Supercharging Energy Storage
Mission
The Supercharging Battery Storage (SBS) initiative was launched in 2023 at COP 28, co-led by Australia and the European Commission, with participation from Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands, creating a strong foundation for accelerating the deployment of stationary battery storage. Through analytical work, international collaboration, and the publication of reports examining the value of storage system and lessons from deployment experiences, the initiative helped shape a shared understanding of how energy storage can respond to evolving power-system needs and contributed to the global pledge on energy storage at COP 29. Building on these insights, the workstream expanded its scope in 2026 and rebranded as the Supercharging Energy Storage (SES) initiative, designed to unlock the full potential of energy storage across a wide range of applications.
This CEM initiative works to accelerate the development and deployment of energy storage, including electrochemical and other storage technologies. This workstream aims to reduce technology costs through international cooperation and alignment as appropriate, to build a diversified, responsible, secure and transparent supply chain, to promote grid reliability and support the integration of advanced energy globally.
Overview
The Supercharging Energy Storage Initiative’s work is organized on three pillars:
Three Pillars:
Community
Resources
Timeline – Initiative launch
CEM Seniors’ Official Meeting in Rio, Brazil, March 2023
Selwin Charles Hart – Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition in his message to CEM Members mentioned battery storage deployment as a key priority to advance our shared climate goal.
Outcome: CEM Members agreed to explore potential work on battery storage deployment. CEM Secretariat tasked to facilitate follow up discussions during CEM15 in Goa.
CEM14: High-level closed-door Minister/CEO Roundtable, July 2023
Recognizing the growing importance and critical need for battery storage in advancing clean energy transition, Australia, Canada, European Commission and the United States expressed interest in identifying common areas of work for a potential new workstream on battery storage, with a potential formal kick-off at COP28 in December. The CEM Secretariat will continue to facilitate the cooperation amongst interested countries and collaborate with UN Secretary General’s Office to also feature this work at the upcoming UN Climate Ambition Summit in New York in September this year.
UN Climate Ambition Summit, September 2023
Leaders agreed to coordinated efforts within the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) to overcome barriers and accelerate the deployment of utility-scale battery storage by uniting existing initiatives and stakeholders to accelerate this essential technology. Battery storage will be vital for integrating renewables, enhancing grid flexibility, resilience, and affordable off-grid energy. This new platform under the CEM will be formally launched at COP 28.
COP28: official launch of the Initiative
The new initiative to supercharge energy storage deployment globally formally launched at COP28, Dubai, UAE.