The current revolution in the energy industry towards the use of increasing amounts of renewable energy requires the targeted use of energy storage systems to guarantee security of supply and to keep the energy costs for industrial companies and consumers as low as possible. To represent the growing energy storage industry sector, at the end of September 2012 the German Energy Storage Association (Bundesverband Energiespeicher (BVES)) was established in Berlin. Its goal is to bring together the relevant decision makers in the sector, to offer expertise to policy makers and the public, to speed up the development of the market and to build a strong contact network. Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber, Speaker of the Fraunhofer-Alliance Energy and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, assumed the office of Founding President of the BVES. "Our association envisages its mission as establishing energy storage as an energy resource along with the conventional and renewable energy supply in order to introduce more efficient, reliable, low-cost and safe energy ressources. To fulfil this vision we want to support the development of a stable energy storage market in Germany, which will then also serve as a model for additional markets in Europe and worldwide," continued Prof. Dr. Weber. All companies which are involved in the production, planning, sale and operation of energy storage solutions are invited to become member companies. The interest group that is supported and represented by its members is committed to the further development of energy storage in the areas of politics, educational work, consulting and research. The work of the BVES will also involve the provision of industry information to members, as well as pushing ahead the coordination of development activities for energy storage systems in different applications.
As one of its next work steps, the Association is planning to create an "Energy Storage Roadmap" in which a clear position for the role of energy storage systems in the energy revolution, the Energiewende in Germany will be defined. Further work will be agreed upon at the occasion of the first meeting of members on March 19th, 2013 in Düsseldorf, within the scope of the Energy Storage International Summit for the Storage of Renewable Energies. Managing Director of the German Energy Storage Association is Dr. Harald Binder, who has worked in a wide range of international managerial positions, most recently as Vice President and General Manager of Applied Materials. Dr. Harald Binder is an active member of the board of trustees of the Institute of Microelectronics (IMS) in Stuttgart as well as Chairman SEMI Europe PV Group. January 2013 Contact: Bundesverband Energiespeicher (German Energy Storage Association) Dipl.-Kffr. Monika Brouwers Pariser Platz 4a, 10117 Berlin, Germany Tel.: +49-(0)-30-300145711 Fax: +49-(0)-30-300145500 Email: m.brouwers@bves.de www.bves.de
