GREAT EU project – Growing Renewable Energy Applications

Sustainable Industry – Cost-effective electricity storage is often referred to as ‘the missing link’ in the effective growth and adoption of renewable energy generation. Elestor is a startup company that is developing the innovative energy storage technology necessary to achieve this goal and to contribute to a clean and sustainable global environment. Elestor’s technology is based on an electrochemical flow battery that has a far longer lifetime and a high level of efficiency due to its low material and production costs.

GREAT project
The GREAT (Growing Renewable Energy Applications and Technologies) project is an EU funded project under the INTERREG IVB NWE Program. GREAT aims to encourage communities and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop technological solutions for smart grid, renewable energy and distributive generation; research and develop policy issues for regulatory authorities; and to provide structured co-operation opportunities between SMEs and research institutes/technology developers.

GREAT effects
GREAT created the possibility for Elestor to explore future international market opportunities. First of all, by joining a trade mission from Dutch companies to Ireland, where new contacts were made with Irish companies. They visited the town of Claremorris, where the companies participated in the GREAT Tech Watch Event by Údarás na Gaeltachta, which is the regional state agency responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of nominally Irish-speaking (Gaeltacht) regions of Ireland.

Secondly, by applying for a voucher to explore the market opportunities in France. This voucher took Elestor to the Parisian EASE (European Association for Storage of Energy) congress to become acquainted with the French Smart Grid market and get in contact with potential French partners. It is expected that solar and wind generated power will be of growing importance as alternative for nuclear energy in the French energy market. This means that interconnections and balance between the grid and decentralized generation will be crucial and in need of cost effective storage solutions.

Insights in energy storage
By visiting France, Elestor gained important insights into the technology, market and policy aspects of energy storage in France. Elestor CEO Wiebrand Kout met with researchers and technology specialists to discuss different energy storage technologies and systems, thus gaining more insight into those that are still in development as well as those already in use.
New opportunities were identified for future cooperation with commercial, research and networking organizations.

“Elestor finally found a very good opportunity to create market opportunities in Ireland as a result of the matchmaking session that was organized between the Dutch and Irish companies that participated in GREAT.” – Mr. Wiebrand Kout, CEO Elestor