On May 4th, a new industry coalition called the Energy Storage Coalition launched, comprised of four organizations: SolarPower Europe, The European Association for the Storage of Energy, WindEurope, and Breakthrough Energy. Their goal is to promote sustainable energy storage technologies that will make Europe’s power grid more resilient and enable greater use of renewable energy. Energy storage will become increasingly critical as Europe moves towards a decarbonized power system, allowing excess wind and solar power to be stored and then released when generation cannot meet demand.
“Energy storage is key to building a future-proof, resilient, and decarbonized energy system,” said EU energy chief Kadri Simson at the launch. “For many years, energy storage has been in the background of the power sector, but the fact is that energy storage and flexibility services are a self-standing sector that will transform our energy system,” she added.
As Europe looks to decarbonize and rely more on domestic supplies, there will be less dispatchable power generators, like coal and fossil gas-fired plants. “We need strong energy infrastructure to make year-round renewables the norm. That means taking energy storage seriously and getting the grid ready,” said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe.
Patrick Clerens, the secretary general of The European Association for Storage of Energy, added, “It is paramount to accelerate the process of electrification – and here is where energy storage can help lower costs and contribute to further renewables’ deployment.”
The Commission estimates that by 2050, the need for flexibility in Europe’s power system could increase to up to 30% of total electricity demand as the share of renewable energy on the grid reaches an estimated 69% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. “More storage is needed to help ramp up the capacity of wind farms that can connect to the grids, especially at their weakest points. We also need to make sure that each kilowatt-hour produced by wind farms can be used to its full potential and in the best way possible,” said Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope.
The EU has already made moves to promote these technologies, listing batteries and storage as “strategic technologies” in the recently proposed Net Zero Industry Act, unlocking further regulatory and financial support. Additionally, the Commission’s electricity market reform obligates EU countries to assess their flexibility needs and establish indicative objectives for technologies, especially those not using fossil fuels.
The European Parliament is currently debating the reform, and lawmakers negotiating the law attended the launch event. “Energy storage is often the forgotten treasure. In the current electricity market reform, we have a great opportunity to unlock the potential of energy storage in Europe’s energy system,” said Emma Wiesner, who is negotiating for the center Renew Europe group.
“To achieve this, the industry needs low technical, financial, and political risks,” said Wiesner, adding that she will prioritize long-term perspectives in capacity schemes and flexibility and grid capacity assessments. Niels Fuglsang, negotiating for the Socialists and Democrats, said, “We urgently need to have more storage capacity in the European system so it will be ready to cope with the great amount of renewables that we are planning.”
The Energy Storage Coalition has an essential role to play in ensuring that energy storage is at the forefront of EU policy. By promoting sustainable energy storage technologies, the coalition can help increase the resilience of Europe’s power grid and pave the way for more renewable energy.
