The Energy Storage Policy Masterclass brought together leading experts in energy storage in March 2023.

The need for Net Zero is clear to most. The “Energy Sector” is not the only contributor to man-made greenhouse gas emissions but ultimately it is the way that we use energy that dominates these emissions.

Low/zero carbon generation such as wind turbines, PV panels, nuclear power, natural hydro and related renewable-energy generators are clearly essential to our transition to net zero emissions. This was recognised early and put incentives in place that have been hugely successful in driving down generation costs, shortening project timescales and eliciting private investment. The UK’s CfD has been a particularly noteworthy success.

As the penetration of low-carbon generation rises in the electricity system, a different challenge is revealed – how to ensure that the energy consumer receives the energy when and where it is wanted. Coal, oil and gas gave us flexibility at very low cost and that flexibility is not easy to replace. Energy storage is one of the main solutions to the problem of reconciling supply and demand. The state of policy development around energy storage is very far behind where it should be to meet political commitments, including UK’s net zero grid target of 2035.

This event, which took place at IMECHE in London on 21st March, set out to expose some of the main issues behind why the policies around energy storage and the other flexibility technologies are less developed than they might be. The key objective was to unearth and to share what possible directions exist and what good practice is already established that can be adopted more broadly.

Michael Liebreich is an acknowledged thought leader on clean energy, mobility, technology, climate, sustainability and finance. He is the founder and senior contributor to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a member of numerous industry, governmental and multilateral advisory boards, an angel investor, a former member of the board of Transport for London, and an Advisor to the UK Board of Trade.

This event was kindly supported by the following organisations:

You can download all presentations and view video from the event below. Please note that some of the videos are quite large so please allow a few seconds for them to display.

09:15 – 09:30 Opening remarks by the event Chair, Michael Liebreich

09:30 – 11:00

11:00 – 11:30 Break

11:30 – 13:00

13:00 – 13:45 Break

13:45 – 15:15 Semi-structured discussion

15:15 – 15:30 Break

15:30 – 17:00 Plenary discussion and summary outcomes

if you would like to join the discussion around energy storage and policy, and want to be kept informed of future events and reports on this subject, please email us with your details and your interest in energy storage.