EU needs better energy storage to hit energy and climate goals

Source: European Court of Auditors i, published on Monday, April 1 2019.

The EU needs better energy storage to meet its energy targets and achieve its climate objectives, according to a new briefing paper by the European Court of Auditors. The auditors identify challenges to energy storage technologies in the EU, both for the grid and transport. They warn that EU battery manufacturing capacity lags behind international competitors and might remain below the European Battery Alliance’s 2025 target.

Energy storage can help to achieve EU energy and climate goals. Energy storage technologies provide a flexible response to the imbalances caused by an increased share of variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, in the power grid. Fuels produced from renewable sources, such as renewable electricity or hydrogen, can help to reduce transport emissions; improved energy storage technology can support the expansion of the fleet of vehicles using such fuels.

The briefing paper outlines the main challenges to EU support for the development and deployment of energy storage, which the auditors found to be threefold: designing an EU strategy for energy storage, using research and innovation effectively, and establishing a supportive legislative framework.

Energy storage will play a fundamental role in achieving a low-carbon, mainly renewables-based energy system in the EU,” said Phil Wynn Owen, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the briefing paper.The EU has taken steps to develop a strategic framework for energy storage, but there is a risk that the measures taken so far will not be sufficient to achieve the EU strategic objectives for clean energy”.