On 4 May 2023 the Energy Storage Coalition, a new organisation aimed at accelerating the decarbonisation of the European energy system by increasing the deployment of sustainable and clean energy storage solutions to support renewables, hosted its launch event, which also provided an opportunity to discuss how the upcoming EU Electricity Market Design can address today’s barriers to the deployment and use of energy storage technologies in Europe.
Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy emphasised that energy storage is key to building a future-proof, resilient and decarbonised energy system and the Energy Storage Coalition is a welcome development and will be an important interlocutor going forward.
Philipp Offenberg, Senior Manager Europe of Breakthrough Energy, reiterated the critical need to have the right policy and investment frameworks in place to drive the deployment and scale of long-duration energy storage technologies.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, pointed out that as “last winter, EU renewables generated more electricity than fossil fuels, it’s clear that solar and renewables can power Europe in all seasons. We need strong energy infrastructure to make year-round renewables the norm. That means taking energy storage seriously and getting the grid ready.”
Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, highlighted that “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 (KWh) produced by wind farms can be used to its full potential and in the best way possible. To secure Europe’s energy supply we need to offer system flexibility while reducing to zero our dependence on fossil fuels.”
Catharina Sikow-Magny, Director of Green Transition and Energy System Integration at the Directorate General for Energy at the European Commission concluded the event by stating that the European Commission has put in place several legislative changes that can dramatically improve the regulatory framework for energy storage and it is paramount to ensure the swift implementation of such provisions at the Member State level so that energy storage is able to fulfil its key role in the energy system.
The event showcased the growing importance of energy storage in Europe’s energy transition and the role it can play in achieving a sustainable, low-carbon future.