2026 Agenda

In this presentation, Daniel Crotzer, CEO of Fractal EMS will provide a comprehensive overview of the battery storage commissioning process, from mechanical completion to COD, while highlighting pitfalls and best practices. 

• With power consumption estimated to reach 1,000 TWh by 2026 alone, what key challenges are data centers coming up against now – keeping up with demand, grid constraints, or procurement expertise?
• Data indicates a regional shift in data center growth with much capacity located outside of traditional hubs – where do data centers see the future build-out happening?  
• What are the challenges and opportunities on this in terms of connectivity, load balancing, and co-benefits?  
• How can providers overcome the disconnect between market expectations and deliverability, and how is the storage industry best positioned to solve some of these bottlenecks? 

• What is driving the move toward tolling and hybrid structures, and why has confidence in pure merchant exposure cooled?
• Revenue frameworks that capital providers now view as bankable for multi-hour storage
• How tolling structures distribute risk and stabilise cashflows for investors
• Why tolls have become a standout route-to-market in 2026, and how this differs from earlier cycles
• What emerging tolling providers bring to the table that fixed-price or merchant-only contracts cannot deliver

Hyperscale demand is rising fast, but grid constraints and operational complexity are slowing delivery. This session explores how AI- and IoT-enabled storage digitalisation helps overcome these barriers by bringing clarity, consistency, and control to mixed BESS fleets. We’ll unpack how unified monitoring, risk-aware dispatch, and evidence-grade reporting reduce operational risk, strengthen availability, and give investors, insurers, and offtakers the confidence needed to support hyperscale growth.

• Defining the GB and European BESS requirements
• Analysing saturation risks and revenue impacts
• Modelling downside risks and equity upside
• Structuring a robust investment case and debt financing

• Extreme GPU load swings and grid requirements for continuous connection are delaying projects.
• Traditional UPS and BESS solutions are unable to meet the demands of AI-driven data centres.
• EPC Power’s agile grid-forming BESS smooths nearly 100% of fluctuations, ensuring uninterrupted operations during faults.
• Protects assets while supporting grid stability.
• Enables faster and more reliable implementation of AI data centres.

• Why many early movers fail to reach commercial operation, and which capabilities, from raising capital to EPC execution and OEM partnerships, determine success 
• How investors differentiate between credible platforms and over-extended developers 
• The specific risks facing smaller players in markets like Germany, Italy, and Spain and how they can still compete 

• How data centres are prioritizing securing grid connectivity
• Can storage provide a reliable alternative to new CCGTs and diesel, for powering data centre growth?
• How storage can help operators manage grid access delays, price volatility, and 24/7 renewable supply
• Do data centers have a role to play balancing a renewables-heavy grid supply?
• What financing and partnership models (own vs third-party) make storage viable for hyperscalers and colocation providers?
• What opportunities exist to share resource with districts, for example through combined heat and power? How can storage facilitate this?
• What technical, regulatory, and permitting hurdles must be overcome for storage to be part of the solution?

• How rising shares of variable renewables affect system stability, inertia and fault recovery
• Operational challenges created by greater intermittency and uncertainty across the grid
• The role of power electronics and what shifts in grid dynamics mean for system operators
• Barriers to large scale deployment, including high storage costs, evolving policy frameworks and immature market mechanisms
• Why data security, interoperability and cross sector coordination are becoming core system risks
• Where grid forming PCS strengthens system stability, and what gaps remain
• How NR’s NR ISGrid solution integrates power system engineering with power electronics and what has been demonstrated across more than 100 validated projects

As artificial intelligence accelerates into every sector, data centres are facing an unprecedented surge in power demand. This presentation explores how the convergence of AI, hyperscale computing, and energy infrastructure is reshaping electricity consumption and grid dynamics across the UK and Europe.

Attendees will gain insights into how Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are becoming critical to bridging the gap between the grid’s limitations and the relentless growth of data processing needs. The session will examine:

• The scale and speed of AI-driven data centre expansion and its impact on power networks.
• How energy storage technologies are evolving to support data centre reliability, flexibility, and decarbonisation goals.
• The emerging role of hybrid energy solutions—integrating storage, renewables, and flexible grid services—to meet 24/7 uptime and power quality requirements.
• Innovation trends driving the next generation of energy infrastructure for the AI era.

This session will outline the opportunities and challenges for developers, utilities, and investors at the crossroads of digital and energy transformation—and how storage can be the linchpin in powering the world’s growing digital intelligence sustainably.

• Which revenue structures, counterparties, tenors, and DSCRs bring lenders to the table — and when do they walk away? 
• What role does debt play in financing energy storage projects in 2026? 
• What are the project finance complexities presented by energy storage now? 
• Where do lenders stand on risk appetite for projects in emerging European markets? 

• Contrasting how data centres utilise grid connections compared with TSOs – maximum efficiency vs. reserved capacity
• Highlighting inefficiencies and potential procurement risks that these differences might cause
• Issues around unused capacity and ‘stranded assets’, forecasting usage patterns and AI surges
• What role can data, digital twins and energy modelling play in all of this?
• Who pays for grid reinforcement to serve hyperscale data centres?

Compliance with Environmental, Social and Governance standards is a must for any Energy Storage developer and operator, and an increasingly complex task in a world of international regulation, diversified supply chains and rapidly evolving technologies.

Saft has developed a comprehensive approach to anticipate, fulfil and often go beyond such requirements. In this presentation we will focus on some aspects considered as critical by our customers, and highlight how to prepare the future taking the EU Battery Regulation as a guidance document:

The importance of a global approach to ESG, with specific focus on three elements:

• Managing supply chain transparency
• Helping to curb carbon emission
• End of life and recycling of a full BESS system

Navigating the EU Battery Regulation

• Current state of play and latest regulation updates
• How to meet past, present and future milestones

The energy storage M&A landscape is shifting as the sector matures and investment expectations change. This session explores how market conditions, revenue visibility and risk perception are influencing deal appetite and valuation trends.

• What is driving the slowdown in storage-related M&A, and to what extent are financing challenges, market maturity and revenue uncertainty shaping investor behaviour?
• Are buyers favouring operational assets, or is there still appetite for development-stage exposure?
• How are investors weighing the benefits of acquiring development platforms, portfolio businesses or individual high-value assets?

• Market overview and the pain points
• HyperStrong’s utility and C&I solutions. Technology and product innovation
• Proven in practice. Project case study
• HyperStrong’s value proposition

• How new grid codes and connection frameworks are changing project timelines and risk allocation 
• How capacity auctions and system service markets (FFR, aFRR, PICASSO) are impacting project revenues 
• What developers and investors need from policymakers to unlock the next wave of capacity 

Utility-scale storage projects face ongoing challenges related to site conditions, power density requirements and compliance with local regulations. This session examines how modular system design can address these constraints, improve project adaptability and support stronger lifecycle performance.

• How can modular hardware and system architecture increase flexibility across different environments, grid conditions and load profiles?
• In what ways does design simplicity improve integration, commissioning and operational stability?
• How do choices made at system design stage influence long-term efficiency, maintenance needs and project returns?
• What role can scalable and policy-aligned system design play in improving deployment timelines and overall asset value?

• How are recent energy price trends in the UK and EU reshaping merchant revenues for storage? 
• What forward price curves and volatility assumptions are investors using in 2026? 
• How tariffs, carbon pricing, and geopolitical factors are influencing spreads 
• Are today’s contracts (tolls, floors, PPAs) adequately capturing future price risk — or leaving projects exposed? 
• Unpredictable cost curves and the impact of this on the commercialisation of assets 

• After years of consultations around reforms in the grid connection landscape, zonal pricing and market redesign, what are the next steps to enable more deployment in the UK energy storage sector? 
• What does the outcome of the REMA process mean for storage opportunities in the UK? 
• What would make battery storage a clear and easy investment asset with a clear deployment pipeline for 2026 and beyond? 
• What will the reformed national pricing package entail and how will it affect developers’ plans for projects delivered under CP2030? 

As the global push for decarbonization accelerates, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are becoming a cornerstone of modern power infrastructure. They enable grid flexibility, stabilize renewables, and support peak-shaving in urban and industrial zones. Driven by ambitious climate targets, governments and developers are rapidly deploying BESS near load centers, often close to residential and commercial communities. Yet this market shift brings an often underestimated challenge into sharp focus: noise. This presentation will explore the main sources of BESS noise, the technical and regulatory challenges faced in real project applications, and share field insights on how our AlphaESS solution enables quieter, community-friendly BESS deployments.

• What have we learned from market saturation in more mature markets like the UK and US?  
• What are the implications for European markets in the future and how might these be avoided? 
• What might business cases look like in post-saturation scenarios? 
• What to expect from investments and ROI if saturation happen 
• Are project economics improving through scale, co-location, and hybridisation — or being squeezed by market saturation and falling merchant spreads? 

Europe’s energy transition faces dual challenges: on one hand, the exponential growth of data centers and large-scale renewable integration pose severe tests to grid stability; on the other hand, supply chain security and localization requirements are reshaping the competitive landscape. In this presentation, EVE Energy will provide an in-depth analysis of the current European energy storage market and propose innovative solutions. We will share insights on how technological advancements and strategic partnerships can help European customers address grid stability challenges while meeting increasingly stringent localization demands. The discussion will focus on innovative pathways such as long-duration energy storage and grid-forming technologies, demonstrating how EVE Energy’s localized collaboration models deliver high-performance energy storage solutions that ensure both operational excellence and supply chain security for Europe’s energy transition.

• With many different complicated energy storage regulations taking place in one of Europe’s key markets, what is happening and when? 
• Grid tariff structures, the Baukostenzuschuss (BKZ), the 2028 capacity market and Flexible Connection Agreements – what is most impactful when thinking about the business case for energy storage? 
• Are government and policymakers creating the right market signals for investment into energy storage in Germany? 

Accurate State of Charge (SOC) is the heartbeat of battery performance—and the foundation of revenue optimization. Yet, even small errors can accumulate into significant financial losses, particularly at large-scale sites.

In this session, we’ll share real-world results from multiple battery sites, where SOC inaccuracies were limiting performance. By providing more accurate estimates, traders can make more informed decisions in real time, increasing revenue and avoiding penalties – without adding additional capacity through augmentation.

Attendees will gain:

• Insight into how SOC errors develop and their hidden financial impact
• A clear methodology for identifying and correcting SOC inaccuracies
• Lessons learned from applying advanced analytics at scale
• Tangible evidence that “getting the numbers right” pays off in both performance and profit

As Day 1 of the Energy Storage Summit comes to a close, we invite you to join us for a drinks reception to continue the conversations and build new connections.

• Poland and Spain rely on capacity schemes which are subject to de-rating factors, change in power and geopolitical shifts– what happens when these schemes no longer exist? 
• Germany and UK have stronger, but more risky revenue potential based on accessible ancillary services, arbitrage markets and merchant exposure 
• Comparing the benefits of government intervention vs. market-led price signals 

• Key steps to improve and maintain safety and efficiency in asset management
• The benefits of advanced analytics, delivering deeper performance insights and predictive maintenance capabilities
• Real-world case studies demonstrating how these combined approaches translate into measurable operational and financial improvements.

• Maximising BESS profitability in Europe through forecasting and real-time optimisation 
• SoC vs SoH – what impact is this data having on bidding? 
• How using data analytics efficiently will provide asset owners the edge in a competitive market 
• What are the latest advancements in trading and optimisation tools? 
• Storage as a digital asset – digital twins and EMS 

Deploying BESS across Europe requires a clear understanding of what must adapt locally versus what should remain consistent. Differences in grid connection, permitting, and market access often drive execution risk more than technology choices. Experiences gained in the UK can help with decisions that need to be made and define boundaries that reduce uncertainty when entering newer European markets.

• Why frequency, voltage, and fault-level stress are increasing as conventional plant retires
• How grid-forming systems batteries provide inertia-like response, voltage control, and system strength
• What software-led controls enable during fast, multi-event grid disturbances
• Why hardware capability matters for overloads, thermal margins, and fault current delivery
• What developers, asset owners, investors, and grid operators need to factor into project design

• UK market sizing, and forecast
• Pipeline and activity over the last 12 months
• Necessity of batteries for grid stabalisation and where they are planned to be built
• Effect of the grid reform on the market, and pipeline
• Co-location, activity of solar and wind and growing trends with those co-location markets

This presentation will cover key market trends in the battery industry and how companies respond to them. More importantly, for battery manufacturers and procurement teams, how these market dynamics affect their bankability and what ways they can help to try to nullify some of this risk. Will start with an overview of the market and then get into more specifics about bankability and why it’s important for them.

• Exploring the unique business case for energy storage – what makes a BESS project bankable in Germany? 
• Understanding the reality of merchant revenues and why portfolio performance transparency is critical for asset owners and investors  
• Intraday opportunities, arbitrage and wholesale markets– what have others learned when commercializing BESS assets in Germany? 

• With revenue highs and lows across European markets seen between 2022 – 2025, what market predictions are expected for 2026 onwards? 
• Will there be a resurgence of revenues or a downturn in markets such as Germany, Italy, the UK, or Poland? 
• Exploring revenues earned by BESS in Europe in correlation to prices 
• What changes to the revenue stack could be seen in European markets, following owners’ diversification of trading portfolios? 

• Has the first round of exceptionally competitive auctions brought more clarity for BESS investors looking at Italy, and what will life after MACSE look like? What about the capacity market and the future MACSE auctions?
• What are the biggest blockers for project execution post-MACSE – from planning and land acquisition, to permitting, construction, and expertise?
• What are the operation obligations and expected performance for being profitable with BESS in Italy?
• Private PPAs and tolling arrangements – the next clear step, but for how long?

• Pathways to senior leadership
• Overcoming barriers to progression
• Building influence and visibility
• Sponsorship, mentorship, networks
• Lessons from women at the top

• Why the disconnect persists between expected technical KPIs and what projects actually deliver once operational
• How gaps in data capture, system monitoring and performance reporting feed directly into financial model inaccuracies
• Where warranties and manufacturer boiler plates diverge from real operating conditions, and what this means for developers and investors
• How acquisition due diligence is exposing systematic weaknesses in assumptions, definitions and terminology across the value chain
• Why technical teams, commercial teams and manufacturers often speak past each other, and how clearer shared definitions can improve bankability
• What developers, manufacturers and technical advisers can do to align performance expectations with achievable revenue outcomes

• Rapid solar growth in CEE is exposing grid congestion, curtailment, and price volatility, with Hungary as a leading example
• Landlocked geography and limited interconnection increase reliance on domestic energy storage for system stability
• Grid designs and market frameworks imported from Western Europe do not fully reflect CEE operational realities
• System modelling shows how different storage durations can relieve midday oversupply and improve renewable utilisation
• Early Hungarian PV and storage projects highlight practical lessons for siting, permitting, and long-term system planning

• How storage costs are shifting, with clear cost drivers across technology, supply chains, and scale
• Where Europe sits versus the US, China, and global benchmarks on capex and levelised costs
• How revenues, policy design, and delivery constraints shape Europe’s installation outlook through 2030

• What is pushing CAPEX in 2026: Cells, modules, balance of plant, power conversion, civil works, grid connection, and EPC risk pricing?
• Procurement tactics that protect budgets: Multi sourcing, framework agreements, indexed contracts, liquidated damages, and contingency sizing
• EU sustainability, traceability, and recycled content rules and how they flow into supplier pricing and bankability
• What lenders and equity expect to see in 2026 CAPEX assumptions and downside cases

• With safety considerations able to swiftly derail project deployment, how can industry come together to ensure standards are in place long before problems occur? 
• Assessing the new European Battery Regulation 2023/1542 – is this enough to address existing safety concerns and accelerate deployment? 
• Codes and standards for energy storage globally – which market is setting the precedent? 

You face rising cyber risk as storage assets scale and connect to grids, markets, and cloud systems. This panel focuses on practical exposure, board-level risk, and actions you can take this year.

• Why cybersecurity must be a priority in 2026
• Where attacks hit first
• Minimising the operational and financial impact

• The physics of our modern grid is changing as renewables become more prevalent
• Frequency drops are just the beginning!
• Inertia, short-circuit current and voltage levels are all key factors in maintaining grid stability and security
• In this presentation on Hybrid BESS, Siemens Energy will demonstrate how BESS can be combined with conventional assets, such as gas turbines and Syncons, to achieve greater stability, using real-world examples

As the ESS market matures, investors and developers need reliable pricing to assess risk and unlock capital. Drawing on Argus’ experience in commodity price reporting, Chris outlines why independent ESS benchmarks are critical to unlocking financing and driving large-scale deployment.

• What recycling challenges will arise as the first wave of utility-scale batteries reaches end-of-life, and how can the industry prepare? 
• How lifecycle assessments are shaping procurement, financing, and compliance decisions 
• How operational data on performance and degradation can improve warranties, repowering, and second-life planning 

The increasing deployment of energy storage systems (ESS) globally requires a focus on understanding their hazards and ensuring reliable safety systems. Every ESS is unique in its dimensions, battery types, goals, location of deployment. Fike will present the dangers and causes of thermal runaway, an unpredictable fire hazard occurring in the lithium battery cells held in an ESS. Backed by years of internal test data, we’ll explore the various layered methods of protecting an ESS and, more importantly, nearby people that we recommend to mitigate the effects of thermal runaway, which may include fire, explosion and off-gassing hazards.

• How new technologies and system designs are reshaping risk profiles and influencing long term project profitability
• What developers and asset owners should evaluate during container and system risk assessments to safeguard commercial outcomes
• How warranty structures are evolving, and what level of protection investors now expect across different chemistries and configurations
• How lenders and insurers assess safety, reliability and performance claims when determining bankability and coverage
  Which commercial and technical factors create the greatest warranty disputes, and how these can be anticipated early in the project lifecycle

Venting events in lithium-ion batteries are critical early indicators of thermal runaway and potential fires. Timely detection enables preventive actions such as shutdown, cooling, or targeted alarms, and is essential for protecting people and infrastructure. 

During venting, toxic and flammable gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen are released, which can lead to dangerous deflagrations in enclosed spaces. Without appropriate sensor technology, the fire detection system remains blind to these events. 

Modern sensor systems – including gas detectors and advanced aspirating smoke detectors – enable reliable detection and integration into automated safety processes. As such, venting detection becomes an indispensable part of a comprehensive fire protection strategy for battery storage systems. 

Self-integration is the current trend in the industry.  When should an IPP consider full integration and what are the common pitfalls if they self-integrate?

• Lessons from recent system stress events and near-misses in high-RES systems 
• Why short-duration flexibility alone cannot manage multi-day renewable shortfalls 
• LDES as a clean alternative to fossil firm capacity for security of supply 
• Integrating LDES into energy security frameworks, adequacy standards, and planning tools 
• Implications for market design, grid codes, and investment signals 

• With ESG considerations high on many investors’ list of criteria, how should the industry be evaluating and monetising the carbon benefit of energy storage?
• What does the prospect of 24/7 carbon-free energy mean for energy storage, and for future operations?
• What are the revenue and cost-saving implications and what has the industry seen so far?
• Insights from industry groups bringing together different stakeholder perspectives to tackle this issue

• The long-awaited cap and floor scheme, confirmed in March 2025, is expected to bring more revenue certainty to LDES projects in the UK, but what challenges might it also bring?  
• What does the industry think of the potential for investment and viability of the scheme as a long-term instrument?  
• Which technologies have a place in the scheme? 
• Is BESS a contender for long-duration energy storage?