National Energy Storage Action Plan handed over to Minister Jetten
Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten today received the National Energy Storage Action Plan from Energy Storage NL (ESNL). The trade association is a partner of entrepreneurial organization for the technology industry FME. With the Action Plan, ESNL addresses the need to accelerate the energy transition through the deployment of energy storage and conversion. The Action Plan contains several proposals to remove barriers for all forms of storage.
The National Energy Storage Action Plan 2023 contains concrete points for policymakers to work on. It paints a picture of the sustainable energy system of the future, in which storage of sustainable energy in, for example, electricity, molecules or heat will provide the flexibility needed to eventually move away from fossil fuels. The proposals address several challenges, including the lack of legal status for energy storage, the failure of quick permitting procedures and the need for up-to-date data on the state of the power grid. "There is growing awareness that only with energy storage will the energy transition succeed. Energy storage makes our system independent of other countries, ensures lower energy prices and makes fossil gas and coal power plants redundant. In doing so, we accelerate the energy transition and also address the energy crisis," said ESNL President Maarten van den Heuvel.
Balancing
High energy prices, the growing share of renewable generation and increasing grid congestion issues have quickly highlighted the need for energy storage in the Netherlands. Storage plays an important role in balancing weather-dependent supply and demand for renewable energy. Batteries, for example, can contribute to a stable power grid, thermal storage can supply homes with heat, and renewable molecules can be stored in large volumes to bridge seasons.
At present, there are still many barriers preventing the business case for storage. This causes the Netherlands to lag behind other European countries. Van den Heuvel: "The government must realize that a proactive government policy is needed, as the market cannot solve this without removing barriers. With the National Energy Storage Action Plan, we make concrete suggestions to the government to work together to achieve the required acceleration."
Pictured above from left to right are Paul Baan - CEO Proton Ventures, Jeroen Neefs - Branch Manager Energy Storage NL, Rob Jetten - Minister of Climate and Energy, Maarten van den Heuvel - Chairman Energy Storage NL, Dennis Schiricke - CEO Semperpower and Siebe Geerts - CEO HoCoSto.
