“The road to a zero-carbon electricity system runs through long-duration energy storage – and the EU must make it a policy and political priority,” Seán Kelly MEP said today, speaking at an event in the European Parliament titled From Intermittency to Reliability: Unlocking EU Energy Security with Multi-Day Storage.
“We cannot reach our climate goals, secure our energy independence, or maintain competitiveness without a grid that can store and deliver renewable power when and where it’s needed,” Mr Kelly said. “LDES is the key to turning intermittent energy into reliable, affordable electricity.”
Kelly, who leads Fine Gael in the European Parliament and sits on the Industry and Energy Committee, warned that Europe must not delay: “We are at a pivotal moment. The work we do in this Parliamentary term will decide whether Europe is ready for a carbon-free electricity system by 2035.”
“LDES technologies – capable of storing energy for 24 hours or more – are a game-changer. They allow us to store surplus wind and solar energy and dispatch it when demand is high. This means cleaner, cheaper, and more secure power for households and businesses.”
The Ireland South MEP also called on EU policymakers to act: “If we are serious about Net Zero, we need to back up our ambition with concrete support. We need clear targets, a proper electricity market design that values flexibility, and investment signals that allow storage developers to scale up.”
“Europe cannot rely on yesterday’s tools to solve tomorrow’s problems. LDES is one of the breakthrough solutions we need – but it will only succeed if we create the right conditions.”
Kelly pointed to companies like FuturEnergy Ireland as examples of European innovation leading the way. “Irish developers like FuturEnergy Ireland are ready to build the solutions of the future. But they face real challenges – outdated grids, planning delays, market uncertainty. We need to fix that.”
“This is a wake-up call. We cannot have a serious conversation about energy security, affordability, or climate without putting LDES front and centre. Europe must lead – and that means acting now.”
Photo caption L-R: Peter Lynch (CEO, FuturEnergy Ireland), Sean Kelly (MEP for Ireland South), Matteo Jaramillo (CEO, Form Energy).
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