Following years of transitions and uncertainty, electricity markets have been confronted with a trend towards renewable energy sources, and a reduction of nuclear energy and coal more recently. Making supply and demand meet will inevitably become more challenging: future energy supply will fluctuate too much and too quickly, and electricity will be fed in the traditionally weak ends of existing networks.

Energy storage is one of the measures that meets a growing need for operational flexibility, both on the side of demand and of supply. Furthermore, energy storage offers a means to increase network capacity.

A few years ago, Franc realised that variability and uncertainty will become the issues of the future. Under the motto “energy storage buys time and saves copper,” with all his might and with international partners he focuses on the development of decentralised subsoil energy storage that is based on compressed air. His broad experience in sustainable technology development, innovation processes, and economical modelling is a valuable asset in manoeuvring the complexities of the subject.