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What should large-scale (seasonal) storage of sustainable energy look like in 2030 in order to achieve low-emission and reliable energy supply?

This was the main focus of the Roundtable on large-scale energy storage on the 30th of May, which was jointly organised by FME / Energy Storage NL and NLengineers. Nineteen experts and stakeholders from knowledge institutes, governments, and companies shared their ideas about large-scale energy storage and the road to its realisation.

A selection of the Roundtable’s striking outcomes:

  • A thorough social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) is required to maximise the value of storage during the energy transition;
  • By extension, a new market model that attributes value to (local) flexibility is required;
  • If electrification continues to make progress, converting sustainable electricity into gas may become interesting for the purpose of seasonal storage;
  • Uncertainty remains about the best location for storage in the energy system – by the source, centralised, or decentralised. A thorough social cost-benefit analysis could yield better understanding.
  • To prevent future blackouts at times of reduced wind and sunshine, the Netherlands should start with the demonstration and implementation of large-scale storage.
  • Real breakthroughs will require continued and extensive research. The subject should be pushed higher up the Dutch National Research Agenda.

An expert paper will converge the outcomes of the Roundtable into a shared vision and action plan. By means of this expert paper, the industry and knowledge sector explain which steps need to be taken in order to maximise storage value for an effective energy transition. NLengineers and FME / Energy Storage NL will continue to give expression to their shared vision in follow-up of the publication of the 2015 whitepaper of NLengineers and Delft University of Technology. This whitepaper was meant as wake-up call for the Netherlands, and intends to trigger timely development of large-volume energy storage. The whitepaper provoked much response on the LinkedIn Group of Energy Storage NL, kick-starting the debate about large-scale energy storage.

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