It is clear that in our future, energy systems such as renewable electricity will play a main role in the transition to a low carbon energy supply. This transition will be facilitated by CO₂ targets determined by national governments and will require extensive electrification. In the future, however, there will still be a need for other fuel sources (for aviation, shipping and heavy road transport) and for chemical products and materials. These activities and associated production processes are now responsible for more than 35% of global CO₂emissions. The big challenge that remains is to produce these fuels and chemical products through the use of renewable electricity, starting from biomass and/or CO₂.

In addition, solutions are needed to solve the imbalance between production and consumption of electricity. These solutions lie in connecting networks and production capacity (interconnection), organizing an optimal balance of supply and demand, and in the direct storage of electrical energy. Storage of electricity in batteries or similar systems is an option; electrochemical production of chemicals as an energy carrier is another option. Electrochemical conversion is a promising option for long-term storage as this technology is easily scalable to the amount of energy.

During the conference, the state-of-the-art discoveries in science and technology will be shared by international key notes from academia and industry. Dutch scientists and industry representatives will contribute to an appealing parallel programme related to the theme of the conference.