Peter Eckerle, Managing Director, StoREgio

The European Union is aiming at establishing a common European energy market. The objective is to harmonize existing national energy markets, establishing common market rules, products and trading platforms. This will be accompanied by investments into the European transportation grid infrastructure. Legal guidelines issued by the EU will set a framework for national legislation.

The German regulatory framework for the energy market is under reconstruction to support further progress towards the change to renewable energies. While still in progress some guiding ideas have already become clear. Renewable energies will have to compete increasingly with conventional generation on a price basis. New market instruments to remunerate flexibility (balancing generation and demand) may be introduced, with all flexibility options treated equally. The energy market will likely become an “Energy Only Market”, i. e. all market situations shall be managed by allowing energy prices to fluctuate freely without limitations.

Investments into energy storage systems are still limited due to the changing legal situation. However, investments into battery systems aimed at increasing self-consumption energy are booming as such investments are already becoming economically attractive. The next areas expected to become interesting are municipal storage systems and storage systems to provide grid services.

Zempachi Ogumi, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University

Storing electric energy will play a main role in the future energy systems. Among different technologies for electric energy storage rechargeable battery technology has some merits over other technologies. Their high energy density and size-flexibility permit the battery to penetrate into different area of our society; IT devices, cordless electric appliances, advanced vehicles, storage of renewable energy, and load-leveling. Battery is useful in both sides of energy supply and energy demand. Batteries, which show high energy and power densities, high durability, high safety, high reliability, low cost, are ideal ones. It is not easy to develop the ideal battery, therefore application-oriented batteries are now produced. Different applications require different performances in addition to safety, e.g., HEV requires high power and pure EV high energy density and efficiency, low cost, and durability, and electricity storage requires long life, high energy efficiency and low cost. Re-use of old batteries in different applications requires precise re-evaluation of performances of the batteries.

Gabriel Petlin, Supervisor Grid Planning & Reliability, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

California’s Global Warming Solutions Act – AB 32 (2006) set a target of reducing the state’s GHG emissions 80% below 1990 level by 2050. To achieve this ambitious level climate protection the California Public Utilities Commission oversees a suite of clean energy programs including:

1. Renewable Portfolio Standards - 33% renewables by 2020
2. Customer-side distributed generation programs - 3.2 GW installed state-wide
3. Energy efficiency - 553 MW gross load savings in 2013
4. Electric Vehicle Programs - Goal of 1.5 mm ZEVs on the road by 2025

Cecilia Tam, Deputy Vice President, Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC)

Energy storage technologies can support energy security and climate change goals by providing valuable services in developed and developing energy systems. A systems approach to energy system design will lead to more integrated and optimised energy systems. Storage technologies can help to better integrate our electricity and heat systems and can play a crucial role in energy system decarbonisation by:

• improving energy system resource use efficiency
• helping to integrate higher levels of variable renewable resources and end-use sector electrification
• supporting greater production of energy where it is consumed
• increasing energy access
• improving electricity grid stability, flexibility, reliability and resilience.