Tesla cements dominance in UK mega battery market

Elon Musk’s company has taken firm control of the UK’s mega battery market, holding a clear lead even as it clashes with the country’s political class.

According to Modo Energy, Tesla’s batteries have outperformed every major rival in revenue and scale, anchoring Britain’s plan to move away from fossil fuels.

The company not only supplies large-scale batteries to developers but also trades the power they produce, giving it a grip on how electricity flows across the grid.

Tesla’s Megapack units have become central to Britain’s power system, quietly reshaping how energy is stored and distributed.

Of the 182 grid-scale battery projects operating across the country, 20 use Tesla’s Megapack batteries, totaling about 695 megawatts of installed capacity, said Modo Energy.

Out of those, 16 are traded directly by Tesla, making the company not just a supplier but an active player in the UK’s volatile electricity market.

Tesla grows profits while clashing with British politics

The company’s dominance was underscored just two weeks after Ed Miliband, Britain’s energy secretary, told Elon to “get the hell out of our politics and our country” during a public speech. The comment came after the billionaire criticized the UK’s energy policies on his social platform X.

Despite the heated exchange, Tesla’s market share continued to grow. Data showed that the 16 Tesla-traded projects made an average of £91,364 per megawatt between October 2024 and October 2025, earning a total of £52 million in revenue.

Those sites made up 16 of the top 20 best-performing battery units in the country, beating many handled by BP and EDF.

Tesla’s success comes from a mix of strategy, software, and engineering. Its batteries can discharge electricity for two hours at full capacity, compared to 1.5 hours for most UK systems, giving them an edge in a market that rewards flexibility.

The company’s Autobidder software, which uses real-time data to place and adjust market bids, keeps its systems constantly trading for maximum return. “The [Autobidder] platform is constantly repricing bids and trying to outcompete the competition in a more dynamic, data-driven way,” said Joe Bush, a market analyst at Modo Energy.

New investors chase Britain’s growing energy storage profits

Commodities traders like Trafigura and Vitol have begun investing in the same space, betting that Britain’s growing share of wind and solar energy will keep battery markets profitable.

Goldman Sachs entered the business last year, trading power on behalf of battery owners, crediting rising investor interest in storage systems.

The sector is particularly attractive in Britain given the high proportion of wind and solar power in the country, which is set to grow as the government tries to decarbonize the power sector by 2030.

Battery owners also earn income by selling stability services to the National Electricity System Operator, the state-owned body that prevents blackouts by balancing supply and demand.

Tom Vernon, chief executive of Statera Energy, said, “The fundamentals in the UK have been positive for batteries.” He explained that the market’s structure allows firms like Tesla to profit from both price swings and grid services.

Tim Sowinski, senior analyst at Cornwall Insight, added that Tesla’s focused approach gives it a stronger position than traditional energy giants. “They [Tesla] are battery-only, so their sole goal is to optimize those batteries and get as much revenue from them as possible,” he said.

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