Powering the future – How to sustainably grow industrial battery storage?

EventEvenementWorkshops

After 3 successful workshops last year, we’re proud to announce the first Powering the Future event for 2025 at Thor Park in Genk. This workshop aims to provide you with a deeper insight on the progress in building local battery supply chains and the remaining challenges in providing an industrial footprint to make the value chain more resilient and sustainable.

How to grow a future-proof battery storage industry?

As Europe is decarbonising its economy, it is facing a monumental challenge to rebuild the fossil-based system into a carbon free one. Batteries and the materials that go into making them are the new oil. They’ll prove central to our effort to clean up cars, trucks and buses as well as to expand renewable energy networks.

Almost two years ago, the EU announced a raft of measures in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act. As we speak, the Commission is finalizing the launch of the EU Clean Industrial Deal.

Onshoring the battery supply chain offers more control over how things are done. Local manufacturing means Europe can set and enforce environmental and social standards. On top of Europe’s relatively high share of renewables to benefit cleaner processes, localising the battery value chain can lead to shorter, more reliable supply chains and reduced transportation-related emissions.

Belgian companies – startups, SME’s as well as corporates – do have the necessary expertise to scale this sector. Their current efforts mainly concentrate on efficiency increase and process step reduction, as well as using cleaner (chemical & hydrometallurgical) processes.

This multi-partner workshop will connect you with experts on

  • current & future industrial battery passport legislation
  • future-proof battery material choices and development methods
  • Industry 4.0 inspired operational enablers for battery production
  • inspirational business models and industrial cases
  • potential future key value chain partners for your next steps

Whether you are a battery storage supplier, an industrial manufacturer/problem-owner or a design company, the objective is to send you home with a deeper insight on the progress in building local battery supply chains and the remaining challenges in providing an industrial footprint to make the value chain more resilient and sustainable.

Join us March, 25th @ Thor Park for a ‘power’ful workshop!

Agenda

12:15-13:00       Welcome and sandwiches

13:00 – 13:40    Setting the scene

  • Battery passport directive – CSA Battery Pass representative
  • Customize or standardize? – Jeroen Büscher (Product Manager Energy Storage at EnergyVille / Vito)
  • How to successfully connect the industry with the finance ecosystem to enable fast and sustainable European battery production? – Frank Gielen (Executive Board Member InnoEnergy)

13:40 – 14:50 Industrial state-of-the-art

  • Sustainable and safe batteries by design
    • 3D-printed electrodes – Louis De Taeye (Battery Program Manager at EnergyVille/imec)
    • configuration of (hybrid) battery packs and their effects on vibration, heat transfer, safety and reliability – Manuel Romero (Business Development and Innovation Manager at Sirris)
  • Optimization of crucial battery components – Momo Safari (Professor, Department of Engineering Technology at EnergyVille/UHasselt) en Fanny Bardé (Founder & CTO at SoliThor)
  • I4.0 manufacturing
    • Integrated engineering en “Building Block Design” – Walter Auwers (BU Manager Advanced Manufacturing at Sirris)
    • laser texturing of electrode materials for significantly enhancing battery performances – Olivier Malek (Sr. Engineer Precision Manufacturing at Sirris)
  • Direct recycling (ie extracting and reusing active materials without breaking them down into their elemental form) – Jeroen Spooren (Sr. Researcher at EnergyVille/ Vito)

14:50-15:10 Break

15:10-16:15 Round table sessions (moderated by EnergyVille, POM Limburg, Sirris and Thor Park

  • Technical challenges in scaling up battery storage
  • Cost reduction for economic feasibility
  • Role of regulation and public policy
  • Improving battery durability and longevity
  • Innovations in battery technology

16:20-16:50 Panel Discussion with industry experts

16:50-17:30 Looking ahead

  • Providing manufactured battery cells with a memory – Serge Peeters (Product owner Smart Cells at EnergyVille/Vito) and Guillaume Thenaisie (BMS Sr. Researcher at EnergyVille/Vito)
  • Solid state batteries & recycling – Louis De Taeye (Battery Program Manager at EnergyVille/imec)
  • Understanding battery ageing – Jeroen Büscher (Product Manager Energy Storage at EnergyVille/Vito) & Raf Kelgtermans (BESS Project Manager at Gigastorage)

17:30-19:00 Network drink

In case you missed it : the first 2025 Powering the Future event will specifically address the topic of long duration Thermal Energy Storage (TES). It will be organized Feb, 20th in Antwerp. More info and subscription link : Use heat in your production process for thermal energy storage

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