April 17: European leaders have been urged to embrace an ecosystem of battery technologies — including advanced lead batteries.

Carl Telford, research and innovation director at the Consortium for Battery Innovation, said in a recent speech at the European Parliament that decision-makers should value what exists in Europe and help companies to invest, grow and thrive.

In his speech, which the CBI posted online in full on April 10, Telford said:

“Support battery energy storage systems of all ‘flavours’, as part of an integrated and flexible energy grid — the foundation of affordable energy.”

He also called on parliamentarians to help create the best possible conditions for battery makers based in Europe to innovate and invest through proportionate regulation, access to finance and ongoing research funding.

“The European energy storage industry is already an impressive space. From Germany, to Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria and more, I have travelled and visited advanced lead battery manufacturing facilities across the continent.

“Combined, we have a pan-European multi-gigawatt production capability at our fingertips. Today. These batteries are used in a wide variety of mission-critical applications, not just car batteries but also renewable energy systems, backup power, peak shaving, nuclear power plant operation, and defence applications such as tanks or submarines.”

Telford said lead batteries are critical to European security and a key piece in the geopolitical and economic jigsaw puzzle that is the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal and the Affordable Energy Action Plan.