Batteries must play a crucial role in tackling the climate crisis | Economy

To achieve the climate goals, we must ensure that we use less and less fossil fuels to generate energy. For example, coal-fired power stations must be replaced by wind farms or solar panels.

But there is a risk in that. On days without wind and sun we have too little electricity. Batteries will play a crucial role in this in the coming years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts in a report published on Thursday.

The yield of sustainable energy sources varies. On sunny days, the yield of solar panels is greatest around noon. But we use the most power around 6 p.m. Then people come home from work, they cook and electric cars are charged.

Batteries can store the energy generated around noon so that there is sufficient power in the evening. This prevents, for example, a coal or gas power plant from having to be started in the evening, resulting in all the CO2 emissions.

For that reason, there is a need for 9 gigawatts of energy storage in our country alone, grid operator TenneT previously told NU.nl. This requires gigantic batteries to be installed in various places in our country.

In the past, batteries were mainly associated with electronics, such as smartphones and laptops. But 90 percent of all batteries now being made are intended for the transport and energy sectors, according to the IEA.

In 2023 alone, 42 gigawatts of energy storage will be added worldwide, according to the IEA. For comparison: 1 gigawatt can supply approximately one million households with electricity.

But we are far from there yet, the IEA warns. To meet climate targets and keep energy grids stable, the amount of batteries currently used by the transport and energy sectors must increase sixfold by 2030.

For example, batteries must provide 90 percent of global energy storage by that year. The remaining 10 percent comes from energy storage in hydropower plant reservoirs.