Batteries are key to the energy transition

19.01.2026

Source: Bayerische Staatszeitung

The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs recently launched the TechHUB Battery.

"The aim is to promote cooperation between companies and between companies, universities and research institutions. This is intended to strengthen technology transfer and sustainably increase innovative strength in Bavaria," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs explained to the Staatszeitung.

In addition, a Bavarian battery strategy is to be developed in order to raise the profile of the Bavarian battery industry and make it competitive in the long term. The TechHUB Battery will be located at Bayern Innovativ GmbH, which is based in Nuremberg. The corresponding website is due to go online soon. From 2026 to 2029, 300,000 euros per year have been earmarked for financing the TechHUB Battery.

Joining forces

"Batteries are key to the energy transition, mobility and industrial value creation. Bavaria has strong companies and excellent research along the entire value chain. The TechHUB Battery pools these strengths and turns know-how into economic success," says Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger (FW). The hub is aimed at user industries ranging from mechanical and plant engineering, chemicals and electronics to energy supply, mobility, security and defense applications.

According to the Minister, small and medium-sized companies in particular should benefit from orientation, cooperation mediation and funding advice in a dynamically growing international market. "We want Bavarian companies to be at the forefront of battery technologies, not at some point, but now," said Aiwanger. "The TechHUB helps our companies to find partners, implement innovations faster and open up new business areas. Small and medium-sized companies in particular can benefit from this."

Ensuring security of supply

According to Aiwanger, a particular focus is on the contribution of batteries to security of supply. Battery storage systems are a key element for a stable, resilient energy system. "The recent suspected attacks on electricity pylons in Berlin show how important a secure electricity grid is. In Bavaria, we are therefore investing in the resilience of our energy supply in all areas - research, application and expansion of the grid," explains the Minister.

China's export controls are already causing problems for Bavarian industry and limiting access to the urgently needed rare earths. This is why alternative battery technologies are needed. These would be addressed as part of European and national funding programs. According to the ministry spokesperson, the TechHUB Battery is not involved in research itself. The TechHUB Battery acts as a networking and transfer platform by making relevant funding initiatives in the ecosystem visible and supporting the formation of funding consortia and their application for corresponding funding.

It is therefore a perfect fit that the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs is also supporting the establishment of a production facility for sodium-ion batteries in Lichtenfels. The project of Moll Batterien GmbH from Bad Staffelstein (district of Lichtenfels) is being funded with more than 22 million euros. The total investment volume amounts to over 93 million euros.

Establishing innovative production of sodium-ion batteries

"What Moll Batterien GmbH is building with the innovative production of sodium-ion batteries is a real milestone for Bavaria and strengthens the battery ecosystem throughout Europe - clean, safe, future-oriented. This is exactly the kind of technology we need to make our energy supply more stable, relieve the strain on the power grid and become more independent," emphasized Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger (FW) at the presentation of the funding decision shortly before Christmas 2025.

Battery production is of central importance for Bavarian industry and has a high growth potential of over 30 percent per year. The Moll Batterien project makes a significant contribution to the availability of green transformation technologies in Bavaria. The battery storage systems are environmentally friendly and sustainable. "A real growth market is emerging here: sodium instead of scarce raw materials - this is green innovation from Bavaria for Bavaria and far beyond. This is what a successful energy transition looks like, which creates jobs and strengthens our location," said Aiwanger.

According to the ministry spokesperson, the TechHUB Battery is also intended to help strengthen the Bavarian battery value chain in terms of the circular economy. This is to be achieved by identifying players and synergies as well as targeted networking events such as specialist workshops.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, there are well-known companies in Bavaria for most steps of the battery value chain:

• Material production: for example, Wacker Chemie AG, Schlenk SE;
• Components: for example Siemens AG, Stercom Power Solutions GmbH;
• Battery cell production: for example Moll Batterien GmbH, Varta AG;
• Module and system assembly: for example MAN Truck & Bus SE;
• Product integration: for example Audi, BMW;
• Battery recycling: for example Cellcircle, Umicore AG & Co KG.

Pumped storage needed

If batteries are now to be increasingly used to store electricity, the question arises as to whether pumped storage plants will become superfluous. The spokesperson denies this. After all, a new pumped storage plant is to be built near Riedl in the district of Passau and the existing one near Happurg (district of Nürnberger Land) is to be completely renovated.

"Apart from the fact that the future demand for flexibility and storage will be enormous anyway and that all types of storage will be needed, the different forms of electricity storage have different characteristics and therefore fulfill different functions in the electricity system," explains the spokesperson. Batteries are primarily suitable for short-term balancing of generation and load fluctuations and can only provide their maximum output for 1 to 2 hours.

Pumped storage, on the other hand, can be charged and discharged at full capacity for up to 12 hours, emphasizes the Ministry of Economic Affairs spokesperson. The energy can be stored for several days. This means that secured power is available over a longer period of time. In addition, pumped storage systems can be largely produced using domestic resources and have a practically unlimited service life.

INFO Moll Batterien GmbH

Moll Batterien GmbH is planning to set up a new innovative battery production facility with an initial annual capacity of one gigawatt hour (GWh) on the industrial estate in Lichtenfels/Schney. In addition to the 220 jobs at the Bad Staffelstein site, 126 new jobs and apprenticeships will be created in Schney. Peter Urban emphasized that Moll's initiative is the very first step and contribution to positioning the battery industry in Germany competitively against Asian manufacturers. The professor is an authorized representative of the management of Moll Batterien GmbH.

By the end of 2026, the Upper Franconian company will be the first in Europe to produce sodium-ion batteries (also known as NIB or post-lithium) on an industrial scale. At its plant in Bad Staffelstein, Moll produces up to 1.2 million starter batteries a year, primarily for motor vehicles. The main customers are the VW Group with the VW, Skoda and Audi brands, but also the replacement market and exports. "Moll has potential and a future, which is often not seen in medium-sized companies. SMEs are the backbone of the German economy!" says Urban with pride in the Moll employees.

Author: Ralph Schweinfurth