Javier Olarte, Director of Technology Transfer at CIC energiGUNE, chosen by BEPA and Batteries Europe to be “Research Chair”

The Association, which advises the European Commission on the identification of research actions in the battery field, has selected Olarte to be part of the team of experts that will coordinate and dynamise the industrial vision, within the Working Group dedicated to “Stationary Applications and their Integration”

Javier Olarte, Director of Technology Transfer at CIC energiGUNE, has been elected by BEPA- Batteries Europe as Research Chair of one of the six Strategic Working Groups of this association, which advises the European Commission on the identification of priorities for research and innovation activities in the field of batteries. Olarte will be the Research Manager of the “Stationary Applications and Integration” Group, which also includes Christina Noce of Enel X as Industrial Manager and Matthias Vetter of Fraunhofer ISE as Technical Advisor.

“We are at a decisive moment for the sector and it is very relevant and significant that CIC energiGUNE is represented at the highest level in this forum”, said Olarte. “Moreover, I believe that the appointment is a recognition of the great results that are being obtained at the centre, and the real expectation that we can contribute a lot to Europe on the road to competitiveness”.

The main task of the Working Group in which Olarte will serve as Research Chair will be to publish technology reviews and roadmaps, and to identify, prioritise and draft key battery R&D topics for Horizon Europe’s work programmes. Its task will reinforce the core objective of Batteries Europe, which aims to accelerate and support the establishment of a globally competitive European battery industry, and to strengthen synergies and complementarities between EU initiatives.

More generally, this group dedicated to “Stationary Applications and Integration” will focus on different battery systems for stationary applications (ESS, static industrial machinery, 2nd life), exploiting synergies between the different applications by developing new technologies at the battery system level, taking into account mechanical, electrical and thermal engineering aspects, as well as battery management software and hardware.

Together with Javier Olarte, BEPA has selected some of the most renowned European experts to lead the Strategic Working Groups, such as Kristina Edström, from Uppsala University, Maja Vilkman, from VTT, Silvia Bodoardo, from Politecnico di Torino, Marcus Jahn, or Michele de Gennaro, both from AIT. The participation of these professionals in the Batteries Europe project consolidates the commitment to establish an R&D&I ecosystem that facilitates the development of skills, knowledge and technology around the battery.

Javier Olarte has more than 30 years of experience in the energy storage and power electronics industry. He has an extensive background in battery and storage systems research and development, operations and engineering management and is an expert in transforming strategic plans into tactical initiatives. Since 2018 he combines the position of Director of Technology Transfer at CIC energiGUNE with the position of CEO in the spin-off Bcare.