Yesterday, Energy Storage NL (ESNL), the advocacy group, networker and knowledge center for the Dutch energy storage industry, presented the National Energy Storage Action Plan 2023 to Dutch Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten. With the action plan, ESNL addresses the need to accelerate the energy transition through the deployment of energy storage and conversion.
With the switch from fossil to renewable energy sources, and the explosive rise in energy prices, the Netherlands faces the challenge of designing the future energy system to be sustainable, reliable and affordable. Energy storage plays a key role in addressing this challenge.
The National Energy Storage Action Plan 2023 (Nationaal Actieplan Energieopslag) 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 instance, electricity, molecules or heat will provide the flexibility needed to eventually do without fossil fuels.
The proposals address several challenges, including the lack of a legal status for energy storage, the lack of fast permit procedures, and the need for up-to-date data on the state of the grid.
According to ESNL chairman Maarten van den Heuvel, energy storage will make the Dutch system independent from other countries, ensures lower energy prices and makes fossil gas and coal power plants redundant. This will result in an acceleration of the energy transition and also address the energy crisis.
Grid 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 electricity grid, thermal storage can supply homes with heat and renewable molecules can be stored in large volumes to bridge seasons.
Lagging behind
Currently, there are still many barriers preventing the business case for storage. This causes the Netherlands to lag behind other European countries. A proactive government policy is needed, as the market cannot solve this without removing barriers, Van den Heuvel said. With the National Energy Storage Action Plan, concrete suggestions are made to the government to jointly realise the required acceleration.
Source: Energy Storage NL Photo: From left to right: Paul Baan – Proton Ventures, Jeroen Neefs – Energy Storage NL, Rob Jetten – Minister of Climate and Energy, Maarten van den Heuvel – Energy Storage NL, Dennis Schiricke – Semperpower and Siebe Geerts – HoCoSto.
