How Bulgaria Built One of Europe’s Fastest-Growing Battery Markets

In less than three years, Bulgaria has gone from almost no battery storage to becoming one of Europe’s biggest battery markets relative to the size of its power system. What made this possible, and can the same formula work for wind and the grid?

by Yoana Stanislavova

September 30, 2026 ∙ 6 min read

Summer 2026. In Bulgaria, electricity prices fell to around €90 per MWh, while in neighboring Romania they reached €230–240. Bulgaria recorded some of its highest electricity exports.

To understand what is driving this and where Bulgaria really stands in the region, we spoke with Nikola Gazdov, chairman of the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity (APSTE) and a board member of SolarPower Europe.

Europe's battery champion

Bulgaria has rapidly become a major battery storage market. According to an analysis by energy think tank Ember, based on hourly ENTSO-E data, the country now ranks first globally for the share of new daily solar generation that its batteries could theoretically move into non-daylight hours — up to 77%.

Chile follows at 76% and Australia at 60%. The real-world effect is already visible: in the first half of 2026, solar and batteries together covered roughly 24% of Bulgaria’s electricity demand during the 7–9 p.m. evening peak, up from virtually zero in early 2023.