Danish business group Dansk Erhverv says Denmark is far behind the rest of Europe on large-scale battery storage, because Energinet’s pause on new grid connections also blocks batteries.
According to DR, Danish electricity prices spiked Monday evening to seven kroner per kilowatt hour. That was the highest level in almost two years. Earlier the same day, the price had been as low as 1.70 kroner.
Batteries connected to wind turbines can cut the top off such price swings. Dansk Erhverv argues that Denmark is not keeping up, even as it leads on the green transition. Deputy director Ulrich Bang told DR that battery investment is happening on a massive scale elsewhere in Europe, but not in Denmark.
Grid connections on hold since March
Energinet announced in March 2026 a temporary pause in new large grid connections, alongside an emergency package for the power grid. The pause also applies to batteries. Bang said member companies risk waiting up to ten years to be connected.
Gunnar Lisby, owner of Lisby WP, has retrofitted a battery onto an existing wind turbine at Kikkenborg in Lemvig Municipality, the first of its kind in Denmark. He was permitted to store power from his own turbine and from the grid. Since March, the grid option has been closed because of capacity problems.
Save up to 2,800 DKK on Your Electricity Bill
FindElpriser helps you switch electricity providers quickly and easily.
Lisby has since retrofitted a second battery, twice as large, on another turbine in the area. He was refused permission to draw power from the grid for that unit. Per DR, he said the business case becomes significantly worse, and he is now hesitating over a third battery.
Bang called the situation nothing less than a scandal, describing the Kikkenborg turbine as a look into the future. Professor Brian Vad Mathiesen of Aalborg University pointed to the Netherlands, where batteries are first in line. He said grid operators treat batteries as dumb units that burden the network more than they help.
Energinet says it wants more batteries connected. Kim Willerslev Jakobsen, chief executive of Energinet Systemansvar, wrote to DR that the company is working hard to realize the potential of batteries as quickly as possible. He noted that new battery projects drawing power from the grid face the same restrictions as other large consumers.
Climate, Energy and Supply Minister Samira Nawa of the Danish Social Liberal Party told DR that batteries must be used smartly. She said they can relieve the grid if used correctly, but can also strain it if they draw power at the wrong times.
Energinet will resume processing new connection applications later this autumn. The work will use a new prioritization model, part of an emergency plan for the power grid currently before the Folketing.
