The European Fee (EC) is being urged to not overlook the potential for vitality storage applied sciences to ease the continent’s renewable energy transition, as stress grows on policymakers to bolster Europe’s vitality safety within the wake of the Russia-Ukraine battle.
As detailed in its not too long ago revealed REPowerEU Plan, the EC has set out plans to bolster the safety of the continent’s vitality provide by bringing extra renewable energy technology onto the grid – however there are issues that its plans don’t go far sufficient.
In an open letter to EU policymakers, signed by 10 senior vitality system market stakeholders and commerce associations, it’s claimed the profitable execution of the REPowerEU Plan may very well be jeopardised until the technique is underpinned by a dedication to deploy vitality storage applied sciences.
It is because renewable vitality technology could be vulnerable to disruption, notably the place photo voltaic and wind energy are involved, which suggests there could not at all times be a reliable, speedy provide of it on days when the solar just isn’t shining and the wind doesn’t blow, for instance.
In consequence, this implies there could also be durations when vitality demand outstrips the availability of accessible renewable energy, however – conversely – there may be instances when extra is generated than is straight away wanted, which means the excess will must be saved someplace.
Because of this, the co-signatories of this letter are urging the EC to rejig its REPowerEU Plan to include and champion applied sciences that allow grid flexibility and vitality storage.
“For this plan to achieve success, it should be accompanied by sufficient targets and coverage frameworks for the deployment of vitality storage and different flexibility applied sciences,” stated the letter. “They’re essential to allow the protected and environment friendly integration of renewables into the electrical grid, and now’s the time to recognise them because the pillars of the European vitality transition.
“We consider that if the accelerated near-term deployment of renewable vitality sources is to achieve success, Europe wants a fast roll-out of confirmed and scalable applied sciences to extend grid flexibility and allow the protected and environment friendly integration of renewable technology.
“To this finish, battery-based vitality storage is a rapidly deployed, cost-effective and low-emissions answer with the potential to develop into the spine of contemporary resilient, and decarbonised vitality techniques.”
The letter continued: “Different applied sciences, comparable to demand-side response, the improved utilisation of present storage potential of pumped hydroelectric and different vitality storage applied sciences, in addition to the interconnectivity between nationwide electrical energy markets, are all essential to enabling the European vitality transition.”
The letter went on to stress that vitality storage applied sciences are confirmed to work, and in a number of markets around the globe have changed thermal energy crops as a extra economical and low-carbon means of offering safe vitality in periods of peak demand when provides of renewables are scarce.
“Regardless of getting access to this ready-to-deploy and cost-effective know-how, we proceed to depend on high-emission pure gas-based technology, whereas the Europe-wide targets that will strategically scale up vitality storage tasks are but to be developed and embedded in legislation,” it stated.
And though there was some low-level deployment of vitality storage applied sciences inside Europe, its adoption will must be markedly ramped up if the EC is severe about efficiently delivering its REPowerEU Plan, the letter stated.
“In 2021, capability market auctions throughout Europe awarded roughly 2.4GW of contractors to vitality storage, however numerous research predict that to extend the safety and reliability of vitality techniques on the continent, we are going to want as much as 200GW of vitality storage by 2030,” it continued. “Extra adjustments to the vitality market construction and design are additionally required to allow the objectives of REPowerEU.”
These embrace the abolition of the “not cost-reflective” charges, levies and taxes that hamper the roll-out of vitality storage applied sciences throughout Europe, the letter stated.
It concluded: “We stay up for working along with the regulators and different market stakeholders, realising the objectives outlined within the REPowerEU Plan by delivering applied sciences, options and coverage frameworks to safe inexpensive, dependable and sustainable vitality techniques for European shoppers.”