Messe M?nchen International is expanding its portfolio of events focusing on new technology with the launch of a new trade show on a theme of great importance for the future. Energy Storage starts as an annual event in fall 2012, running concurrently with the world?s leading trade fairs electronica or productronica. The venue is the New Munich Trade Fair Center. Energy Storage covers the entire value chain in innovative battery and energy-storage technology, from components to manufacturing and applications. As such it is an ideal platform to serve the needs of the rapidly expanding market in mobile and stationary energy storage devices. A congress lasting several days is being planned to accompany the trade show. Energy Storage 2012 takes place November 13-16, 2012. But this year already, there?s a foretaste of what to expect from the new event at productronica 2011, where there will be a special show on "Battery manufacturing and power electronics".

In May this year three of Germany?s federal ministries launched a joint initiative to promote research and development in the field of energy storage technologies. The "Energy Storage Funding Initiative" is backed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In an initial phase through to 2014 the three ministries will provide a total of up to 200 million euros to be made available to research projects for the development of a broad range of storage technologies for electricity, heat and other forms of energy.

Norbert Bargmann, Deputy CEO of Messe M?nchen GmbH: "Messe M?nchen recognizes the needs of this fast-growing innovative industry for a dedicated trade event, and the potential for such a platform. With Energy Storage we are offering an ideal basis for the market players already successful in this growing market and for those wishing to enter it. By holding it concurrently with the world?s leading trade fairs electronica or productronica - with their core emphasis on electronics or electronics production - this provides unique synergy effects and will attract significant numbers of attendees from Germany and abroad."

This year also the Federal Government adopted the new National Electromobility Development Plan, which aims to double allocated funding for e-mobility research to a sum of one billion euros by 2013. The creation of new production facilities for batteries and energy storage devices is expected to generate 4.8 billion euros of new business in the engineering sector by 2020.

Designed as an independent event, Energy Storage will take place for the first time from November 13-16, 2012 at the New Munich Trade Fair Center. An annual conference is also being planned, to accompany the trade show. Leading figures in the industry, in research and politics will be debating and exploring all the latest developments and solutions at this forum.

Before the premiere in 2012, however, Energy Storage is getting a preview this fall at productronica 2011. In a special show and in many individual lectures in the Innovations Forum, attendees can see demonstrations of manufacturing processes and gather key facts and figures on markets, technologies and strategies. productronica takes place from November 15-18, 2011.

Energy Storage will also be putting in a presence at AUTOMATICA, International Trade Fair for Automation and Mechatronics, which takes place May 22-25, 2012. There it will have it?s own special show on "Automation of Battery and Energy Storage Production".

To visit the special show "Battery manufacturing and power electronics" please register for productronica: the online accreditation for journalists is possible with immediate effect.

Click here to read a detailed report from Germany?s engineering federation, VDMA, and Roland Berger on the subject of "E-Mobility - Opportunities and challenges for the German engineering industries". The press releases from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research on the subject of energy storage technologies can be found here.