The clean flexibility COP?

The report evaluates the COP29 Presidency's goals to achieve 1,500 GW of energy storage and add 25 million km of grid infrastructure by 2030. It concludes that the storage goal is highly achievable due to surging battery manufacturing capacity and falling prices, while the grid goal requires a 50% increase in the current build rate and faces significant regulatory and supply chain hurdles. The potential for green hydrogen to provide flexibility is noted, though current deployment rates remain low despite high numbers of announced projects.

• The COP29 Presidency's goal of 1,500 GW of global energy storage by 2030 is considered confidently achievable and potentially modest, as current battery manufacturing capacity could supply the target eight times over by 2025.
• Achieving the proposed target of adding or refurbishing 25 million kilometres of grids by 2030 would require an annual build rate of 2.7 million km, which is 50% higher than the average of 1.8 million km per year seen in the previous decade.
• Grid expansion faces more severe challenges than battery deployment due to longer planning timescales, supply chain constraints for transformers and cabling, and the presence of slow-moving monopoly grid companies.
• While 516 GW of electrolyser projects are announced for 2030, the actual deployment of green hydrogen is highly uncertain, with only 20 GW having reached a financial investment decision and only 5 GW forecasted for build in 2024.
• The report argues that storage, grids, and hydrogen are part of a broader 'clean flexibility toolbox' that must also include demand-side flexibility (using price signals) and supply flexibility to support the tripling of renewable capacity by 2030.
• The urgency for clean flexibility is illustrated by the EU, where solar and wind have already reached 65% of total hourly electricity production in the last 12 months, with plans to increase annual production to 52% by 2030.

APA

Ember (2024). The clean flexibility COP? https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-clean-flexibility-cop

Chicago

Ember. The clean flexibility COP? 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-clean-flexibility-cop.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=The clean flexibility COP? |date=30 October 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-clean-flexibility-cop |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2024clean, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{The clean flexibility COP?}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-clean-flexibility-cop}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }