A UK trade body formed to represent the energy storage sector launched in Westminster on Wednesday (25 June).
The Energy Storage Association (ESA) is the first storage-specific renewable energy trade body for the UK market—some storage businesses (as well as many that have a dual focus on solar and storage) have membership with Solar Energy UK, which last year included policy suggestions to back UK energy storage in its advice to government, as PV and storage technologies are closely linked.
The ESA said it will be dedicated to accelerating the adoption of energy storage technologies and cited the role that storage technology will play in the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, with £25 billion in private investment expected over the next five years.
It added that it aims to “drive innovation, investment, and policy that unlock the full potential of storage solutions” and will represent “all forms of energy storage in our homes, buildings and on our energy grids, including but not limited to electrical batteries, thermal storage, pumped hydro storage and hydrogen-based storage from green hydrogen and green ammonia”.
Founding members of the new trade body are GivEnergy Limited, Sunsynk, Powervault, Octopus Energy, Keele University and Durham University. Its founder and interim CEO is Jason Howlett, GivEnergy CEO and a board advisor for solar manufacturer Solarport.
ESA will be chaired by baroness Luciana Berger who said at the launch that she is excited to hold the position to champion “a sector that is pivotal to delivering the UK’s net-zero ambitions”.
She added: “Energy storage is not just critical for balancing and stabilising a renewable-powered grid – it is also one of the biggest opportunities for investment, innovation, and leadership in the global transition to clean energy.”
The UK’s energy minister Michael Shanks will deliver the keynote address at Solar Media’s Clean Power 2030 Summits, combining the UK Solar Summit, the Wind Power Finance & Investment Summit and the Green Hydrogen Summit.
The summits will be held in London on 1-2 July. View the agenda and book tickets here—use our discount code SPP20 for a discount.
