The 12th International Conference on the Storage of Renewable Energies (IRES2018) once again succeeded this year in uniting science, research, industry and companies at international level.
The conferences and the Energy Storage Europe trade fair provide a platform for interdisciplinary and professional exchange – for researchers and executives from the energy storage industry as well as from renewable and conventional energy companies, grid operators and utilities, representatives from the hybrid and electric vehicle sector, the construction industry, associations, politics and the financial industry. For this purpose, the IRES conference creates a space in which numerous international expert groups can meet and scientific developments and the framework conditions for the successful application of storage technologies in Germany, Europe and the world can be presented and discussed.
The fact that IRES took place again this year in North Rhine-Westphalia shows the important role of the federal state at both national and global level. Germany is facing major energy policy challenges; above all, the complete switch from nuclear and coal-fired power to 100 percent renewables in a completely new and more open economic infrastructure and the coupling of individual sectors and new technological processes must be realised. NRW is an important centre for scientific and energy policy issues as well as for existential technological issues of our time.
Our task remains to drive forward an efficient and environmentally friendly energy supply, to discover and promote new ideas, technologies and economic opportunities and to involve both industry and consumers more closely: from the expansion of the basic electrical supply, the development of sustainable mobility structures, environmentally friendly heating technology, electro-thermal conversion systems and local renewable power generation systems, to the integration of information technology and software protocols for energy distribution.
Our attention is focused on the insight that the energy transition must take place on a decentralised and local level and put people and community at the centre of attention. Cities must be designed as climate-friendly living spaces in which infrastructure, electricity and heat generation, mobility and the economy are networked and interact. In addition to an open and innovative society, this requires not only political and legal framework conditions, but also scientific and industrial intelligence, and the recognition that ethical and social action is our greatest asset in the use of science.
The IRES conference makes a significant contribution to this and was able to highlight current trends in the research, development and integration of storage technologies in 2018. More than 160 experts from all over the world presented and discussed their research results in over 15 lecture series and an extensive poster exhibition.
In line with the conference’s claim to cover all relevant storage technologies and markets, the focus ranged from batteries and thermal storage to power-to-x technologies, flexibility options and numerous contributions to concrete applications and case studies. In addition, EUROSOLAR organized a German lecture series together with EnergieAgentur.NRW, which focused primarily on the practical issues of the energy transition. In addition to the still inadequate legal and regulatory framework conditions, the main topics discussed this year were shop infrastructure for e-mobility and the use of heat storage systems in the private and industrial sector.
Together with the partner conference Energy Storage Europe, the entire spectrum of topics relating to energy storage was covered and the integrated exhibition also offered the opportunity to view and get to know the latest technologies and concepts and to make a large number of new contacts. It was and is our wish not only to inform, but to generate synergy effects and to contribute to the development of new ideas and networks.
Further impressions of this year’s event can be found in our Flickr-Account, where numerous photos can be found.
Next year, the International Conference on the Storage of Renewable Energies will again take place from 12-14 March 2019 together with the Energy Storage Europe of Messe Düsseldorf. We look forward to welcoming you at the 13th edition in Düsseldorf.
