In 2015 the International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES) will take place for the first time in collaboration with Messe Düsseldorf and OTTI e.V.

The series of IRES conferences has emerged as the leading forum for the discussion of the pressing problems with renewable energy storage by drawing together one of the largest gatherings of scientific and economic experts worldwide.
Now the participants can choose from even more extensive options. Running in Düsseldorf for the first time, IRES 2015 is being held as a concurrent event with ENERGY STORAGE EUROPE (Conference & Expo) and the 4th Conference Power-to-Gas Conference (OTTI e.V.). Furthermore, there will be a tradeshow with approx. 80 exhibitors.
The three conferences and the exhibition will take place March 9 - 11, 2015 in the professional surroundings of Messe Düsseldorf (Trade Fair Dusseldorf), Germany. Combining their events, the organizers, thereby, will be establishing the most important Energy Storage meeting worldwide.

Day one of the conference is being jointly organized and will be offering an excellent overview of all relevant topics. Days two and three are being separately organized by either partner. The IRES symposium continues to be the meeting to present scientific results. Particularly the interfaces between the different energy sectors (electricity, heat, gas, mobility) will be thoroughly analyzed. The conference program will include presentations and lectures from around the world, selected by an international scientific steering committee from the papers submitted for consideration during this Call for Abstracts.

Selected full papers will be published on the Elsevier online platform Energy Procedia and in the EUROSOLAR quarterly “Solarzeitalter” and, thereby, will achieve high visibility. The best papers will be considered for publication in the new peer-reviewed Elsevier journal „Journal of Energy Storage“ to be launched in 2015. The IRES conference is further developing its presentation of the scientific state of the art and will present a well founded and comprehensive platform for the presentation of your findings.

Summary of important dates
September 1, 2014 – Deadline for submission of abstracts
October 30, 2014 – End of cursory review (abstracts)
February 1, 2015 – Deadline for submission of fullpapers

More information at http://www.eurosolar.de/en/index.php/ires-conference-series

EU Sustainable Energy Week

The EU Sustainable Energy Week will take place on June 23-27, 2014.

Launched in 2006 as an initiative of the European Commission, the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) has become a reference point for public authorities, energy agencies, private companies, NGOs and industry associations engaged in helping to meet the EU’s energy and climate goals. For those interested in renewable and efficient energy, this event has become unmissable.

More information at http://www.eusew.eu/

Survey to identify existing regulations in force in EU on Li-ion battery systems

Period of consultation: From 02.04.2014 to 19.04.2014

Objective of the consultation:
In relation with the initiative developed by the EU FP7 project STABALID, you are invited to take part in this survey to provide information to identify existing regulations in force in EU on Li-ion battery systems.

ALIA2 largescale electric power storage project moves ahead in Basque region

The ALIA2 large scale power storage project led by Iberdrola subsidiary Iberdrola Ingeniería has successfully completed its first stage, with the design and construction of a system based on lithium-ion capable of storing up to 150 kW.

The ultimate goal of this initiative, which was launched in 2010, is to build a storage system based on lithium-ion with a capacity of several megawatts/hour that will be capable of delivering an amount of power five times greater than the energy stored in only 10 minutes, and will be the most powerful and reliable system available on the market when it comes into operation.

For the last three years, the Basque regional government, through the business development agency (SPRI), has been backing this project with funding channelled through research centers including IK4-CIDETEC and IK4-IKERLAN.

Other participants in the project consortium include the Basque companies Cegasa, Oldar, Ikor and Orona.

One innovative technological element of the ALIA2 project is the development of the battery pack concept, with a built-in cooling system, in a modular system where the lithium-ion cells are inserted as well as their corresponding protection systems, achieving the required voltage level and capacity. A control and protection module has also been created, which will be in charge of managing the electrical modules and will act as an interface with other modules or with the external grid system.

The new solution developed within the framework of this research is expected to be highly relevant for electric power generation and distribution companies. These companies will be able to use this system in production plants using renewable energy, substations and transformer stations to improve grid services, the manageability of the energy produced and the synchronization between production and demand.

In addition, the system, which uses 100% Basque technology, should be useful for other companies as a reliable alternative to electricity supply in the event of a supply failure in facilities such as hospitals, trains, shopping centers, etc.

One of the main results, so far, would be the involvement of the EU-VRi/iNTeg-Risk partners into the first global survey of ISO 31000–Risk Management Principle and Guidelines set to kick off on the 17th of October this year. The aim of the survey is to gauge how ISO 31000 is perceived by risk practitioners across all sectors and to provide input for the preparation of the ISO 31004 guide, due out in 2013.

Members of more than 70 risk management associations around the world are invited to participate in the study which is being run through an initiative by the LinkedIn discussion group on ISO 31000. Issued in November 2009, ISO 31000 provides principles and generic guidelines on risk management. It can be used by any public, private or community enterprise, association, group or individual and is not specific to any industry or sector. "This is the first time the global risk management community active across all fields, sectors, industries and services is being invited to participate in an international survey on ISO 31000. It is a great opportunity to share your thoughts and concerns about the ISO standard on risk management" said Alex Dali.

The survey will run from