Berne, August 6, 2026. Alterric and Voltfang, a leading provider of industrial battery storage solutions, are developing a large-scale, co-located battery storage system at the Berne wind farm in Lower Saxony—one of the first projects of this configuration to be connected to the grid. The storage system will operate at the wind farm’s existing grid connection point (GCP).
With this project, the two companies are addressing the current bottleneck in the expansion of energy storage. Rather than applying for a new grid connection, the project utilizes the spare capacity of the existing GCP. On average, wind farms only utilize 20 percent of their grid connection capacity over the course of a year. The storage system taps into this dormant capacity, significantly increasing the utilization of the existing GCP. The battery storage system, which will feature a power output of 3.8 MW and a capacity of 10 MWh, is scheduled to go into operation in January 2027. This approach offers a substantial time advantage, as it eliminates the typical five-year (or longer) wait time that standalone large-scale battery projects (1 MW and above) often face when seeking a new grid connection.
“For us, co-location is a model we intend to scale further. We have over 250 wind farms in our portfolio; each one is a potential energy hub capable of delivering more than it currently does. However, for this scaling to succeed, we need greater support through the regulatory framework. By using existing infrastructure intelligently, the entire energy system benefits—through lower costs, reduced strain on the grid, and competitive electricity prices,” says Dr. Frank May, CEO of Alterric.
In functional terms, the storage system reduces the amount of power fed into the grid during periods of high supply, shifting that energy to times when there is less power on the grid. For the operator, this translates to lower curtailment losses, additional revenue from energy marketing, and a higher system value at the North German site—a location prone to grid bottlenecks.
“With co-located facilities, we have a direct response to power grid bottlenecks; we increase the potential of grid connections while simultaneously stabilizing them. Wind farms paired with battery storage systems represent one of the most exciting investment opportunities today, and we are delighted to be embarking on this path together with Alterric,” says Roman Alberti, co-founder and CEO of Voltfang.
Because the storage system is exclusively dedicated to the associated wind turbine and does not draw electricity from the public grid, the project benefits from a faster permitting process—thanks to its privileged status—and a solid legal basis for claims against the grid operator. Furthermore, the eligibility of the stored electricity for support under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) enhances the project’s return on investment.
As the wind farm operator, Alterric provides the land and the grid connection, while also managing communications with the grid operator and energy marketers. Acting as the general contractor (EPC), Voltfang handles the BESS-specific work packages: system design and engineering of the medium-voltage switchgear, metering and protection concepts, facility certification, construction, and software integration into the wind farm control system, right through to commissioning.
The project in Berne represents a category of projects that is gaining increasing importance in Germany: integrated generation and storage systems that account for both wind and battery capacity from day one—marking a transition from experimental pilot projects to established, reliable solutions.