EES EUROPE 2020: EES EUROPE 2020: ENERGY STORAGE FOR COMPANIES – SAVING CO2, MAINTAINING AN IMAGE AND REDUCING COSTS

Munich/Pforzheim, February 4, 2020: Coca-Cola is doing it, IKEA and Lidl are doing it, and so are Sony, Schneider Electric and Deutsche Telekom – they’re all among the (currently 796) companies from around the world who are taking part in the Science Based Targets Initiative. All of these companies have set themselves a science-based climate target in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C or well under 2°C. Storage systems can play a key role here, as they improve the utilization of renewable energy and thus make an important contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions. From June 17 to 19, 2020, ees Europe, the continent’s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems, is set to showcase a wide range of market-ready energy storage systems at Messe München and highlight the progress made by the storage industry as a whole over the past few years. The exhibition is part of The smarter E Europe, the innovation hub for new energy solutions.

By implementing measures to reduce their carbon emissions, the companies taking part in the initiative are not just protecting the climate – they’re also making a profit. For example, 55 percent of managers are reporting competitive advantages as a result of their commitment to the climate, while 79 percent say an improved brand reputation has been their biggest economic advantage. Moreover, 52 percent are finding that investors have greater trust in them, and 63 percent say that they are driving innovation as a result of their climate targets. The potential of reducing carbon emissions and the economic benefits of using intelligent energy storage systems are so great that innovative solutions are now being implemented in numerous areas across a variety of economic sectors.

Reducing carbon emissions with the help of energy storage systems
In the world of agriculture, for example, Rolls-Royce is offering decentralized energy solutions with its brand MTU. At the heart of the systems is an MTU EnergyPack, a battery container complete with an intelligent microgrid control system. The solutions allow renewable energy sources like photovoltaic and biogas installations and gas and diesel generators to be combined into an independent microgrid and optimally coordinated both technically and financially. Farmers could use these solutions to lower their carbon emissions and reduce their dependency on the power grid. The Norwegian fish farming company Kvarøy has begun using a large-scale storage system manufactured by Tesvolt at its salmon farm off the coast of the island of Selsøyvær in the Norwegian Sea. On board the floating control platform, lithium batteries with a total storage capacity of 158 kilowatt hours (kWh) reduce the company’s diesel generators’ operating time from 24 hours a day to just three. In the 18 months it takes to breed a generation of salmon, the company manages to save between 150,000 and 200,000 euros in operating costs while reducing its carbon footprint at the same time.

In the tourism industry, too, the combination of renewable energy and storage systems is proving positive not only for climate protection, but also for marketing purposes. Haffhus Hotel & Ferienanlage, an eco-resort located on Szczecin Lagoon, uses a system with a battery capacity of almost 500 kWh. The battery is fed by a 150-kWp solar installation, a 25-kW biomass plant and a 2 x 5.5-kW thermal biogas system. As a climate-neutral hotel having achieved the highest GreenSign certification level, Haffhus also promotes e-mobility: all company cars are electric, while visitors can charge their vehicles on site, make use of electric bikes and tour the area using electric boats.

Strong growth is expected to drive forward behind-the-meter (BTM) commercial and industrial storage systems, according to Julian Jansen, Senior Analyst for energy storage systems at IHS. This is especially true for Germany and the United Kingdom, he says, forecasting annual growth rates of up to 35 percent. The storage industry can therefore look forward to a dynamic market over the long term.

Carbon-optimized storage system production
The energy industry has come to understand that it’s not enough to simply use batteries on their quest to become carbon neutral – the battery production process also needs to be optimized in terms of carbon emission reductions. The battery manufacturer “Northvolt”, for example, wants to manufacture the world’s greenest battery using hydropower from the north of Sweden. Its plant in Skellefteå is operated using electricity from hydropower, with excess heat stored and fed into the local power grid. The raw materials used for the batteries are obtained from reliable, secure sources. From 2024 onwards, the company intends to supply more than 400,000 car batteries each year.

In Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the company Tesvolt, which manufactures electricity storage systems for industry and commerce, is constructing a Gigafactory for battery storage systems with a completely carbon-neutral production process. It intends to use an on-site photovoltaic installation with an output of 200 kWp to supply the electricity needed for the storage production process and the offices, storing any excess electricity in its own batteries with a capacity of 350 kWh, and to cover its heating requirements using solar power. Tesvolt is also deploying innovative high-temperature heat pump technology that uses natural refrigerants only.
In addition to electric power, storage systems are one of the most important steps towards achieving climate protection targets. Without energy storage, the energy transition would fail. Those interested can find out more about this topic at ees Europe, the continent’s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems, where market leaders and the most innovative companies in the storage industry are set to present their solutions and business ideas from June 17 to 19, 2020.

Image source: © Solar Promotion GmbH
Picture caption: Save the Date – ees Europe 2020

ees Europe and the parallel exhibitions Intersolar Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM- Power will all take place from June 17 to 19, 2020 as part of the innovation hub The smarter E Europe at Messe München.

For more information, please visit:
www.ees-europe.com/en
www.TheSmarterE.de/en

ees Europe
ees Europe is the continent’s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems. It has been held annually at the Messe München exhibition center in Munich, Germany, since 2014. Under the motto “Innovating energy storage!” the yearly event brings together manufacturers, distributors, users and suppliers of stationary storage solutions and technologies for electrical energy as well as battery production technologies.

The accompanying ees Europe Conference highlights and consolidates current industry issues. With additional events in San Diego, Bangalore and São Paulo, ees is represented on four continents.

Power2Drive Europe, the international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility, will take place in parallel to ees Europe for the third time in 2020. With its focus on solutions and technologies for clean transportation, Power2Drive complements ees Europe perfectly. Intersolar Europe, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry, and EM-Power, the exhibition for the intelligent use of energy in industry and buildings, will also take place at the same time. All four exhibitions are held at The smarter E Europe – the innovation hub for new energy solutions.

For more information on ees Europe, please visit: www.ees-europe.com/en

ees Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).