Solar Trade Association report argues storage technologies are maturing fast, but the legislative landscape is struggling to keep up
The vision of households and businesses moving largely off-grid by storing solar power generated during the day for use overnight is close to becoming a reality, but the nascent sector needs to see key regulatory, economic and market barriers removed if it is to deliver on its huge potential.
That is the conclusion of a major new report from the Solar Trade Association (STA), which argues that energy storage technologies are increasingly capable of providing a wide range of services to home owners, businesses, network operators, and utilities.
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However, the report, entitled Solar + Storage Opportunities, warns the nascent sector could be undermined by a failure to quickly address regulatory barriers and establish product and installation standards to safeguard safety and quality in an emerging market.
"Storage is a game-changer for power systems and consumers around the world," said Paul Barwell, chief executive of the STA, in a statement. "Other countries are providing stimulus to their storage industries but we believe the priority in the UK is to move quickly to lay the foundations for the development of a strong, safe and sustainable energy storage industry, at all scales. The costs of storage are moving rapidly downwards, and the economics could be compelling by the time fundamental regulatory & market barriers are resolved."
The STA is now calling on the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to move quickly to address some of the regulatory issues faced by the energy storage sector. For example, there is no legal definition of storage in the UK or the EU, which the STA says has led to "perverse treatment" such as double charging - where storage is charged for both importing and exporting power, despite the clear benefits it offers.
"At the domestic scale our focus is on quality and safety for consumers, while at the larger scales the critical missing factor is the existence of marketplaces and services storage could fit into," explained STA Policy Manager David Pickup. "If government can unlock storage at all scales within a broader smart power agenda, the UK will benefit economically from both cheaper clean power and from the huge international market opening up in modern, smart power systems."
The report comes ahead of a government call for evidence on 'smart power', which follows a major report from the National Infrastructure Commission that argued smart technologies, including energy storage systems, could save consumers up to £8bn by 2030.
The STA also revealed this week it is teaming up with RenewableUK and the Electricity Storage Network to bring together experts from their respective industries for a series of 'masterclass' events on the opportunities and challenges faced by renewables-linked storage projects.
BEIS was considering a response to the new STA report at the time of going to press.
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