Industry is heeding Brussels’ calls. New coalition plans to support renewables development and use

In early March, SolarPower Europe, the European Association for the Storage of Energy, WindEurope and Breakthrough Energy founded an industry coalition that aims to help make Europe’s energy grid more resilient and enable the development of renewable energy sources. They also plan to help shape future EU policy on energy storage.

As Europe seeks to decarbonise its energy system, energy storage technologies such as pumped-storage hydropower plants, batteries and hydrogen will become increasingly important, allowing surplus wind and solar power to be stored and then released when generation is insufficient to meet demand.

The European Commission expects that the need for flexibility in Europe’s energy system could rise to as much as 30% of total electricity demand by 2050, as the share of renewable energy in the grid is estimated to reach 69% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

Energy storage is essential

“Energy storage is key to building a resilient and decarbonised energy system,” said European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.