Towards a Fair Market Design for Energy Storage and a New Deal for Energy Consumers

EASE supports the efforts of the European Commission to reform the energy market in order to create a competitive market place and a level playing field, which will make it, amongst others, fit for energy storage. We welcome the recognition of energy storage as a major player in balancing the system, in helping further RES integration, in delivering increased necessary flexibility and allowing – at the same time - for investment deferral in Transmission & Distribution networks whenever achievable.

A market based approach will allow for a most optimal integration of energy storage. We are pleased to see that the European Commission is seriously considering market design rules, such as long term price signals and short-term markets, which provide the needed certainty to drive investments in the European electricity system. These long term signals are fundamental if one wants to minimise decarbonisation costs and allow efficient investment in energy storage technologies.

EASE believes that price fluctuations will have a high potential to properly remunerate flexibility and capacity options like energy storage, as long as all energy storage technologies are allowed to participate in all mechanisms.

We welcome that the Commission wants to define a level playing field for all flexibility providers, including Energy Storage. As recognised by the Florence Forum on 05.06.2015, there is a growing number of flexibility sources, such as electricity storage. These sources include new technologies and market products that have the potential to offer cost-effective solutions to upcoming challenges to the electrical system. The Florence Forum emphasises the need to remove barriers to their deployment, and also the need for more and new innovations. EASE supports the Forum conclusions and insists on the importance of creating a level playing field for the participation of energy storage technologies in the different electricity markets.

Finally, EASE praises the Commission for acknowledging and further promoting the role of energy storage in empowering consumers to reduce their bills and actively participate in the market.