28.01.2020 / News
Energy Storage is No Longer the New Kid in the Block
2019, what a year! In the past twelve months, we have witnessed a big leap forward for energy storage. Just a few years ago, energy storage was looked at with curiosity and, in some corners, scepticism: could this “new kid on the block” demonstrate an added value to the system? We can now say: yes, it can. Energy storage is now recognised by policymakers and industry as a central element of the energy transition.
The Clean Energy Package: A Great Success for EASE
After years of intense discussions and efforts from EASE, the Clean Energy Package was finalised in the first half of 2019. The Package includes key provisions to open up the regulatory framework at EU level for energy storage. In fact, energy storage was mentioned many times in the regulatory texts – 135 times, to be precise. Quite a result for the sector and for EASE: in the 2009 Third Energy Package, energy storage was not mentioned at all. This means that policymakers, especially at the EU level, are starting to recognise the role of storage as a key enabler of the energy transition.
A Double-Digits Growth
The market outlook for energy storage continues to improve across Europe. As in previous years, the sector is growing in the double digits. New business models, new business cases, and new industrial actors entering the market. It’s a stimulating sector, and we foresee more and more business opportunities in the years to come. As an association, EASE has grown in numbers, welcoming in 2019 new members coming from research centres, utilities, suppliers, and start-ups. Every new member brings a set of different skills and insights into the storage market that enriches the association. Our Working Groups and Task Forces combine expertise from around the storage sector – and this means better, more insightful policy recommendations for policymakers.
2019: a Year to Remember
Remarkably, EASE has never participated in more EU-funded projects than now. From batteries to hydrogen; from energy communities to smart grids. In addition, EASE continued to support the next generation of storage experts by launching the EASE Student Award for a fourth consecutive year. Naturally, EASE aims to capitalize on this positive momentum by doubling down on our efforts to have the role of energy storage recognised at the local, national, and European level.
2020 will be the year of the European Green Deal, the ambitious plan from the new EU Commission President von der Leyen to green Europe. EASE fully supports the EU’s efforts to achieve a net-zero emissions power system by 2050, and endorses raising the 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
