How can a battery earn money on the energy market?
The chargers are quiet. The battery is half full, and electricity will be cheap for the next six hours.
An aggregator has asked whether the battery could also help balance the grid at night.
The questionWhat else can a battery at a charging site do when no cars come?
| Who pays | Needs | |
|---|---|---|
| Arbitragebuy cheap, use or sell dear | the market spread | price data |
| Peak reductionlower highest draw | lower grid charges | a tariff with peak charges |
| Flexibilityhelp a local grid | the grid operator | a flexibility market |
| Balancingsteady the frequency | the transmission operator | prequalification |
Which of these is possible depends on the country, the tariff and the market rules.
Markets open to small systems
RED III asks Member States to allow small and mobile systems, such as home batteries and electric cars, to take part in electricity markets, including congestion management and flexibility and balancing services, also through . The Batteries Regulation supports this from the battery side: owners and third parties acting for them get read-only access to state-of-health data, among other purposes to make the battery available to aggregators and market participants.
Charging comes first
At a charging site, market services are a second use. The controller has to keep enough energy for the cars, so market bids take only what the charging plan does not need: typically at night, between peaks, or on quiet days. Every extra cycle also adds to the battery's ageing, which has to be weighed against the revenue.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
What is arbitrage for a battery?
The spread between cheap and expensive hours is the source of value.
What does the Batteries Regulation give owners for market use?
Article 14 grants read-only access, among other purposes to make the battery available to aggregators and market participants.
Why do market bids take only part of the battery at a charging site?
Cars come first; the market gets the energy and time the charging plan can spare.
- Aggregator A company that pools many small devices, such as cars and home batteries, so they can take part in electricity markets. Energy and grid integration, stop 02 Glossary
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2023/2413 (RED III), Article 20a inserted into Directive (EU) 2018/2001. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2413/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries, Articles 3, 12, 14 and 77 and Annex V. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.