Strong focus on energy storage in election manifestos parties
In a month there will be elections to the House of Representatives. The transition to a sustainable energy system never received as much attention as now. Energy Storage NL read the various party programs and lists the most important positions on energy storage and the electricity grid.
The programs of the following parties were read: VVD, CDA, D66, Christian Union, PVV, GroenLinks-PvdA, Party for the Animals (PvdD), SP, Volt, Forum for Democracy (FvD), JA21, SGP, 50Plus, Bij1 and BVNL. At the time of writing, a program for the New Social Contract (NSC) has not yet been published.
Importance of flexible power grid widely recognized
Many of the larger parties recognize the importance of storage in keeping our energy supply stable and affordable. From left to right, parties believe that much of the flexibility in the future should be provided by batteries and other storage technologies. Accelerated grid expansion and the application of demand-side management also play an important role. This need arises from the major challenges we already see on the grid due to increasing electrification. In addition, parties such as the VVD and CDA see an important role for the electricity and gas infrastructure in conducting green industrial policy. Christian Union explicitly mentions that hydrogen production and batteries should pay a much lower net tariff, and that the government should step in when investments in the grid can no longer be covered through tariffs.
Nuclear power is also seen by many parties as an important solution to increase the share of renewable energy. However, Party for the Animals and GroenLinks-PvdA do not see this and want the money for nuclear energy to go to further investments in the grid. D66 and Volt also think the government should invest more in grid expansions.
JA21 sees an important role for nuclear energy and also mentions the importance of energy storage. PVV, BVNL and Forum for Democracy believe that fossil energy should remain in use and advocate abolishing all climate measures.
Much attention to innovation
It is striking how many parties pay attention to innovation in energy storage in their programs. VVD, CDA, D66, Volt, SGP and BBB mention the challenges related to scarce raw materials such as lithium. They argue that the government should encourage solutions to this. They also see opportunities in the development of this sector for the Dutch manufacturing industry.
The programs focus relatively heavily on battery storage. However, parties such as D66, Volt and PvdD explicitly state that all forms of storage are needed in the energy system of the future. Volt also argues that innovation programs are needed at the European level to monitor the stability of the power grid.
Steering by location
The suitability of locations for energy storage is on the agenda of many parties. For example, BBB, Christian Union and Volt advocate that the local generation, storage and consumption of energy be done close to the source. More opportunities for this can be offered through energy cooperatives, for example by allowing citizens to co-invest and connect smarter systems. The VVD wants more government direction on locations for production and storage of sustainable energy. The Party for the Animals and the SP want the entire energy system to be in public hands to guarantee suitable locations.
Energy Storage NL is in discussion on many of these topics with members of parliament and other stakeholders such as EZK and the ACM. We also like to enter into discussions with the new Lower House in order to continue to make the sound of the sector heard and facilitate knowledge sharing on energy storage on a broad scale.
