Grid stability is one of the greatest challenges to the expansion of renewable energy. When wind turbines produce more power than the grid can absorb, they must be curtailed, which means compensation payments for operators for the lost energy. Nearly €600m was paid to them in Germany in 2024 alone; in UK, operators even received twice as much. On the other hand, fossil fuel-burning power stations have to go on line during a lull to cover the power demand. Smart energy storage technologies are promising to resolve this dilemma and a new Energy Storage exhibition section, occupying a hall of its own (A2) at WindEnergy Hamburg, 22-25 September 2026, intends to shine the light on this subject.

Over roughly 3,600sqm of exhibition floor at the Hamburg Messe, next-generation technologies such as large-scale battery storage solutions will demonstrate what smart grid control can mean. “We are pleased to provide a focal platform for experts, enterprises and innovators in our new expo section to actively build tomorrow’s energy systems together,” said Andreas Arnheim, director WindEnergy Hamburg.

Since 2013, global battery capacity has jumped from below 1GW to more than 155GW today. In 2024, annual investments in energy storage amounted to around €60bn. Experts are estimating that 1,500GW of energy storage capacity will be needed to back up the expansion of renewable energy envisioned up until the year 2030. For Germany alone, a study by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) sets the energy storage capacity requirement by 2030 at 104 gigawatt hours (GWh), four times the amount available at the end of 2025. “A state-of-the-art electricity system must be able to balance supply and demand in real time. We need a policy framework that puts the focus on grids, storage, and the dynamic and flexible interaction of energy supply and demand,” said Germany’s federal environment minister Carsten Schneider. The new expo section at WindEnergy Hamburg aims to address this demand.

Well-known stakeholders representing various segments of the energy storage value chain have secured exhibition spaces. Among them is China’s Sungrow Energy, a specialist in industrial-scale inverter and battery technology. The German vendor Intilion will showcase comprehensive energy storage solutions covering the full project life cycle. Entrix supplies AI-based marketing solutions for operators of battery storage systems. As a global leader in advanced battery and energy management technologies, Leoch Battery from Singapore will be on site, as well. And the modular FlexCombo 2.0 AC Block recently launched by Chinese company Cubenergy is designed specifically for the requirements of the European market.

Claus Ulrich Selbach, vice-president exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress, said: “WindEnergy Hamburg is the leading international trade event for the wind energy sector, and by putting the spotlight on energy storage technologies, we are now covering one of the most pressing issues of the energy transition: efficient storage and use of renewable energy.”

Organisers of WindEnergy Hamburg 2026 expect to attract 1,600 companies from roughly 40 countries who will present their innovations and solutions to 43,000 participants. Covering more than 80,000sqm of exhibition floor, the. main show will provide a comprehensive market overview. The new Energy Storage expo area will be accompanied by freely accessible conference sessions featuring more than 300 renowned speakers on six open stages.

Photo: © Hamburg Messe und Congress / René Zieger