French utility company EDF has a goal of 100% carbon-free power by 2050. Energy storage will be a big part of achieving that goal.
The company already has 5 gigawatts of installed grid-scale storage, but plans to increase that to 15 gigawatts by 2035. Adding the extra 10 gigawatts of storage called for by its new Energy Storage Plan will cost about $10 billion.
The plan is designed to allow EDF to keep pace with competitors such as Enel, E.ON, and Total. Of those 10 gigawatts, 6 will be industrial-scale projects that include pumped hydro storage and batteries. 4 gigawatts will consist of individual batteries for retail customers, companies, and municipalities.
In announcing its new battery storage initiative, the company said it is focusing on all segments of the energy storage market “to help ensure the smooth running of a balanced electricity system, for residential customers, businesses and countries.
Electricity storage technologies have a potential to radically change the energy sector. EDF’s Electricity Storage Plan is based on the expertise coming from all entities within EDF Group and 25 years of investment in R&D.
Storage will rival utility-scale systems in total deployed capacity by 2022. The trend toward small-scale residential and commercial storage is gaining momentum in Europe and elsewhere around the globe as battery prices continue to decline.