Energy storage is emerging as one of the fastest-growing markets in the global power sector. To explore the sector’s future and why now is the ideal time to develop skills and expertise in this field, we spoke with Bobby Smith, Director of Energy Storage Ireland, for an exclusive interview.
Energy Storage: The key piece for energy transition
“Energy storage really is the key piece of the puzzle when it comes to the energy transition,” Bobby explains. With increasing volumes of wind and solar on the grid, storing renewable electricity efficiently is what allows us to remove our reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Currently, Ireland has 1 GW of energy storage connected to the grid, but this “will grow significantly over the next decade as this is essential to integrating more solar and wind energy onto our grid”. Energy storage not only stabilises the grid, but it ensures clean power is available even “when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine”.
Challenges ahead and why they mean opportunity
There are over 10 GW of storage projects in development on the island today, with nearly half already holding planning permission. Technology is advancing fast and batteries are becoming cheaper, more efficient, and quicker to deploy.
The real challenge, according to Smith is regulation. Bobby notes that “existing market frameworks can struggle to keep up with the pace of technology development.” For example, “storage can provide a range of services, but existing market systems can be slow to adapt and allow storage to fully participate”. Thankfully, reforms are underway and, as barriers fall, investment and even more job opportunities are set to surge.
Game-changing innovation
Advances in battery storage and the emergence of new technologies are transforming how we use renewable electricity. Instead of losing excess wind or solar energies, we can now store it in large volumes and utilise it more efficiently. “This allows us to displace more and more fossil fuels, make the best use of our own renewable electricity resources and support a secure and stable energy system” Bobby says. It is a shift that give us much more flexibility in terms of how we manage our energy.
The skills needed now and in the future: employment potential
This is a very exciting and evolving sector, and it is only starting its growth trajectory, so now is a great time to get involved and build your skills. According to the Green Tech Skillnet report Charged Horizons (Jan 2024), the energy storage sector could support nearly 5,000 direct and indirect roles by 2035 across areas such as:
- Engineering
- Construction
- Consultancy
- Planning and Design
- Market/Grid Operations
Even without prior experience in the energy sector, you likely have transferable skills that, combined with practical training, can help you build expertise in power systems and technologies like energy storage.
Bobby emphasises the importance of understanding technologies which “will bring new capabilities but also new challenges in terms of integrating them onto the grid and into existing market frameworks. Going forward the system will increasingly be dominated by wind, solar, batteries and other flexible technologies and smart devices.
Managing all this requires sophisticated systems and detailed planning to ensure the lights stay on and power continues to flow to homes and businesses. The power system will be a lot more dynamic so understanding the fundamentals and ensuring electricity supply and demand are managed safely and securely is extremely important.”
The Energy Storage sector is just getting started.
Ireland is on the verge of a transformative decade in clean energy. With storage at the centre of this shift, professionals with the right skills will shape the future of our energy system.
If you’re inspired by the future Bobby Smith describes, these industry-aligned programmes can help you build the expertise to thrive in this rapidly expanding field. Now is the time to invest in your expertise.