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Energy Storage Symposium – 50 Years ES TCP

50 Years of Innovation in Energy Storage – Unlocking the Potential of Energy Storage

At a glance

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Energy Storage TCP co-organized a high-level international symposium with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The event brought together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and international experts to reflect on five decades of innovation in energy storage and to explore how storage technologies will unlock the next phase of the global energy transition.

The dominant conclusions were that energy storage in any form has currently become a key technology to enable a decarbonized energy system. Without energy storage, the transformation to move away from fossil fuels in the industry, built environment and electricity sector will stagnate. Against that background, new insights from the IEA to show the huge potential of thermal energy storage strengthened that message.

👉 Download the presentations below and explore the insights shared during the symposium.

About the symposium

The Energy Storage TCP and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) jointly organized a one-day symposium focusing on energy storage technologies—thermal, electrical and molecular—to mark the 50th anniversary of the Energy Storage TCP. This milestone represents half a century of international collaboration in research, development, and deployment of energy storage. Under the theme “50 Years of Innovation in Energy Storage: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Storage”, the symposium brought together the global energy storage community to reflect on past achievements and future ambitions.

Participants from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Turkey, Japan, the United States, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom attended the event, underlining the strong international foundation of the Energy Storage TCP.

Today, energy storage has become a key enabling technology for integrating variable renewable energy sources and balancing supply and demand. As emphasized by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, there will be no successful energy transition without energy storage. Against this backdrop, the symposium provided a timely and comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future of energy storage and its role in delivering urgently needed flexibility across energy systems.

Highlights of the program

Find the full program here.

The symposium opened with an interview with the Dutch Minister of Climate & Green Growth, Sophie Hermans, who shared insights on Dutch energy storage policy, the strategic importance of storage for the energy transition, and the value of international cooperation. This was followed by a retrospective presentation by Halime Paksoy, former Chair of the IEA Energy Storage TCP, reflecting on the early days and evolution of the TCP.

After the coffee break, Andreas Hauer (BVES) and Joris de Groot (Alliander) presented complementary international and Dutch perspectives on the role of energy storage within the energy system. The morning session concluded with an overview of currently running Energy Storage TCP tasks, presented by the current Chair Bert Gysen.

Throughout the day, the Dutch energy storage association ESNL hosted a lively “storage market” during the breaks, showcasing Dutch energy storage companies and creating valuable networking opportunities for international experts, sector specialists, policymakers, and industry representatives.

The afternoon program started with a keynote by Elisa Asmelash (IEA), highlighting ongoing IEA work on energy storage and previewing forthcoming publications, including Electrification Pathways for Industrial Heat. This was followed by an engaging overview of energy storage technologies by Joris Koornneef (TNO).

Demand-side perspectives featured prominently in the program. Nienke Homan (VNCI) addressed the role of energy storage in industry, while a panel discussion on the built environment brought together experts from multiple IEA TCPs: Paul Ramsak (IEA Geothermal TCP), Nicole Kerkhof-Damen (IEA TCP ISGAN), and Daniël van Rijn (IEA TCP EBC). Social aspects were explored by Helena Gerard (VITO), and the European policy perspective was addressed in a keynote by Balasz Jozsa (DG ENER, European Commission).

A forward-looking panel discussion, moderated by Gerrit-Jan Schaeffer, focused on the actions and priorities the Energy Storage TCP can take in the coming years. The symposium concluded with an inspiring keynote by Diederik Samsom, former Head of Cabinet of the European Union and the EU Green Deal, emphasizing the urgency of accelerating the energy transition through innovation and collaboration.

Explore the content

📥 Download the presentations to dive deeper into the insights shared during the symposium:

 🌍 Discover how energy storage enables the energy transition across sectors and regions.
 🤝 Learn more about the work of the IEA Energy Storage TCP and how international collaboration continues to drive innovation.