The German Energy Storage Association (BVES) has experienced a growth in membership in recent weeks demonstrating an increased interest in energy storage, the organisation claims.
The BVES, established in September last year, said that over 30 enterprises have been added to its list of members including companies and research institutes such as Fraunhofer IWS Dresden, NEC Europe, Gildemeister Energy Solutions, Hochtief Solutions AG, SMA Solar Technology AG, Clariant, GP Joule, Power One and Vattenfall.
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“This huge demand for membership clearly demonstrates that the growing energy storage business sector is looking for organised, professional representation at a national level,” said Founding President of the BVES Dr Eicke Weber.
Last month, market intelligence company NanoMarkets released a report Solar Storage 2013 which forecast the global solar energy storage systems market to be worth US$2 billion by 2018, which Dr Eicke Weber called a “conservative estimate”.
NanoMarkets attributed the surge in popularity for storage technologies to reduced subsidies making the self-consumption of solar power more valuable than exporting; therefore, storing energy becomes a much more attractive option.
Weber said the association is aiming to bring together all relevant decision makers in the industry and to drive forward market development. The BVES has said the skills and knowledge of its members are already in demand at a number of professional bodies.
“The institutions and member companies have wide ranging expertise on all aspects of energy storage technology, and they can share this expertise with the political decision-makers,” said Weber.
As part of its activities, the BVES advises committees at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology; the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Energy of the State of Baden-Württemberg.
The first BVES information and general meeting is to be held on 19 March 2013, as part of the Energy Storage Summit in Düsseldorf. Items on the agenda include forming further working groups, developing an action plan and examining the role of energy storage in the context of the national energy policy roadmap. The event is also open to non-members and will be followed by a joint evening event.