20.02.2020 / News
What’s in Store for Storage and Why Should you Learn About it During the ESGC2020
2020 promises to be another exciting year for the energy storage industry, especially now that Clean Energy Package has been finalised and the ambitious European Green Deal presented by the European Commission. The Energy Storage Global Conference 2020 will be a great occasion to make the point on the implementation of these and many others policy initiatives that will affect the storage sector in the years to come.
We asked Anneli Teelahk, EASE Senior Policy Officer, what are the main topics of interest for energy storage and how EASE plans to address them during the ESGC 2020.
What are the current energy storage hot topics in the policy field?
The most popular topics in 2020 are connected to the implementation of the Clean Energy Package and the European Green Deal. The Clean Energy Package promises to have a significant impact on different storage business cases, both in front of and behind the meter and in terms of electricity market design, to clarify the regulatory framework for energy storage.
On the other hand, the European Green Deal promises to transform the EU to achieve a climate neutral economy by 2050. The European Green Deal builds very well on the Clean Energy Package, since energy storage has the potential to support decarbonisation and flexibility at many different locations on the grid.
How will EASE address these topics during the ESGC2020?
The conference agenda is very much built around issues encountered during the implementation of Clean Energy Package, such as the deployment of behind-the-meter storage, grid-scale storage for grid services and new flexibility markets and how energy markets will open for energy storage.
The ESGC 2020 focuses on these topics as well as the policy initiatives coming from the European Green Deal like the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan and the smart sector integration. This creates an interesting mix of topics to follow and take part in.
The second day of the conference, traditionally focused on policy and regulation, represents the best forum to discuss these developments that will anyhow be addressed during the whole conference. Day 2 will be all about the latest policy developments in Europe and around the world and will be organised in strict collaboration with the European Institutions, stakeholders and relevant organisations active at the European level. A great number of sessions will tackle the hot topics for energy storage in the form of focused discussion around sectoral topics such as decentralised systems, renewables integration and grid services, energy storage on islands, R&I and investment policy, and much more.
Thanks to the numerous interactive sessions and networking opportunities, participants will have the unique chance to exchange views and present challenges for the sector directly to European and national legislators and regulators.
Who are the expected speakers for the second day of the ESGC?
In the last edition, Mr Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, officially opened the conference and had the possibility to meet with sponsors and exhibitors. Prof Dr Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, Director responsible for the Internal Energy Market at the European Commission, joined and exchanged views with the participants of the Gala Dinner. Also, Mr Piotr Szymanski, Director for Energy, Transport and Climate at the Joint Research Centre, provided valuable contributions at the welcome ceremony to the conference and many others joined us during the 3 days.
This year we plan to welcome Mr Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, for the opening keynote. Also, Ditte Juul-Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission, already confirmed her participation in a panel session on Day 2. The conference will gather many leading EU policymakers, government representatives from different countries of interest, MEPs and many national experts who will join our panels, engaging discussion on the latest policy and regulatory developments.
In addition, the second day will feature many international speakers who will join the discussion and share the main drivers and barriers affecting energy storage markets in their countries including U.S., India, China and Australia.
We look forward to meeting you all at the Energy Storage Global Conference 2020!
Anneli Teelahk
EASE Senior Policy Officer
