Use Cases for C&I: Providing Economic and Environmental Resilience

Recording of Tuesday, June 18, 2024 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2024 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 11:27 .

Rebekka Schuster Discusses the Critical Role of Battery Storage and C&I in Germany's Energy Transition, Highlighting Grid Challenges and Industry Concerns Over Increasing Electricity Costs

Rebekka Schuster, originally from the solar industry with 15 years of experience, discusses her journey and insights into energy transition in Germany. Around six years ago, she joined EDF focusing on battery storage which reshaped her approach towards renewable energy utilization. She highlights the importance of effective usage of generated photovoltaic (PV) power through battery storage to address grid issues and electricity costs. She emphasizes Commercial and Industrial (C&I) sectors' crucial role in the energy transition due to their significant electricity consumption—industry alone accounts for nearly 50% while C&I together make up about 70%. With increasing electrification demands projected to double current industry usage over the next decades, managing this consumption is vital. However, industrial companies express dissatisfaction towards high integration costs for renewable sources impacting their competitiveness. Rebekka underscores educating these stakeholders about cost origins including system renovation necessities like extending grids to balance regional production disparities between wind-rich north and solar-abundant south Germany. She points out that a substantial portion of electricity bills comprises grid fees essential for necessary infrastructure investments estimated around €300 billion by 2045. Addressing such financial challenges is imperative for fostering sustainable industrial operations within Germany’s evolving energy landscape.

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Speaker

Rebekka Schuster
Chief Commercial Officer Storage and C&I
EDF Renewables Storage Deutschland GmbH
Germany

Talk of session: Use Cases: New Challenges, New Opportunities - Explore the Potential

Energy storage is not an end in itself. The focus is usually on the economic benefits. Previous use cases are often not economically viable. In many cases, CAPEX and OPEX are still too high in relation to the yields. However, we are observing that the market is changing. New framework conditions and/or technical challenges offer opportunities for new types of storage use cases. The transformation of the energy system is giving rise to new use cases. For example, we are already seeing how grid bottlenecks are leading to critical conditions in the electricity grid. In response, transport grid operators are setting up battery storage systems known as grid boosters to test how they can use them to eliminate grid bottlenecks. But there are also many other storage options. This session will give you an insight into new projects and applications for storage systems.

Further Talks of this session: