Retrospective: Energy Storage & Distribution 2026
On Thursday, May 7, the congress Energy Storage & Distribution 2026 took place in theater DE KOM in Nieuwegein. Energy Storage NL was involved in the congress as a knowledge partner, which was entirely dedicated to the theme: from congestion to capacity.
The urgency of the topic was palpable throughout the day. With an energy system under increasing pressure, storage, distribution and flexibility were at the heart of the discussions between government, grid operators, industry and technology companies.
Storage and distribution as drivers of energy transition
The conference focused extensively on the role of energy storage in a future-proof energy system. The various forms of energy storage were discussed throughout the day: electricity storage, heat and molecule storage and how these different forms of storage collectively contribute to a robust and flexible energy system.
From battery storage and energy hubs to smart distribution networks and industrial flexibility, several speakers and panels showed that storage is no longer a supporting technology, but an essential part of tomorrow's energy infrastructure.
Led by chairman of the day Jörg Gigler, topics discussed included the increasing pressure on the power grid, the role of industry within energy hubs, large-scale storage solutions and the question of how public and private parties can realize new energy infrastructure together.
Case studies and innovation
Practical case studies also received considerable attention. These included zooming in on the Amethyst battery project in Dordrecht, the development of energy hubs within industrial clusters and innovative distribution concepts in the Port of Rotterdam.
The various examples made it clear that cooperation between industry, grid operators, technology companies and government is crucial to truly accelerate the energy transition.
ESNL on stage
On behalf of Energy Storage NL, Jeroen Neefs participated in the expert panel “Where and when does storage create system value?”. Together with representatives from EBN, Alfen and others, he discussed the role of storage in the energy system, business cases for flexibility and the conditions for further scaling up.
During this session, the five action points which ESNL handed over to Minister Van Veldhoven and State Secretary De Bat a day earlier. These action points focus on accelerating energy storage in the Netherlands and removing barriers to further growth of the sector.
The session underscored once again that energy storage plays a key role in solving grid congestion and creating a robust, flexible and affordable energy system.
With a full house, substantive discussions and plenty of room for meeting and knowledge sharing, we look back on a successful day.
