Smart Energy 2025: Unlocking Australia's Long Duration Energy Storage Opportunity for a Clean, Reliable Grid
The transition to resilient energy will not be achieved by renewables alone. LDES must become a core part of Australia's national strategy, enabling dispatchable energy, decarbonised heat, and system-wide reliability.
As the Smart Energy 2025 conference concludes, the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council reflects on the event’s momentum and the rising role of heat and thermal energy, mechanical storage, and other new energy technologies in building a secure, affordable, and clean energy future for Australia.
With participation in high-level panels, exclusive roundtables, and strategic 1:1 engagements, the LDES Council brought industry, finance, and policy stakeholders together to accelerate the deployment of LDES technologies in Australia.
Why Long Duration Energy Storage Is Critical for Australia’s Energy Transition
Australia’s energy landscape is undergoing rapid transformation. According to the CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), wind energy and solar energy must provide up to 95% of electricity generation by 2050 to reach net-zero targets. But clean energy alone is not enough.
LDES technologies, including mechanical, electrochemical, thermal energy storage, and more, help manage the intermittency of renewables, reduce curtailment, and offer real-time dispatch, balancing services, and industrial heat supply. LDES is essential to ensure grid stability, reliability, and flexibility when generation dips.
These systems ensure that energy is available when it is needed most, even when the sun is not shining, or wind energy generation is low. LDES enables decarbonised heat and clean power, which are crucial for long-term energy security and the transition to renewable energy.
Key Policy Enablers Discussed at Smart Energy 2025
In two high-profile panel discussions, LDES Council Secretariat members Julia Souder and Alex Campbell joined member companies and government leaders to lay out a path forward for scaling LDES in Australia. The LDES Council focused on three policy enablers to scale LDES in Australia:
- Assess Flexibility Needs
As Australia’s grid shifts to renewables, key decision-makers must model and plan a resilient portfolio of flexibility technologies, potentially including power to heat, power to power, and power to X solutions, to meet emerging demand patterns. - Set National Targets
Australia must determine its target for different flexibility options, considering how much power and low-carbon heat will be needed, and when it will it be required. - Create Incentive Mechanisms
Which mechanisms are in place to incentivise investment in the assets that will meet national targets? Australia should expand on New South Wales’ Long-Term Energy Service Agreements (LTESAs) to derisk investment and reward technologies that deliver flexibility, stability, and clean energy outcomes.
Driving Collaboration Through Roundtables and Stakeholder Engagement
A highlight of the LDES Council’s Smart Energy 2025 presence was a series of closed-door strategy sessions with utilities, policymakers, and LDES innovators. These roundtables created space for candid conversations about:
- Regulatory design and grid integration
- Investment signals and bankability
- Project pipelines for LDES
- The role of LDES in decarbonising heavy industry
Stakeholders agreed: LDES technologies are deployable today. From electrochemical, to mechanical, to thermal energy systems, LDES provides the scalable, flexible foundation needed for a competitive industrial sector and a low-carbon grid.
A Call for Collective Action on Resilient, Clean Energy
At Smart Energy 2025, the LDES Council reinforced its global leadership in shaping policy, building trust with financiers, and driving market signals to accelerate deployment. Success depends on continued collaboration among energy technology developers, policymakers, grid operators, and the public.
As news about energy continues to evolve, LDES remains mission-critical for Australia’s secure, affordable, and resilient clean energy transition.
About the LDES Council
The LDES Council is a global organisation with over 60 members across 20 countries. The LDES Council works to accelerate the decarbonisation of our world through the application of long duration energy storage (LDES). The LDES Council provides member-driven, fact-based guidance and research to governments, grid operators, and major electricity users on the deployment of LDES for society's benefit by decreasing emissions, lowering costs, and adding flexibility to energy systems to strengthen resilience.
Media contact:
Holly McCollough
hmccollough@ldescouncil.com