EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR STORAGE OF ENERGY

Their core work

EASE is a Brussels-based industry association representing the energy storage sector across Europe. They serve as the voice of the energy storage community — coordinating between battery manufacturers, grid operators, researchers, and policymakers to accelerate deployment of storage technologies. In H2020 projects, they contribute policy expertise, market analysis, stakeholder coordination, and dissemination activities rather than technical R&D. Their value lies in bridging the gap between research results and market adoption by shaping regulatory frameworks and building industry consensus around storage technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EASE's early H2020 work (2016–2018) focused broadly on energy system planning, renewable energy roadmapping, and public R&I funding strategies — projects like IntEnSys4EU, HYDROPOWER-EUROPE, and SMARTSPEND reflect a strategic and policy-oriented role. From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened dramatically toward batteries and storage hardware: cobalt-free batteries (CoFBAT), hybrid storage stations (HEROES), grid flexibility markets (EUniversal), and the flagship BATTERY 2030+ initiative. This shift mirrors the EU's escalating priority on battery sovereignty and storage as the critical enabler of the energy transition.

EASE is moving from broad energy policy toward deep specialization in battery value chains and storage infrastructure, making them an increasingly focused partner for battery and grid flexibility projects.

How they like to work

EASE participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. With 169 unique partners across 22 countries, they operate as a high-connectivity network node, joining diverse consortia rather than returning to the same partners. This pattern is typical of an industry association: they bring cross-sectoral reach and dissemination capacity rather than leading technical work packages, making them a low-risk, high-visibility addition to any consortium needing energy storage sector representation.

EASE has built a wide network of 169 partners across 22 countries, giving them one of the broadest collaborative footprints among energy storage organizations. Based in Brussels, their network spans the full EU geography with no visible concentration in a single region.

What sets them apart

EASE occupies a rare position as the sector-level association for energy storage in Europe — they are not a research lab, not a company, and not a consultancy, but the organized voice of the entire storage industry. This makes them uniquely valuable for projects that need industry buy-in, policy dissemination, or market validation. For consortium builders, EASE provides instant credibility with the storage sector and a ready-made channel to reach hundreds of member companies and policymakers.

Highlights from their portfolio

• StoRIES
  Their largest H2020 project (EUR 697K) focused on building a pan-European research infrastructure ecosystem for energy storage — reflects their role as sector coordinators.
• BATTERY 2030PLUS
  Part of the EU's flagship battery research initiative, positioning EASE at the center of Europe's strategic battery autonomy agenda.
• EUniversal
  Addresses the critical market interface challenge — unlocking flexibility in distribution grids — where EASE's policy and market design expertise is directly applied.