LichtBlick breaks ground on 100-MW battery near Chemnitz, Germany

• Renewable supplier LichtBlick began building a 100-MW battery near Chemnitz, investing €100 million to add flexible capacity and stabilize the grid.

LichtBlick SE has started construction on a 100-MW battery energy storage system outside Chemnitz, committing around €100 million to a project designed to soak up surplus renewables and deliver fast, flexible capacity to Germany’s power system. The installation will participate in energy, capacity, and ancillary markets—charging during low-price periods and discharging into evening peaks while providing frequency control within seconds.

The engineering blueprint follows mature European practice. Containerized lithium-ion units with sectionalized fire-safety systems sit behind grid-forming inverters capable of synthetic inertia and black-start support. A unified SCADA platform coordinates charge/discharge and grid-support modes, with cybersecurity and telemetry aligned to TSO requirements. Siting at a strong node near Chemnitz shortens interconnection timelines and maximizes locational value.

Germany’s “duck curve” is deepening as solar and wind expand; flexibility, not generation, is the scarcest commodity. Multi-hour batteries like LichtBlick’s turn intermittent megawatt-hours into dependable megawatts, dampening price spikes and reducing reliance on gas-fired peakers. Co-optimization across day-ahead, intraday, and reserve markets diversifies revenues and improves project resilience as rules evolve.

Local integration matters too. The build will include traffic and noise controls, landscaped buffers, and emergency response planning with fire services. Once online, the battery’s small footprint belies its grid impact: from firming local voltage to preventing renewable curtailment on bright, windy days.

For LichtBlick—long known for retailing green power—the asset marks a deeper move into physical flexibility. As electrification and data-center growth lift Germany’s evening peaks, batteries at strategic nodes will become the backbone of reliability. This project is one of those anchors.