Energy storage roadmap released at ninth IRENA Council meeting

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., 09 June 2015 - A new ground-breaking report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) provides clear direction on how to advance storage systems as part of the infrastructure for a sustainable energy future. Renewables and Electricity Storage, released today on the side lines of IRENAs ninth Council meeting, prioritizes 14 action items across five priority areas where governments and industry can work together to facilitate the development of policies on electricity storage for renewables. The report is part of IRENAs REmap 2030 program.

To avoid the worst effects of climate change and accelerate sustainable energy transformation and economic growth, IRENAs REmap 2030 report finds the share of renewables in the electricity sector must double to 45 per cent by 2030. To do so, an estimated 150 GW of battery storage and 325 GW of pumped-storage hydroelec­tricity will be needed, making storage a vital element in the expansion of renewable energy.

"Now is the time to think about integrating large-scale battery storage into the global energy system," said IRENA Director-General Adnan-Z Amin. "This roadmap is a starting point for all policy makers seeking to integrate greater storage capabilities, which is necessary to ensure the world is ready for the next phase of growth for renewable power systems."

The five priority areas identified include electricity storage to support renewables in islands and remote areas, consumer-located storage for self-consumption in countries with high shares of rooftop solar PV systems, generator and grid-located storage for countries with grid infrastructure constraints and system analysis tools for countries preparing to transition their power sector towards renewables.

The roadmap is the product of four stakeholder workshops involving more than 200 electricity storage experts from 50 countries.

"The value of this roadmap is that it brought together policy makers from across the globe with the leading industry experts and academics," said Chairperson of the Global Energy Storage Alliance Janice Lin. "At every workshop, we were asked to prioritize and refine our assessments. The roadmap is truly a product of international cooperation."

Download the full storage roadmap: http://ow.ly/O42kB
Video interviews from the storage workshops: http://ow.ly/O12XK
Storage workshop photos: http://ow.ly/O3uxH

Graphic from the Renewables and Electricity Storage report