April 2022 / Policy Papers
Optimising Energy Use: How Energy Storage Can Support European Energy Reduction Needs
The revisions of the Energy Performance and Buildings Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive are vital to achieving a zero-emission and fully decarbonised building stock and a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050.
EASE welcomes these revisions as an opportunity to speed up decarbonisation efforts through the efficient and optimised use of energy. However, stronger integration of energy storage solutions is required.
These are the necessary steps to be urgently taken to favour faster emission reduction over the next decade:
- Optimising energy in buildings: Capture the benefits of building renovation to optimise energy consumption alongside the installation of renewable energy sources and energy storage, in addition to energy efficiency interventions. To maximise the benefits, the role of energy storage shall be considered when calculating the building's energy performance;
- Buildings as active participants in the energy system: Buildings could play an important role in the increasingly electrified future energy system, by providing flexibility to the system and empowering consumers. In this regard, all necessary assets to reduce and make flexible building consumption must be deployed and monitored through the use of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) and the installation of energy storage solutions;
- System integration to support an energy efficient system: Connecting the building, transportation, and energy sectors is critical to promote system efficiency. When combined with charging points, RES and heating and cooling applications, energy storage solutions directly support this integration by providing additional flexibility to the electricity grid.