Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the Energy Storage Association and 2019 Cleanie Awardee for Woman of the Year, says Federal issues remain important, but we shouldn’t ignore the actions on the ground across the US.
An energy storage system made up of ‘second life’ batteries previously used in Renault’s electric vehicle (EV) has been deployed for Umicore, a multinational materials technology company headquartered in Belgium.
EU decision-makers have recognised the key role energy storage can play, integrating it into the EU’s Clean Energy Package (CEP) in some critically important ways. Valeska Gottke at BVES looks at how Germany’s industry is working towards these same goals.
The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) has welcomed provisions in finance minister Nirmala Sitharam’s Union Budget 2020-2021 to support renewables and prioritise climate change policy, although the group hopes more will be done to support in-country manufacturing of batteries for applications including ESS.
Tesla has anticipated a solid 2020 on the renewable deployment front after its figures for 2019 proved stellar for storage installs but far less so for PV additions.
New-build solar and wind could outcompete most existing fossil fuels by 2025, while standalone energy storage also has a future in its own right, Nextera Energy executives have predicted.
Despite making huge strides forward, the energy storage industry’s work in helping stakeholders across the value chain understand the technologies and the roles they can play in a renewable energy future is far from done. Andy Colthorpe speaks with Energy Storage Association chief executive, Kelly Speakes-Backman, at the forefront of the industry’s push into unchartered regulatory, policy and public affairs matters.
