The German Energy Storage Association (BVES) presented the latest market figures at the trade fair and confirmed the positive development as well as the increasing importance of the energy storage industry. Sales revenues increased by nine per cent to five billion euros. The industry also reported an increase of nine per cent in the number of employees to 12,100. They primarily work in the segments of large & industrial batteries (33 %), heat storage (33 %) and home storage (21 %).
Video with exhibitor comments: https://video.messe-duesseldorf.de/7815
Minister of Economics and Energy, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart: “Storage facilities are decisive for the success of the energy system transformation. They make an important contribution to the flexibilisation and integration of increasing proportions of renewable energies and contribute to the security of supply. Energy Storage Europe, the leading international trade fair for energy storage, presents the entire range of technologies and applications and provides important approaches to solutions. Especially for the energy state of North Rhine-Westphalia, these innovations are of particular importance.”
“Storage facilities pave the way for multiple success: For the energy system transformation, at the same time for a stable energy system and finally for a sustainable economic development. As part of the World of Energy Storage, Energy Storage Europe is the industry's connecting point that effortlessly brings together both regional and international developments,” adds Urban Windelen, Federal Managing Director of the German Energy Storage Association (BVES).
B2B orientation is strengthened through trade fair cooperations
Energy Storage Europe is consistently pursuing its focus on B2B with energy storage systems, and it has once more reached a share of trade visitors of 99 %. Around 40% of the visitors come from abroad. The spectrum of presented solutions, technologies and applications increased again this year. The conferences were supplemented by free special presentations that specifically addressed the needs of users.
Hans Werner Reinhard, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf: “As one of the world's leading trade fair companies for B2B, we are putting the focus on energy storage for the exhibitors and the visitors of our leading trade fairs. In this way, we help our partners and customers to reduce their electricity costs and emissions and improve power quality.” Reinhard continues: “For energy storage providers and especially for the exhibitors at Energy Storage Europe, the increased user interest – completely in line with the business orientation of the trade fair – means more attention for their solutions and products.“
From home storage to charging infrastructure, right up to flexible sector coupling
The technological spectrum of Energy Storage Europe was also reflected in the conference programme of the 8th Energy Storage Europe Conference (ESE) of Messe Düsseldorf and the 13th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES) of EUROSOLAR e.V. In addition to battery storage, power-to-X concepts and mobility infrastructure solutions, thermal storage was the focal point of various sessions this year. Thereby, also numerous innovative approaches were addressed such as heat storage within the scope of flexible sector coupling as well as power-to-heat solutions based on thermochemical processes.
Prof. Peter Droege, President of EUROSOLAR, expressed his satisfaction: “The International Renewable Energy Storage (IRES) Conference is the world's largest and most significant scientific storage conference. We are proud that IRES with its faithful partner, ‘ESE', has gained further importance and scientific influence”.
Another important part of IRES 2019 was a series of German-language lectures organised by EUROSOLAR e.V. in cooperation with the EnergyAgency.NRW. Under the moderation of Prof. Dr. Dirk Uwe Sauer (RWTH Aachen) and IRES Conference Chair Prof. Dr. Ingo Stadler (TH Cologne), the participants discussed, for example, the perspectives of flexibility options in the distribution network and the use of large storage facilities for electricity, gas and heat in Germany and around the world.
Prof. Dr. Ingo Stadler called for action in his closing statement for IRES: “Let us maintain and strengthen the pressure on the political arena in order to create an appropriate framework for the implementation of energy change in general and energy storage in particular”.
