Security as accelerator of energy transition: DEKRA on secure and scalable energy storage
Every month, Energy Storage NL introduces a new member to its supporters. This month we meet DEKRA Certification B.V., active worldwide in testing, inspection and certification. From their laboratory in Arnhem, DEKRA supports manufacturers, developers and market participants in the safe and reliable development of energy storage systems, charging infrastructure and battery technology. In this interview, Bram Holtus, CEO of DEKRA Certification B.V., shares how DEKRA is fulfilling its role in the energy transition and why battery safety, regulation and independent certification are essential for the large-scale rollout of energy storage.
Can you briefly explain how DEKRA is involved in the energy transition and what role energy storage and battery safety play within your services?
When product compliance and safety come into play, DEKRA quickly comes into the picture. For over 100 years, we have assessed products and processes against international standards and regulations to provide assurance of safety, quality and reliability.
From our laboratory in Arnhem, we test and certify charging systems and energy storage systems, among other things, in the broadest sense of the word. In doing so, we support manufacturers and market participants in the energy transition, in which both existing technologies and innovative applications are rapidly being scaled up.
Where before KEMA-KEUR for many parties was synonymous with security and trust, today it is the DEKRA Mark. With this label, we build on that same reputation for independence and technical expertise, but within the international DEKRA standard and global scope.
Energy storage and battery safety are crucial topics therein. We test both at the component level - such as batteries, cables, power electronics and inverters - and at the system level. This includes (high) voltage testing, short circuits, grounding, insulation, EMC and fire safety. In this way, we contribute to safe, reliable and future-proof energy solutions.
As an independent and accredited party, DEKRA helps create trust in the market and support a level playing field.
From your expertise in testing, inspection and certification: how do you support customers in the safe and reliable development and deployment of energy storage systems?
DEKRA supports customers worldwide in the safe and reliable development and deployment of energy storage systems. Due to our diverse customer portfolio, we work with a variety of technologies and applications, with needs ranging from product development to market approval and large-scale rollout.
We test not only for product safety, but also for performance requirements. In addition, we support customers with risk assessments, interoperability and grid compliance, so that systems can be proven to operate reliably within the energy system and meet relevant standards and regulations.
Energy storage and battery safety are crucial topics for DEKRA as they often involve complex systems with high energy density and thus potentially high safety impact. Failure to properly manage these risks can lead to incidents and delays in the energy transition.
In addition to manufacturers and developers, governments, grid operators, regulators and insurers also have an interest in safe and demonstrably compliant systems. As an independent and accredited party, DEKRA helps create trust in the market and support a level playing field.
Are you currently already working on concrete battery or energy storage projects? If so, what types of projects are you most likely to see (e.g., large-scale battery systems, EV batteries, or industrial applications)?
Yes, we are currently working on several concrete battery and energy storage projects, both in the Netherlands and internationally. What makes battery systems interesting is their broad applicability: from large-scale energy storage in shielded environments, such as at wind and solar farms, to mobile or temporary installations, for example at events or construction sites.
That flexibility in deployment also means that risk profiles vary widely. Depending on the application, different safety and performance requirements apply, requiring specific test scenarios and assessment frameworks.
In practice, we work extensively for industrial system manufacturers of energy storage systems, supporting them with testing, inspection and certification across the board. In addition, the Automotive sector is an important core area for DEKRA, with services in vehicle homologation, EV battery testing and performance testing at the cell level, modules and complete battery packs.
In which segments of energy storage do you currently see the most technological development and demand for certification?
We are currently seeing technology development and certification demand in multiple segments, but from the Netherlands and Europe, there is a strong focus on industrial energy storage systems, such as large-scale battery containers and BESS solutions for grid stabilization and renewable energy integration.
The home battery segment is also growing, but many of these products are developed and manufactured in East Asia. Within DEKRA, we collaborate internationally on this, for example with our colleagues in China, to support these systems towards European market approval as well.
The rising demand for certification is mainly driven by new and tightened legislation. The focus is currently on product safety, partly due to the EU Battery Regulation and, in the Netherlands, PGS 37-1. We also see an increasing focus on digital safety, partly due to the Cyber Resilience Act, and on grid compliance as a result of developments around European grid codes, such as RfG 2.0.
While this may seem complex, it helps companies tremendously if they incorporate these requirements early in their R&D and sourcing strategy. By doing so, delays and redesign at a later stage can largely be avoided.
In addition, an interesting growth segment is Vehicle-to-Grid and Vehicle-to-Home, where EV batteries take on a second function as energy storage systems. This brings new requirements in terms of safety, grid protection and interoperability.
In Arnhem, DEKRA has extensive testing facilities and is investing in new, state-of-the-art labs for battery testing and innovative energy technologies, among other things. Can you tell us more about this innovation lab and its role in battery inspections and energy storage?
DEKRA has extensive test facilities in Arnhem, and through international labs within the DEKRA network, that allow us to assess core technologies within the energy transition. These include energy storage systems, charging infrastructure and related energy technologies.
The starting point is demonstrable safety and conformity. This is a prerequisite for market access, especially when systems are used in multiple countries. From our labs, we provide the independent foundation for this through testing, inspection and certification. We also see an increasing demand for independent performance assurance, whereby not only safety but also reliability and functioning under realistic conditions are demonstrated.
To respond to the growth of battery systems in particular, we are investing in further expansion of our testing capacity in the period 2026-2027. These systems place high demands on test environments, including in terms of power, space, measurement equipment and fire safety. The expansion will enable us to conduct more and more complex test programs.
An energy storage system, especially within critical infrastructure, is more than the sum of its components. In addition to advanced testing facilities such as battery and EMC testing, the expertise of our engineers remains essential. The combination of infrastructure and knowledge is the core of our innovation lab and our contribution to safe energy storage.
What safety or quality challenges do your customers currently face when developing and implementing energy storage?
DEKRA acts as a link in the chain between producers and buyers and supports customers in demonstrating the safety and conformity of energy storage systems. In practice, we see that smaller players in particular sometimes underestimate the impact of testing according to norms and standards, both technically and in terms of time and costs. This can lead to unexpected rejection or delays in later development phases.
An important consideration is that components do not automatically exhibit the same behavior in an integrated system. For example, an inverter may be approved individually but show different interactions or loads in a system setup. Therefore, system-level testing is essential in many cases to get a realistic picture of safety and performance.
In addition, we see that technologies are not transferable one-to-one between applications. For example, a battery developed in the automotive sector cannot be readily deployed in stationary energy storage because the safety, load and usage profile requirements are fundamentally different.
Therefore, it is crucial for us to work with the customer to get the exact question and application context in focus, including what pre-compliance testing has already been done. Based on this, we can perform targeted testing and additional validation where necessary.
An energy storage system, especially within critical infrastructure, is more than the sum of its components.
How do you see the role of (international) standards and regulations evolving to make battery storage safer and more widely applicable?
DEKRA sees that standards and regulations are playing an increasingly important role worldwide in making battery storage safer and more widely applicable, but the way in which differs greatly by region. Many international standards, such as IEC standards, are fundamentally developed by and for the market itself and are often not a direct part of legislation.
In some regions, such as China and India, the government is actually more actively involved and standards and quality assurance are more often made mandatory through legislation. In Europe this is structured differently: there, CE marking remains largely based on manufacturer self-declaration, although we do see a clear shift with the EU Battery Regulation. For certain aspects of battery systems, testing by a Notified Body becomes mandatory, especially in the field of sustainability. DEKRA is actively pursuing this role as a Notified Body.
At the same time, harmonization within Europe is increasing, which is important for manufacturers who want to roll out systems in multiple countries. In practice, however, we see that legislation often has limited specificity and cannot fully keep up with innovation, for example in the field of new cell chemistries. Therefore, the role of risk-based standards, such as IEC 62933-5-2, remains essential to link safety and innovation.
In what ways can cooperation within Energy Storage NL help improve safety, quality and confidence in energy storage?
DEKRA sees cooperation within Energy Storage NL as an important enabler for accelerating safe and reliable energy storage. Solutions to grid congestion are necessary and often far-reaching, making knowledge sharing within the entire ecosystem - including governments, grid operators and insurers - essential to develop effective and proportionate measures.
Within the network, members bring together diverse perspectives and interests. That diversity is valuable because it helps connect different perspectives around a common mission: enabling safe and scalable short- and long-term energy storage.
Although large-scale incidents involving battery systems have so far been limited, safety remains a broad and evolving concept. In a highly connected and international sector, it is not only about physical risks such as fire or explosion, but also aspects such as cyber security and possible disruption of the power grid.
By pooling knowledge and sharing experiences within Energy Storage NL, the sector can jointly work toward higher quality standards, increased confidence in technology and accelerated responsible implementation of energy storage.
What was the main reason for DEKRA to become a member of Energy Storage NL? What do you hope to get out of the network and what do you want to contribute yourself?
DEKRA has long been active internationally within energy storage and battery technology, but sees an increasingly important role emerging in the Netherlands within the European energy transition. The expansion of our accredited testing facilities will allow us to further deepen our services and better meet market needs.
The Netherlands plays a pioneering role in this, thanks in part to Energy Storage NL. By joining this network, we can not only contribute to this development, but also gain valuable insights ourselves from the Dutch ecosystem of developers, users and policy makers.
From our position in the production chain, we are not always directly connected to the end user or customer. Through the network, we want to better understand that perspective so that we can even better align our testing and certification services with practical applications. In addition to safety, we also see opportunities here to contribute more to functional and performance-based system testing.
We are also exploring how we, together with partners in the network, can play a role in the areas of installation safety and life cycle management. These are topics that are partly outside our traditional scope, but where collaboration within Energy Storage NL can help to deepen and broaden knowledge.
Finally, what do you think is needed - in terms of technology, safety, regulation and cooperation - to make energy storage faster and on a larger scale possible in the Netherlands?
Within and outside the Netherlands, we see energy storage already clearly moving toward large-scale rollout, driven by falling battery prices and improving performance. As a result, the technological and economic preconditions are increasingly coming into place.
To accelerate that scale-up, however, quality, safety and compliance are preconditions. These aspects must not only be guaranteed, but also explicitly valued by investors, governments and grid operators. Independent testing and certification, such as through the DEKRA Mark, can contribute to this by increasing transparency and trust in the market.
In addition, further harmonization and clarity in regulations is important so that market parties know where they stand and innovation is not unnecessarily delayed. Policy can also play a greater role in facilitating congestion-reducing applications, such as local sharing of decentralized generation and storage. In practice, we see that such solutions are still regularly hampered by fiscal or regulatory restrictions.
By combining technological advances with clear frameworks and practical cooperation between market and government, energy storage can contribute to a reliable, flexible and sustainable energy system faster and on a larger scale.
