On the 21st March, in Karlsruhe, Germany, the SUPEERA workshop “Bringing research and industry closer: accelerating innovation and uptake of new technologies. Energy storage & Solar Photovoltaics” took place.  The workshop was co-organised with EERA Joint Programmes ES and PV in the context of the Energy Conversion and Storage Days, a three-day event organised by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The aim of discussing research-industry cooperation on the topics of Energy Storage & Solar Photovoltaics technologies (PV).

The event allowed a fruitful knowledge exchange more than 70 in person and 12 online participants from diverse backgrounds, including research, local organizations, government officials, and industry representatives.

During the discussion, participants highlighted the importance of collaboration among different actors and investment from both the private and public sectors in the European energy sector. The need for diverse funding approaches to encourage private investors to invest in initial scale-up projects and support start-ups in the fields of energy storage and photovoltaics was also emphasised. Sustainability was identified as a crucial consideration, with participants suggesting exploring and promoting other energy storage technologies beyond batteries. 

The workshop also touched on the impact of individual Member States' energy policies and emphasised the essential role of collaboration among investors, research, and industry in promoting new technology solutions. The second session covered a wide range of topics, including battery partnerships, energy management systems, networking schemes, solar modules, and the benefits of research communities' involvement in solar power activities. In particular, participants stressed the importance of lobbying efforts and standardisation at the national and European level to achieve sustainable energy solutions.

The agenda was divided into two main sections, a first one dealing with best practices, barrier and replicability potential, and a second one on cross-sectoral dialogue for system solutions towards the CET objectives. At the end of each session, a panel discussion offered the opportunity to boost animated and insightful discussions.