A new EU-wide qualification push for battery storage, spanning components, complete systems and second-life uses, shows how buyers are standardising this market.
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A new qualification system from EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG for battery storage systems, spanning DC, AC, complete and second-life solutions, shows how buyers are tightening technical and regulatory expectations in Europe’s storage market.
A qualification system is an approval process to access future tenders. Unlike a framework or DPS, it is not a contracting vehicle but a list of suppliers approved to be invited to tenders.
Published on 5th February 2026, the qualification system for battery storage systems from EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG sets out a notably broad remit. It covers hardware on both the DC and AC sides, complete battery storage systems, and second-life applications, all underpinned by explicit requirements for compliance with EU regulations and the necessary certifications.
Although the notice is concise and does not set out power ratings, locations or preferred use cases, its wording points towards a scheme designed to admit different types of provider. By drawing in components as well as finished systems, it leaves room for both component suppliers and full-system providers to seek qualification.
The scope, as described, covers:
The insistence on EU regulatory compliance and certifications at the qualification stage is a clear signal of priority. Rather than testing conformity project by project, the buyer appears to be building a filtered pool of technologies and suppliers that already meet the relevant European rules before they can take part in later procurements.
The move comes against a backdrop of other buyers across Europe setting up dedicated qualification systems for battery energy storage. In October 2025, SIA "DSE Aizpute Solar" launched a qualification system for the design and construction of battery energy storage systems. On 10th October 2025, Akciju sabiedrība “Latvenergo” published a parallel qualification system for battery energy storage systems with the same stated focus on design and construction.
Just days later, on 13th October 2025, ČEZ, a. s., advertised a qualification system for the realisation of a battery system for electrical energy storage. Together, these notices point to a growing use of qualification systems in the battery storage field, where buyers define technical and functional requirements upfront and then admit only those suppliers and technologies that match them.
The EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG scheme, published in February 2026, aligns with this pattern but adds some distinctive features. It explicitly mentions DC and AC components, full systems and second-life applications, and it elevates EU regulatory compliance and certifications as core admission criteria. That combination could shape which technologies and business models are able to access future competitions under the scheme.
Alongside these framework-style arrangements, a steady stream of project-specific tenders over the past year shows how battery storage is spreading across very different types of infrastructure. In September 2025, Regionalwerke Trier-Saarburg RTS-AöR went to market for a photovoltaic roof system and an outdoor battery storage system complete with an energy management system. By February 2026, Regionalwerke Trier-Saarburg AöR was again procuring the design and construction of a photovoltaic roof system and a battery storage system with energy management capabilities, underlining how solar and storage are being planned together.
Similar combinations appear elsewhere. In October 2025, WIEN ENERGIE GmbH set out plans to construct a photovoltaic system and battery storage across two sites, while Versorgungsbetriebe Bordesholm GmbH in January 2026 sought services for the construction of a battery storage system including medium-voltage systems, overall control coordination and fire protection measures near a ground-mounted photovoltaic park. In January 2026, free heating s.r.o. added electric mobility into the mix with a tender for the supply of charging stations and a battery storage system.
The range of scales is striking. In September 2025, MVM Émász Áramhálózati Kft. tendered for a 5 MW/10 MWh energy storage system at the Perkupa 22 kV substation, complete with training, maintenance and integration with an existing energy management system. In November 2025, Centrale de Stockage par Batteries Cazerie, represented by VENSOLAIR, went further with a contract for the supply and maintenance of a 50 MW/100 MWh battery energy storage system. At the other end of the spectrum, Omgevingsdienst Drenthe in November 2025 sought an energy storage system comprising four battery packs totalling 1040 kWh.
Security of supply and continuity of operations are prominent themes. Gmina Kielce in September 2025 tied its battery energy storage procurement directly to a Civil Protection and Defence Programme. In December 2025, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales initiated a consultation to define the technical and functional requirements for a battery energy storage system at the Guiana Space Centre. AB Lietuvos radijo ir televizijos centras has gone to market for installation and maintenance services for an electrical energy storage system of at least 2 MW/4 MWh, while WISTA Management GmbH in December 2025 embedded a 500 kVA, 510 kWh battery storage system into the renovation of the former US military hospital into the FUBIC Innovation Center.
Other buyers are focusing on the metering and operational backbone that storage depends on. Landeshauptstadt Dresden, working through Städtisches Klinikum Dresden, used a September 2025 tender for an intelligent measuring system to integrate electric, heat and cold meters into a building management system, supported by a data storage and visualisation server for central data management. Ruhr-Universität Bochum in December 2025 sought regular maintenance and load testing of stationary battery systems to ensure safety, functionality and compliance with technical and safety standards, while DISTRIGAZ SUD RETELE S.R.L. in December 2025 launched a procurement to acquire battery systems for converters and AMR equipment across seven lots.
Mid-sized projects continue to populate the landscape. Netz Niederösterreich GmbH in January 2026 issued a contract notice for the delivery, assembly and commissioning of battery systems for substations and network stations. NOS in February 2026 is seeking a supplier of a fully operational battery storage system with a minimum capacity of 4 MWh, including preventive maintenance and management. Buyers such as Gemeente Groningen and Stadtwerke Hameln Weserbergland GmbH have also tendered for the delivery, installation and maintenance of battery storage systems and the turnkey construction of a storage system at Stadtwerke Hameln Weserbergland GmbH.
Against this backdrop, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG’s decision to include second-life applications in its qualification system stands out. Most of the recent tenders highlighted above describe new battery energy storage projects or services, but they do not explicitly reference second-life batteries. By naming second-life applications alongside DC and AC components and complete systems, the EnBW scheme opens the door for technologies that reuse batteries that have already seen service in other applications.
The emphasis on regulation is also notable. While several buyers call up compliance with technical and safety standards – Ruhr-Universität Bochum does so expressly in its maintenance contract – few of the project tenders summarised here foreground EU-wide regulation and product certifications as clearly as EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG does in its qualification notice. The effect is to shift much of the compliance effort to the pre-qualification phase, potentially simplifying later competitions and giving greater certainty about the baseline quality of participating technologies.
Technical detail in other tenders underlines how demanding those baselines can be. Wodociągi Białostockie Sp. z o.o., for example, has specified various battery sets and hybrid inverters, including defined capacities for modular battery sets. Teplárny Brno, a.s. in November 2025 moved to complete a battery energy storage system project with specific output and capacity requirements and associated documentation. Notices like these give a flavour of the performance and documentation thresholds that suppliers qualifying under the EnBW scheme may ultimately be expected to meet.
The EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG qualification system notice is short, and many practical details – from power ranges to intended applications – are yet to emerge. What is clear is the direction of travel: a move towards structured pre-qualification that spans components, complete systems and second-life uses, anchored in EU regulation and formal certifications.
For suppliers, the key questions will be how the buyer translates these headings into concrete criteria and how often the qualification list is refreshed. For other organisations planning battery storage, the scheme offers another template for combining ambitious deployment with regulatory assurance. Against a backdrop of growing project pipelines from September 2025 through to early 2026, the way this and other qualification systems are implemented could do much to define which technologies and providers shape Europe’s next wave of battery storage projects.
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