Industrial batteries and home storage: do you need a battery passport?

Three steps to decide

1. 1

   Is it an industrial battery?

   A battery used for energy storage at home is an industrial battery, wherever it is installed and whatever it weighs. So is any other battery above 5 kg that is not an EV, LMT or SLI battery.

   Recital 15Art. 3(1)(13)
2. 2

   Is the capacity above 2 kWh?

   Look at the rated energy of the whole battery. Above 2 kWh needs a passport; exactly 2 kWh or less does not.

   Art. 77(1)
3. 3

   What to do

   With a passport: gather the data, publish it, print the QR code. Without: still print a QR code, pointing to label and compliance information.

   Art. 77Art. 13(6)

What the regulation says

• Recital 15 Home storage batteries are industrial batteries

  “Batteries used for energy storage in private or domestic environments, should be considered to be industrial batteries for the purposes of this Regulation.”

• Art. 3(1)(13) What an industrial battery is

  “a battery that is specifically designed for industrial uses, intended for industrial uses after having been subject to preparation for repurposing or repurposing, or any other battery that weighs more than 5 kg and that is neither an electric vehicle battery, an LMT battery, nor an SLI battery”

• Art. 3(1)(15) What a stationary battery energy storage system is

  “an industrial battery with internal storage that is specifically designed to store from and deliver electric energy to the grid or store for and deliver electric energy to end-users, regardless of where and by whom the battery is being used”

• Art. 77(1) Industrial batteries above 2 kWh need a passport

  “From 18 February 2027 each LMT battery, each industrial battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and each electric vehicle battery placed on the market or put into service shall have an electronic record (‘battery passport’).”

Quotes are from the English text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542; the text published in the Official Journal prevails.

Common mistakes

• ✗ “It’s installed at home, so it isn’t an industrial battery.”

  In fact: The regulation says batteries used for energy storage at home are industrial batteries, wherever installed and whoever uses them.

• ✗ “Exactly 2 kWh needs a passport.”

  In fact: The rule is “greater than 2 kWh”. Exactly 2 kWh or less needs no passport, but a QR code from 18 Feb 2027.

• ✗ “Every portable power station is a portable battery.”

  In fact: Above 5 kg a power station is generally an industrial battery; above 2 kWh as well, it needs a passport.

More battery types

• LMT batteries (e-bikes and similar)
• Industrial and home storage
• EV batteries
• No passport needed

Deadline: 18 February 2027 · Passport and QR code are required from the same day.