Unlocking the potential of long-duration storage for a net zero UK (COP26 roundtable event)
Representatives of the International Hydropower Association (IHA) will participate in this roundtable COP26 side event exploring the role of long-duration energy storage to reach net zero, hosted by SSE Renewables.
Watch the event on 3 November 2021, 9:15 - 10:45 GMT
As highlighted by the UK government in its recent Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, long-duration storage is “essential for achieving net zero”. With increasing amounts of variable renewable energy being deployed, and a shift away from unabated fossil fuels, low-carbon sources of system flexibility, including long-duration storage, stand at the core of this transformation.
Long-duration storage technologies can not only help maintain energy security but also make a zero-carbon electricity system a reality faster and at a lower cost for consumers. However, due to a combination of factors, long-duration storage faces significant barriers to deployment.
With the right policy and regulatory framework, the UK can unlock development in new pumped-hydro storage capacity, which is the most cost-effective and proven technology to deliver flexibility and storage at scale.
The roundtable event will bring together developers, policy-makers, environmentalists and experts to discuss the growing need for long-duration energy storage and what policy and regulatory changes are needed to ensure they can support the speed, scale and complexity of the net-zero transition.
The panellists at the roundtable will include:
- Malcolm Turnbull, 29th Prime Minister of Australia, IHA Board Member and Co-chair of the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower
- Eddie Rich, CEO, IHA
- Jim Smith, Managing Director, SSE Renewables
- Javier Cavada, CEO, Highview Power
- William Black, Directorate for Energy and Climate Change, Scottish Government
- Professor Keith Bell, Climate Change Committee
- Rebecca Newsom, Head of Politics, Greenpeace UK
- Ed Porter, Business Development Director, Invinity Energy Systems
- Craig Scott, Director, WaterPower and Dams, Stantec
- Andy Sloan, Managing Director, COWI UK
