At any moment in time, electricity consumption and generation have to be perfectly matched.
This balance is necessary in all electricity grids to maintain a stable and safe supply.

Energy storage can stabilise fluctuations in demand and supply by allowing excess electricity to be saved in large quantities.

With the energy system relying increasingly on renewables, more and more energy use is electric. Energy storage therefore has a key role to play in the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen can act as  a fuel, an energy carrier to transport  and to store large quantities of  renewable-sourced  energy over long periods of time, which gives it an important role to play in the clean energy transition. 

The EU promotes several research and innovation projects on hydrogen within Horizon 2020.
These projects are managed through the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU)a joint public-private partnership supported by the European Commission that aims to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies.

More about hydrogen research

On 8 July 2020 the EU hydrogen strategy was adopted. This strategy will explore how clean hydrogen can help reduce the EU economy’s carbon emissions, and make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.

Continuous research and development is required to ensure that hydrogen technologies are technically improved, highly efficient, and as competitive as possible. EU funding framework programmes have supported research and innovation on clean hydrogen for many years, and will continue to do so in the next EU framework programme, Horizon Europe (2021-2027).

More information : “Research and innovation : key driver of the hydrogen strategy”

Batteries

With electrification set to be one of the main pathways to decarbonisation, batteries as electricity storage devices will become one of the key enablers of a low-carbon economy.

Global demand for batteries is expected to grow very rapidly over the coming years, making the market for batteries a very strategic one.

Factsheets

Research and innovation for the new batteries regulation

Research and innovation for sustainable batteries

More about batteries research