International Meeting Point For The Energy Storage Industry: Ees Europe 2016 Opens Its Doors
Recently marks the start of ees Europe 2016. At Europe’s largest exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems, exhibitors from all around the world are set to showcase the most up-to-date products, services and solutions in renewable energy storage until June 24, 2016. This year, ees Europe is taking place in parallel with Intersolar Europe, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry and its partners.
Replacing large-scale nuclear and fossil fuel power stations, power is increasingly being supplied by decentralized, regenerative energy producers. Working in combination with these different forms of electricity generation, intelligent storage solutions play a crucial role in guaranteeing supply safety. No wonder then, that the energy storage industry is booming. This growth is also fueled by falling prices in the industry. According to a recent survey conducted by ees and Intersolar Europe together with the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar), the purchasing costs for turnkey solar storage systems for private homes have fallen by over 30% in the last 24 months, due to economies of scale and technical developments. The consequence: Domestic storage systems for solar power in particular are becoming increasingly cost-efficient, which is leading to greater investment in these technologies. Numerous companies are taking advantage of the considerable momentum in the market to expand their business – or to enter the market for the first time, such as Daimler AG for example, who announced the foundation of the Mercedes-Benz Energy GmbH at the start of June 2016. Nissan has reported entering a partnership with Eaton this year to capture the domestic storage system market, and Tesla Energy and the BMW Group have also moved into the market.
E-mobility is another important factor driving the energy storage market forward. Electric cars are not just a low-emission form of transport: As mobile energy storage units, they are one of the mainstays in the grid of the future. A few weeks ago, Norway took a pioneering step in this direction and is aiming to rely entirely on electric cars by 2025. Germany is also advocating e-mobility. The German government has set itself the target of bringing one million electric cars onto the country’s roads by 2020 and has set up an incentive program in order to achieve this. The conditions are therefore extremely favorable for ees Europe, which opens its doors today for the third time. Exhibitors are presenting their innovations, solutions and services in the area of efficient and sustainable energy storage from June 22–24.
ees Europe’s success story
ees Europe has developed impressively since 2014: Even after the exhibition recorded significant growth in 2015, the exhibition space increased again by 40% to over 12,000 sqm in 2016. Here, 213 battery and energy storage manufacturers are set to showcase their products and services – representing an increase of 35% compared with last year. Together with Intersolar Europe, which takes place at the same time, 369 of the total 1,077 exhibitors are presenting energy storage solutions. Many exhibitors have expanded their exhibition segment and are displaying an even broader range of new products, in comparison with previous years. In a remarkably short period of time, the event has established itself as a leading exhibition in Europe.
Special exhibits: Wind meets Solar and Storage and E-Mobility & Renewable Energy
Visitors can find out about the current trends in the industry at two special exhibits. At the exhibition space Wind meets Solar and Storage (hall B2, booth B2.290), researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will be demonstrating how different technologies for power generation and energy storage are connected to consumers in a smart energy system that utilizes the most up-to-date information technologies. One of the centerpieces of the special exhibit is the prototype of an energy storage device measuring almost 100 cubic meters. The exhibition demonstrates how batteries can work in combination with a PV installation and a wind turbine to guarantee the optimal supply safety and grid stability. Along these lines, sessions titled Integration Strategies and Virtual Power Plants are taking place at the Smart Renewable Energy Forum on Thursday, June 23, starting at 1:00pm (hall B2, booth B2.131).
The special exhibit E-Mobility & Renewable Energy showcases intelligent solutions for integrating electric vehicles and presents new vehicle concepts and innovative charging technologies in hall B1, booth B1.190. It plays host to innovations from companies such as Tesla, Nissan, GridSense and Parkstrom until June 24.
