Batteries will clearly play a fundamental role in the electrification of the transport system. Equally, they will also play a growing role in adding flexibility into the electricity system to cope with the potential impacts of rising electric vehicle charging infrastructure as well as increasing levels of renewable generation. A flurry of innovation is underway to develop next generation battery technology that seeks to addresses challenges of cost, supply chains, safety, and energy density How will battery technologies evolve in the future? What roles will they play? Will stationary battery energy storage help defray infrastructure costs for additional charging infrastructure?
Solar and wind power costs globally have dropped rapidly during the past decade. Renewable project tender prices and feed-in tariffs are also dropping across the world. Many believe aggressive cost declines are still possible and will likely allow renewables to reach parity with conventional power very soon. How will technological development, scale of manufacturing, and local development experience build-up continue to affect costs for wind and solar? When should we expect renewable costs to become competitive with thermal generation costs? Will storage cost fall fast enough to allow system-wide costs of firm renewable power also reach parity with conventional power?