Involve energy suppliers more!

Energy suppliers should demand clear economic and legal framework conditions from politicians – and support the research and development of new storage technologies.

Energy suppliers can make two important contributions to the spread of energy storage solutions. On the one hand, they should make it clear to politicians that long-term investments will only be made once the economic and legal framework conditions for energy storage have been clarified.

On the other, energy suppliers should support the research and development of new storage technologies. As the current operators of energy storage systems, energy suppliers have valuable experience in the planning, construction and operation of storage facilities that so far has hardly been shared with the research and development community. The targeted involvement of energy suppliers in the management of research and development projects will ensure that the storage technologies investigated can be implemented and operated profitably.

All information provided on these pages corresponds to the status of knowledge as of 17.11.2019.
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Building owners
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Energy grids
Energy provision
Energy storage
Energy suppliers
Europe / EU
Feed-in renumeration
Financing
Gas / hydrogen
Geoenergy
Guidance
Heat pump
Heating
Households
Housing
Hydropower
Import
Incentives
Industry
Information / communication
Innovation
Investment
Investors (outside creditors)
Just distribution
Knowledge and technology transfer
Landscape
Liberalisation / market opening
Market
Methane / methanation
Mobility
Multipliers
Participation
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Planning
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Power-to-X
Price
Prosumers
Public administration
Recyclable material
Recycling
Regulation
Resources
Risk
Sector coupling
Self-consumption
Smart meter
Standard of living
Steering / promotion
Sufficiency
Supply security
Sustainability
Tariff
Transport
Waste
Water fee
Wind energy
Wood
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Summary

Core messages

Introduction Technology with great potential

In future, electricity production will become more volatile. This is because nuclear power plants are to be shut down while, at the same time, wind and solar energy plants are being expanded. To ensure that the electricity supply is guaranteed at all times – even in the event of irregular production – large electricity storage systems are required. Adiabatic compressed air energy storage (CAES) plants are ideal as they are efficient, technically feasible and environmentally friendly.

Challenges Technical, structural and environmental challenges

Where could compressed air energy storage (CAES) facilities be built? Which machinery could be used? And how does the compressed air energy storage plant compare from an environmental perspective with other technologies?

Challenges Economic challenges

Questions still remain about the financing of compressed air energy storage. While it is estimated that the cost of capital per kWh is lower than that of pumped-storage systems, it is not yet clear whether compressed air energy storage plants can be profitable.

Recommendations

With regard to adiabatic compressed air storage, the facts are known: the technology is environmentally friendly, efficient and safe. To help it to achieve a break through, however, further measures are needed, especially from politicians, energy suppliers and associations.

All information provided on these pages corresponds to the status of knowledge as of 17.11.2019. Publication details