Summary of Flow Batteries Europe's Manifesto Webinar

28 May 2024:

On May 21, 2024, Flow Batteries Europe hosted a pivotal webinar titled “Accelerating Europe’s Green Transition: The Crucial Role of Flow Batteries” in anticipation of the upcoming EU elections in June 2024.

The event served as a platform for industry stakeholders and policymakers to engage in a comprehensive dialogue about the future of the flow battery sector and its critical role in Europe’s green transition.

Over 100 people attended the webinar which brought together a range of profiles from industry experts to beginners to the flow battery sector.

Webinar summary:
The webinar first addressed how flow battery technology functions as an energy-storge medium, which offers a flexible design of power & energy. Its various applications were also looked at (Integration of renewable energy sources, peak shifting/peak shaping of a load or generation and more).

Following this, 5 crucial steps to integrate flow batteries in Europe’s green transition were discussed which included presentations on:

Supporting local manufacturing of flow batteries and the formation of the supply chain.

Facilitating flow battery deployment through regulatory certainty

Increasing financial support for R&D and incentivise the development of LDES systems

Increasing the bankability of the LDES technologies

Incentivising the efficient connection of renewables and energy storage to the grid

Perspective from the flow battery community at the webinar:
The participants deemed that competitiveness was seen as the factor which matters most in driving the growth of flow battery manufacturing in Europe. In order to compete on the market, decreasing costs associated with the production of flow batteries would be needed (see poll result below).

The participants felt that supporting local manufacturing of flow batteries and the formation of the supply chain was the most important request in the manifesto. To scale the flow battery production and for components there is a clear need for improved supply chains and improved manufacturing in terms of scale and cost.

Increasing the bankability of the LDES technologies was seen as the second most important request (see poll result below). Flow Batteries should be the best choice for LDES on an equal playing field and LDES battery manufacturers need to accelerate growth and reduce structural costs to compete with other batteries in regulated and deregulated markets.

Conclusion:
The webinar concluded with Anthony Price, FBE Secretary-General calling on all flow battery stakeholders to collaborate and support the initiatives outlined in the manifesto.

In addition, participants were encouraged to register for further discussions at the International Flow Battery Forum (IFBF) in June 2024 and to continue engaging in efforts to propel the flow battery sector forward.

Speakers: