On this occasion, Johan Söderbom, our Thematic Leader Smart Grid and Energy Storage presented the fundamental drivers and the latest key trends about Evs, stationary storage and technology.

The representative of the European Battery Alliance (EBA250), Thore Sekkenes and Ilka Von Dalwigk reminded us of the key role of the EBA and the extent to which this alliance is supported by the European Commission. Since 2017, they developed a thriving European battery ecosystem that has grown remarkably and will continue to do so for many years to come.

The EBA action plan accelerated the industrial development in many fields: raw materials, active materials, battery manufacturing, application & integration and of course recycling.

Oana Penu, the InnoEnergy Skills Institute Director was also there to remind us of the big challenge we are facing about the skills aspects:

• 800,000 workers will need to be retrained or upskilled by 2025;
• Between 2015 and 2030, the amount of solar PV jobs is expected to quadruple;
• The transition to net zero will require retraining up to 18 million workers around the world;
• In the battery workforce alone, more than 700 new job types will come into play ;
• Renewable energy sector employment will need to grow from 2020’s 12 million figure to 38 million by 2030.

Fortunately, the skills institute offers over 35 certifications and 80 programs to meet these needs.

The various representatives of the French government and BPI reminded us that the battery sector is on the move in France, with the announcement of 4 factories, the creation of 10,000 jobs, 100 to 120 GW of battery production capacity targeted by 2030, and 38 projects supported by France2030 schemes.

In fact, the national battery strategy is based on 4 main themes:

• Develop a competitive industrial offering across the entire battery value chain, by supporting research, innovation and industrialization;
• Promote the strengths of this national offering, by encouraging the most environmentally responsible and virtuous batteries;
• Support demand for batteries, in particular by accelerating the transition of the transport sector;
• Meet the industry’s recruitment and training needs.

This event was also anopportunity to highlight 8 innovatives startups of the battery industry who came especially for the occasion:

• ElevenEs (Serbia)
• Nawa Technology (France)
• Basquevolt (Spain)
• Tiamat (France, supported by BPI)
• Mecaware (France)
• Beeplanet (Spain)
• WattAlps (France)
• Mob Energy (France)

An expert panel was also gathered to tackle the subject of raw materials to see how we can accelerate materials circularity in the battery industry:

• Gilles Moreau, Chief Open Innovation & Sustainability Officer, Verkor
• Remy Welschinger, CEO Viridian Lithium
• Mathieu Morcrette, Director, LRCS
• Maud Lenfant​, Responsable Sectorielle énergie, BPIFrance