Tech Talk | COP29 pledge on storage and grids

The ‘Global energy storage and grids pledge’, one of eight areas of commitment at COP29, received wide support from stakeholders.

The lengthy pledge commits to a collective goal of deploying 1,500GW of energy storage in the power sector globally by 2030, more than six times the level of 2022, and to adding or refurbishing 25 million km of grids by that date and 80 million km by 2040.

Wading through the standard preamble of such documents ‘recalling’, ‘recognising’, ‘acknowledging’, ‘underscoring’ and ‘noting’ – eleven specific actions are recommended for the former while a scale up of grid investments with seven further actions is suggested for the latter.

“We welcome the ambitious COP29 grids and storage pledge and stand with our governments in working toward realising these goals,” said Dr Afif Al Yafei, CEO of TAQA Transmission and co-chair of the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) and one of the most significant backers.

“This will be one of the most significant infrastructure programmes of a generation”, continues Al Yafei.

“For success, we must streamline grid infrastructure permitting, establish regulatory environments that encourage proactive, long-term grid investments, and reinforce supply chains through collaboration and partnership.”

Have you read?
Eurelectric: six technologies to speed up Europe’s grids improvements
How do the US, EU and China’s grid priorities compare?

In his ‘Power playbook‘ column, colleague Yusuf Latief reported that energy appeared not to have received the prominence it should despite its central role in delivering net zero and the challenges of meeting investment goals.

This declaration – and the others on ‘Green energy zones and corridors’ and ‘Green digital action’ along with declarations on ‘Hydrogen’, ‘Reducing methane from organic waste’, ‘Resilient and healthy cities’, ‘Enhanced action in tourism’ and ‘Water for climate action’ – are thus to be welcomed.

Utilities for net zero

Certainly, with 45 major utilities and suppliers from across the globe and supported by IRENA, the UNEZA is very much a significant voice among stakeholders and can provide leadership in delivery.

Launched at COP28, the Alliance has nearly doubled in participation over the past year, with the further addition of the Brazilian utility CEMIG joining at COP29 ahead of the country’s activities in preparation for hosting COP30 in 2025.

Collectively these utilities serve more than 340 million customers worldwide and have a combined market cap nearing $1 trillion.

Martin Pibworth, Chief Commercial Officer at SSE and co-chair of UNEZA, said it won’t be possible for the world to succeed in efforts to treble up renewables deployment by 2030 unless an equivalent effort to build the enabling grid infrastructure and sources of flexibility like electricity storage and green hydrogen to balance a renewables-led system.

“There hasn’t been enough focus on these vital enablers to date and we are therefore delighted, as utilities responsible for delivering these investments on the ground, to add our support to that of governments around the world for the storage grids pledge.”

Energy storage ambitions

IRENA’s analysis is that investments in grids and flexibility measures need to nearly double from current levels to align with the 1.5oC pathway of a tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling of energy efficiency by 2030, requiring an average of US$717 billion per year between 2024 and 2030.

This pathway also dictates the 1,500GW energy storage capacity target for 2030.

To achieve this, actions proposed include establishing policies and regulatory frameworks that facilitate the adoption of energy storage, including accounting for energy storage as a necessary component for grid enhancement and strengthening the capabilities of countries and regions in planning integrated energy systems to appropriately incorporate different energy storage options at different scales of the energy system.

Others are to promote technology development and deployment to increase storage efficiency and reduce storage costs through technology improvements and to promote investments in energy storage technologies.

Supply chains for materials and components needed for energy storage should be diversified, standardisation should be encouraged and international collaboration should be strengthened in these areas.

COP29: Pledge to develop the grids

The actions proposed for the grids are:

1. Modernise and expand infrastructure: Increase transmission and distribution capacity of existing infrastructure and incorporate grid-enhancing technologies while using batteries strategically to avoid costly and unnecessary grid expansion;
2. Address bottlenecks: Develop policies to address planning, financing, regulatory incentives, digitalisation, supply chains and capacity building to overcome grid investment challenges;
3. Support the integration of renewables: Promote grid infrastructure that can accommodate the increasing volume of renewable and low-emission/clean energy projects and reduce the backlog of projects waiting to be connected to the grid;
4. Promote regional integration: Integrate electricity systems at a regional level and between countries to enhance energy security and resilience, improve access to clean electricity, and increase efficiency through economies of scale;
5. Invest in advanced technologies: Increase investments in HVDC transmission to reduce power losses and support the integration of variable renewable and low-emission/clean energy;
6. Strengthen international cooperation: Partner with international financial institutions, public and private sector stakeholders, and other relevant stakeholders to address critical bottlenecks, including cross-border interconnections, and build momentum on grid modernisation.
7. Promote social awareness and skills: Strengthen social awareness about the role and benefits of grids, increasing education, training and job creation in this field.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

Follow me on LinkedIn