From June 23-24, Energy Storage China 2014, the third international conference and expo on energy storage in Beijing, China, confirmed the steady growth of global energy storage results in promising opportunities in the Chinese market.
A total of 50 speakers, over 20 exhibitors and sponsors, and 518 visitors from 10 countries participated in the event in Beijing. In addition, more than 50 journalists attended the conference and published reports on-site.
The event was jointly organized by the China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA) and Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (MDS) with the support of the China National Energy Administration. The conference program included sessions and workshops on energy storage technologies as well as project visits.
The two-day conference and expo focused on the core topic “Development Opportunities of Energy Storage of New Urbanization” and discussed themes, such as “solar-plus-storage” models and solutions, the latest energy storage policies and market trends both at home and abroad, energy storage applications in smart cities, buildings and traffic systems as well as decentralized solar and energy storage systems. The development of decentralized “solar-plus-storage” driven by multiple investment and financing models, advanced energy storage technology demands and solutions, renewable energy storage technologies and renewable energy batteries were also high on the agenda.
“The theme of the conference focused on three sectors: promoting energy storage policies, pushing basic R&D technology and seeking more opportunities for energy storage applications. Through the conference, we invited global energy storage corporations and related industry players to join the discussion, creating a better platform of cooperation and exchange for everyone and promoting the industry’s development,” stated Zhang Jing, managing director, China Energy Storage Alliance.
At the opening plenary, Tina Zhang, secretary-general of CNESA, presented the Energy Storage Industry Research Whitepaper 2014: According to the energy storage project database established by the CNESA, the global energy storage industry is growing steadily despite setbacks in 2013 – such as the bankruptcy of leading companies like A123 and Xtreme Power and the shutdown of some energy storage projects.
Fully supported by Chinese and international organizations, Energy Storage China 2014 did not only invite leading Chinese experts but also renowned international experts to inform about the major policies and influences in the energy storage industry in the U.S., India and Europe, the operations of micro-grid system in California and the “solar-plus-storage” opportunities based on popularization of PV generation action plans in the U.S and Germany. The international specialists included Dr. Imre Gyuk (energy storage systems research program manager, U.S. Department of Energy), Dr. Rahul Walawalkar (founder and executive director, India Energy Storage Alliance), Janice Lin (co-founder and executive director, California Energy Storage Alliance) and Tobias Rothacher (senior manager, Energy, Environment & Resources, Germany Trade & Invest GmbH).
Dr. Imre Gyuk directs several energy storage research programs and funds in the U.S. Department of Energy, supports and manages research work related to advanced energy storage cells, FESS, super capacitors, and compressed air technologies. Presently, there are US$1.85 million incentive funds under his supervision to be applied for grid-level energy storage demonstration projects, which may enlarge energy storage capacity 10 times.
Executive Director of California Energy Storage Alliance and Chairwoman of the Global Energy Storage Alliance Executive Committee Janice Lin is an active member of different regulatory bodies in California and appointed key participant in drafting US first grid-level “Energy Storage Regulations.” She has more than 20 years professional experience in U.S. renewable energy project administration, product development and corporate strategic planning, and is dedicated to energy storage applications in the grid-level market and in the power system as well as their value orientation, and also devoted to helping all kinds of multinational companies to evaluate the market value of participating in clean energy.
During the conference, Wang Zhongying (director, Center for Renewable Energy Development, Energy Research Institute, China National Development and Reform Commission), Wang Sicheng (senior researcher, Energy Research Institute, NDRC) and Dr. Liang Hao (associate professor, CSTC of Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development), discussed the policy driven market boost for energy storage and decentralized PV in China, the impact of incentive policy for distributed PV and the opportunity of energy storage, the BIPV policies and prospects as well as key trends of the Ministry of Science and Technology supported energy storage technologies.
Energy Storage China 2014 had the strong support of both domestic and international organizations including the National Energy Administration, the German Energy Storage Association, the California Energy Storage Alliance, the India Energy Storage Alliance, Germany Trade & Invest GmbH, German Chambers of Commerce, the Independent Power Producers Forum, the China Electricity Council, the China Renewable Energy Society, the China Electrical Equipment Industry Association, the China Energy Research Society New Energy Special Committee, the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the State-Local Joint Research Center for Solar Photovoltaic Materials and Equipment.
Energy Storage China is a member of the global energy storage conference and expo series, supported by Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA) and organized by Messe Düsseldorf and its regional partners. The other events in this program include the second Energy Storage North America (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in San Jose, Calif.), the first Energy Storage Summit Japan (Nov. 6 in Tokyo), the second Energy Storage India (Dec. 3 – 5 in New Delhi) as well as the fourth Energy Storage Europe (March 9 – 11, 2015 in Düsseldorf, Germany).
The next Energy Storage China is schedule in June 2015 in Beijing.
