Following its presentation of the electricity market revision on Tuesday, 14 March (see EUROPE 13141/1), the European Commission provided a document with recommendations on energy storage, which it considers to have a “crucial role in decarbonising the [European] energy system, contributing to energy system integration and security of supply”. These recommendations are accompanied by a Staff Working Document that outlines the current EU regulatory, market, and financing framework for storage as well as the obstacles and opportunities for its development.
In concrete terms, the European Commission is recommending that Member States take into account the specific characteristics of energy storage when designing network charges and tariff schemes and when facilitating the granting of permits. It also encourages continuing to exploit the potential of energy storage in the design and operation of grids.
It then invites Member States to identify short-, medium-, and long-term flexibility needs and to strengthen policies that aim to effectively promote the deployment of energy storage in the framework of their updates of national energy and climate plans. Countries also need to assess their capacity needs for storage technologies.
Member States are also invited to identify gaps with respect to access to financing for energy storage and consider the potential need for financing instruments that provide long-term visibility and predictability of revenues (for example, by monetising the services provided).
Other recommendations are specifically concerned with behind-the-meter storage, the deployment of flexibility instruments on islands and in remote areas, research and development, and the up-to-date publication of data so as to facilitate investment decisions.
To see the European Commission’s recommendations: https://aeur.eu/f/5u7
To see the working document: https://aeur.eu/f/5u8 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)