at a later date.
This makes a significant difference: March 31, 2027 is not the date by which a company must first decide on a storage solution. By that time, a previously made investment decision must already be demonstrably feasible.
From 2029, the logic of network charges will change
In parallel, the Federal Network Agency is working with AgNes on a fundamental reform of the network tariff system.
According to current plans, in the future, in addition to the amount of electricity consumed, the agreed output or order capacity will play an increasingly important role. For industrial companies, this means that the question becomes more important: what output do they actually need from the grid and how reliably can peak loads be limited?.
It is here that a battery storage system can take on another function: it provides short-term power when the consumption of the site would exceed the agreed capacity.
The economic benefits of a storage device therefore shift over its lifetime. What is currently used, among other things, for market revenues, peak shaving, or atypical network usage, can in the future serve to optimize the ordered network capacity even more.
PUREM shows how generation and flexibility come together
The fact that the working group took place at PUREM in Neunkirchen provided a suitable practical framework for this.
CUBE CONCEPTS has already implemented a free-standing photovoltaic system with approximately 1.9 MWp at the site. The system has been in operation since September 2026. Following the presentation, the participants visited the system together with CUBE CONCEPTS.
Photovoltaics and battery storage fulfill different functions: While the PV system can directly reduce the electricity costs and CO₂ emissions of the site, the storage brings additional flexibility to the company's energy system.
It is this combination that becomes more interesting with the changes of the coming years: electricity generation, consumption, storage and grid connection can no longer be viewed in isolation; they must be planned as a common energy system.
The bottleneck is not the battery
One of the most important takeaways from the presentation: In storage projects, the technology alone does not determine the schedule.
Grid connection, site assessment, design, financing, permits, and binding procurement decisions all require lead time. At the same time, regulatory deadlines continue to run regardless of these processes.
Companies that are considering a battery storage system for their site should therefore now examine the technical and economic requirements that exist. Because the crucial question of the coming months is not only whether a storage system makes sense – but whether the necessary decisions can still be prepared in time.