Europe’s battery storage market continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, with new hot spots emerging across the continent. Equity and debt providers are showing greater confidence in the asset class than ever before, spurred by robust revenue opportunities in an expanding range of markets. Developers, meanwhile, continue to navigate regulatory hurdles and grid connection queues – yet are becoming increasingly innovative in finding effective solutions. At the same time, the supply chain is showing encouraging signs of growth and diversification.
Jointly organized by Conexio PSE, pv magazine, and SolarPower Europe, the Forum will once again take place in Frankfurt am Main, from March 31 to April 1, 2026. Join Europe’s leading annual knowledge platform dedicated to utility-scale battery storage – where market leaders, innovators, and investors meet to shape the future of energy storage.
Investments in battery energy storage come from a wide spectrum of capital sources, and understanding who’s backing these assets is essential to grasping the evolving landscape. In this session, you’ll gain insights into how institutional investors assess opportunities and manage risks across major markets. You’ll also learn how regional players – including family offices, local banks, and private equity providers – are financing smaller-scale projects or co-investing alongside developers. Key focus areas include gaining investor visibility, identifying routes to market for BESS assets, and understanding what project criteria are essential now – and will be for future financing.
Michael heads the pv magazine editorial department. He’s been writing about solar since 2008, and helped build the German platform under his role as editor in chief. Previously, he worked for radio, television and national newspaper titles, and completed a doctorate in physics.
Marija has years of experience in a news agency environment and writing for print and online publications. She took over as the editor of pv magazine Australia in 2018 and helped establish its online presence over a two-year period. Since December 2021, Marija has been working as staff editor at pv magazine International for both online and monthly print publications, specializing in Eastern European solar markets, battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicles.
Walburga Hemetsberger has been the CEO of SolarPower Europe since 2019.
She has over 20 years of professional experience in Brussels, working for a utility, a trade association, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. Walburga has spent most of her career in the energy sector, in particular renewable energies and hydrogen. Before joining SolarPower Europe, Walburga headed the VERBUND Representation Office in Brussels and was a Board Member of Hydrogen Europe.
Christoph Ostermann is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of expertise in the ClimateTech sector. As co-founder and CEO of a leading company in the field of decentralized energy storage (sonnen Group), he has significantly shaped the industry. In addition, he was/is active as an investor, supervisory board member and in an advisory capacity for various companies, investors, associations and public institutions.
Anna is a Principal Analyst with Wood Mackenzie’s Power & Renewables team, heading research on EMEA storage markets. Previously, she worked at EIT InnoEnergy, where she developed innovation and technology roadmaps and contributed to EU research and advisory projects. With over a decade of experience in the energy industry, she specializes in energy storage technologies and renewable integration, shaping the future trajectory of sustainable energy systems.
Currently serving as M&A Director and Sector Lead in charge of Battery Energy Storage Systems, Distributed Generation, Hydro, Retail Power & Gas, Digital & Innovation, within the Gas Renewables and Power division of TotalEnergies.
Yann has spent 15 years in TotalEnergies company and within Saft and ACC subsidaries, across various functions on the energy storage and battery topics.
Yann holds a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Ecole Polytechnique (France).
- 18+ years banking and financing experience, joined Macquarie in 2008 in London, moved to Amsterdam in 2012
- Leading Macquarie Capital’s Infrastructure & Energy Capital (IEC) business in Benelux and Germany
- IEC focusses on Social & Economic (Eg PPPs, Living, concessions), Digital (Eg DC’s and Fibre) and Energy Transition infrastructure (Eg BESS, Solar, Wind, Biogas, Gas, Power, EV)
- Holds various Macquarie board position for Macquarie assets and companies including: Amethyst Battery Dordrecht (90MWh), Mufasa BESS Vlissingen (1400MWh), Datacentres and PPPs.
Professional Qualifications
Msc Financial Economics Erasmus University Rotterdam
Relevant Professional Experience
Closed deals include:
- 350MW/1400MWh BESS in Vlissingen
- 45MW/90MWh BESS in Dordrecht
- €1bn A9 Road PPP
- €1.2bn Blankenburg tunnel PPP
- €350 million Haren Prison PPP
- €235m Amsterdam Court PPP
- Various other PPPs and Infra M&A deals
Other relevant experience includes Solar, (off/onshore)Wind, Biogas, EV, Power & Gas, DC’s, Fibre.
Nadiya Vargola is a Head of BESS Business Development at Alpiq, where she leads the strategic expansion of large-scale energy storage projects across key European markets. With over 17 years of experience in the energy and financial sectors, she brings deep expertise in M&A, strategy execution, and business development in RES and energy storage.
Under her leadership, Alpiq’s BESS portfolio has grown substantially through acquired and secured projects. Nadiya is recognised for building strong cross-functional partnerships and successfully navigating complex international transactions in a rapidly evolving energy market.
Nadiya holds an MBA from Purdue University and has completed executive education at INSEAD.
This session will explore Europe’s most lucrative markets for battery energy storage and the diverse routes to market available. From fully merchant operations to partially contracted revenues through capacity market procurements and rigid tolling agreements, there are multiple ways to commercialize battery storage assets. We will examine the advantages and drawbacks of these options and assess their viability across different European markets. Additionally, the session will address the evolving landscape of monetization pathways, highlighting how the emergence or disappearance of certain revenue streams could reshape the economics of operating projects.
Ulrike Gunnemann is Managing Director of Electric Blue, a Berlin-based power trading company specialized in renewable energy and battery optimization. She has more than 15 years of experience in the energy sector, combining deep expertise in power markets, battery monetization, and the technical design of storage projects.
Before joining Electric Blue, she was Head of Storage & Hybrids at BayWa r.e., where she led the development and commercialization of battery and hybrid projects across international markets. Earlier, she held several positions at Tractebel, part of ENGIE, with a focus on international energy economics, system planning, M&A, and storage projects.
Alongside her trading activities, she is also directly involved as shareholder in the development and implementation of BESS projects, bringing together market expertise, technical depth, and direct project-side experience.
Carlos Perez Linkenheil is the Global Head of Reports at AFRY Management Consulting, where he oversees the global reports business focused on electricity price projections, capture prices, and battery valuations. With over a decade of experience in management consulting, Carlos specializes in market and commercial analysis, particularly within the German energy sector. He has extensive expertise advising clients on battery storage, including market entry strategies, commercial and market due diligence, and developing bankable revenue projections. His work has directly contributed to the successful financing and realization of numerous battery energy storage system (BESS) projects across Europe.
Eva Zimmermann is leading Aurora’s work on Pan-European flexibility und battery markets. Since joining Aurora in 2020, Eva has contributed to a wide range of forecasts and strategic studies, with a focus on the evolving role of flexibility in energy markets. Her work includes long-term, granular modeling of ancillary services and intraday markets and overseeing the successful roll-out of Aurora’s flexible energy product in core European markets.Prior to joining Aurora, Eva worked as a parliamentary assistant to a member of the German Bundestag. She holds degrees from Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Konstanz.”
Active with Return for over 5 years, mainly focussed on Business Development in the Netherlands and Germany. Today I’m responsible for Return’s growth in Europe. This includes moving to new countries and M&A of single projects and companies in our focus countries too. Next to this I’m part of the origination team with a focus on the German market.
Securing timely and unconstrained grid connections has emerged as one of the most critical challenges for advancing battery storage projects in Germany. This session brings together leading grid operators and BESS developers to examine the current landscape of grid connection approvals, the evolving AgNeS process, and the potential impact of upcoming tariff reforms on project timelines and investment certainty. Participants will also discuss how the Baukostenzuschuss (BKZ) affects project economics, how it influences financial viability, and which practical strategies and workarounds developers are currently employing to manage these costs and accelerate deployment.
Banks are increasingly backing battery energy storage systems. However, as batteries are often held back by complex regulatory frameworks, accessing non-recourse financing remains challenging. Developing a credit solution is difficult due to the constantly evolving nature of the BESS revenue stack, with bankers holding varied perspectives on lending conditions, market risks, and technical guarantees. This session will explore how banks evaluate different routes to market and provide insights into the progress of merchant bankability compared to the growing reliance on tolling agreements and contractual hedges, both now and in the years to come.
With over 15 years of experience in structured power contracts, including key roles at Pexapark and as an originator for tier-1 utilities, Ann brings deep expertise in long-term power offtake, flexible agreements, and energy risk management. She combines hands-on knowledge of PPAs and BESS across European markets with a strong grasp of wholesale energy dynamics.
Her career began in Merchant Banking at Fortis Bank in Belgium, following a Master’s in Trade Economics from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels. Ann is driven by a genuine passion for energy markets and is always eager to share that enthusiasm.
– Master’s degree in industrial engineering
– Acquired valuable consulting experience at PwC, advising clients on energy and strategy topics
– Joined RWE in 2019 and has since contributed in several fron office roles
– Starting in product development, with a particular emphasis on enabling industrial flexibility
– Advanced to the position of Originator, structuring tailored flexibility solutions for clients
– Over the past two years, has established and driven the growth of RWE’s BESS origination business
Alexander Drousiotis is a Vice President at Santander CIB’s Structured Finance Energy team, specialising in financing of renewables and energy transition projects. He has worked in structured finance in 4 countries (Austria, Germany, Spain, UK) and has experience on transactions across Europe. Notable projects he has worked on include: i) Recurrent Energy’s global holdco financing for its solar PV & BESS portfolio; ii) Pulse Clean Energy’s portfolio financing for its UK BESS portfolio; and iii) OX2’s greenfield financing for its onshore wind portfolio in Finland. He holds an MSc in Risk and Finance from London School of Economics and a BSc in Economics from the University of Bristol, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Coen holds a Master’s degree in Systems and Control Engineering a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delft Technical University, and is scheduled to defend his PhD thesis in June 2026.
Grace Kankindi is the Deputy Head of Investment Management at Aquila Clean Energy in Hamburg, leading renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure investments across Europe. With a decade of experience and a global background spanning Europe, Africa, and North America, she has contributed to the development and investment of over 5 GW of clean energy assets, including solar PV, onshore wind, and battery storage. Grace holds a Master’s in Environmental Management from Yale University and a B.Sc. in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Manitoba.
Maxime heads the finance function within the Energy Transition division’s Portfolio Services team within Gresham House, focusing on portfolio companies across the division’s international equity funds. He joined Gresham House in January 2026 following the acquisition of SUSI Partners, which he had joined in early 2025.
Prior to this, he held a range of senior finance and investment roles, including deputy CFO of a UK-based metering company and investment team positions at ICG and EDF Invest infrastructure funds. He started his career as a banker at Natixis CIB. Maxime is a graduate of HEC Montréal and holds both the CFA and FRM designations.
For more than 15 years, Marcus Starke has been advising project developers, investors and plant operators on project financing with a wide range offtake strategies. Since mid 2023, he has been working as Director Energy Origination in the Structured Finance Europe division of NORD/LB in Hanover.His focus is on the financing of wind turbines, solar parks and large-scale battery storage systems.
Ruben Valiente is a seasoned international business executive with over 20 years of experience in the energy and mobility sectors. Currently serving as the Managing Director of Maxxen Energy AG, he combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership, backed by a cum laude degree in Industrial Engineering and a Global Executive MBA from IESE Business School.
Beyond his executive roles, Ruben has actively contributed to both academia and the industry, sharing his insights on global platforms and helping shape the future of clean energy and mobility. His passion for sustainable innovation continues to drive his mission to develop resilient, intelligent, and impactful energy solutions.
Representatives from the EU and industry associations will discuss Europe’s upcoming regulatory priorities and market design for battery storage. The session explores how EU strategies – under all relevant policy frameworks, including a dedicated Energy Storage Strategy under preparation — aim to scale storage deployment, strengthen flexibility markets, and accelerate integration into a resilient, renewables-based power system across EU member states.
With five years experience at the European Commission, Paula has been working in the renewables and energy system integration unit at DG Energy for the past three years. Prior to her role at the European Commission, she completed a traineeship at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU. Academically, she holds a degree in International Relations and a Master in European Studies, with a specialisation in European policies.
From the UK to Italy and Bulgaria, this session highlights the policies, business models, and financing strategies powering Europe’s most dynamic storage markets. Hear from developers and policymakers about how local regulation, price signals and grid strategies foster deployment, what lessons can be learned from mature markets, and where new growth opportunities are emerging across the continent.
Nikola Gazdov is an entrepreneur with 18 years of experience in renewable energy. He serves as Chairman of APSTE (the Association for Production, Storage, and Trading of Electricity) in Bulgaria and sits on the Board of SolarPower Europe where he also acts as Deputy Chair of the National Associations Committee.
Nikola is a co-founder of RE-Source Hub Southeast (part of the RE-Source Platform) – a regional hub dedicated to advancing corporate renewable energy sourcing in Southeast Europe. On the business front, he is CEO of Renergy, a technical advisory firm, and Director at Element Power, a gigawatt-scale developer of solar and battery energy storage systems.
As a Solar Technology & Storage Officer at the German Solar Association, Thomas Seltmann has been working since March 2022 on the further development of technical regulations and political framework conditions for photovoltaics in Germany. Prior to that, he was a photovoltaics and prosumer consultant at the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Centre (Verbraucherzentrale NRW) and worked in various roles in the solar industry for around thirty years. He is a lecturer, author and writes advice articles on photovoltaics tax issues for the trade journal PV-Magazine Germany.
Batteries are set to redefine resilience at utility and residential level. This session outlines where markets for grid services, such as grid forming and voltage control, are established or emerging – e.g. Germany from 2026 and beyond, and other mandatory markets- and how they enhance system stability. Experts explore the role of grid services in strengthening energy systems – providing a market outlook as well as technology insights on implementation pathways for power electronics and system-level solutions for future-proof grid operations.
Lars manages Fluence’s Marketing and Policy Team in the EMEA region providing leadership to the company’s strategic communication with customers, policy makers, media and the general public across Europe. As part of his role, he is directly responsible for policy and regulatory efforts on the EU level and oversees the company’s policy work on the country’s level in Europe. Before taking over the Marketing and Policy Department, Lars held different roles in Fluence on policy as well as on market and business development.
Before joining Fluence, Lars worked for 8 years at Aggreko and Younicos (acquisition in 2017) on storage policy and market development globally, with a specific focus on storage-renewable hybrid assets. Before joining the clean energy sector, Lars worked at the political communication think tank, and as a communication specialist for the European Parliament.
Nora Amer Mahgoub is a Senior Research Consultant at FfE and has been part of the Energy Systems and Markets team since 2024. Building on her previous experience at renewable energy and later battery storage developers, Nora specializes in the integration of large-scale battery storage systems into the German energy system. She conducts analyses on the impact of different operating strategies and market conditions—including the use of flexible connection agreements (FCAs) and dynamic grid charges—on BESS revenues. In addition, she contributes to the design of FCAs, currently including a joint project with N‑ERGIE. Within the FfE Large‑Scale Battery Storage Cooperation Forum, her research includes a thematic focus on Co‑Location. Nora holds a master’s degree from Technical University of Munich.
Karsten Bourwieg is a lawyer. He began his career in the energy industry as a lawyer and legal counsel at Trianel Energie, a energy trading and procurement company for municipal utilities. With the advent of energy regulation at the end of 2005, he became head of the Energy Law Division of the Federal Network Agency in Bonn. Since June 2017, he has chaired Ruling Chamber 8, which primarily decides on revenue caps for electricity grid operators and examines the costs of power plant reserves in Germany. He is a member of the Grand Ruling Chamber for Energy at the Federal Network Agency, which, following the General Court ruling on the independence of regulatory authorities, has been developing the successor regulations to the Incentive Regulation Ordinance and the Electricity Grid Fee Ordinance since 2024.
– Electrical engineer at TU Munich
– 8 professional stations in the renewable sector
– Co-founder of ECO STOR
– Responsibility at ECO STOR for project development, regulatory affairs and public relation
– Philosophy: building bridges is what N13people and markets together
Christina Hepp is Director of Strategy at green flexibility, where she leads the development and execution of strategic initiatives in large-scale battery storage and grid flexibility. Prior to joining green flexibility, she spent nearly five years at sonnen, initially building the Market Intelligence function and later founding and heading the Innovation & Intelligence team to o develop and implement new home energy business models focused on enabling the use of behind-the-meter flexibility.
Philipp is a Senior Associate at Aurora Energy Research, where he leads the German Flexibility Markt and German Grid reports, providing in-depth analyses of the market environment for utility-scale battery storage in Germany. He has advised developers, investors, utilities, grid operators, and policymakers on a range of projects and played a key role in developing Aurora’s flexibility products for Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. More recently, he has taken on responsibility for developing Aurora’s grid modelling offering for the German market. He holds an MSc in Industrial Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), with a specialisation in energy economics.
Niklas Högel holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), where he completed his thesis on the “Development and Simulation of a Distributed Grid‑State Prediction Method for Cellular Electric Energy Systems” in 2022. He initially worked as a high‑voltage technical grid planner at SH Netz, contributing to the integration of renewable energy sources and the development of 110‑kV infrastructure projects. During his time as Chief of Staff to the CTO, he supported various strategic innovation topics, including the integration of large‑scale battery systems with flexible connection agreements. As Head of Strategic Asset Management at SH Netz, he now focuses on shaping the long‑term strategic development of the grid to meet future energy‑transition and regulatory requirements.
Friedrich Kunz is Senior Advisor for Market Design at TenneT. His work focuses on shaping the electricity market to support an integrated and decarbonized energy system. Current topics include improving market and grid tariff mechanisms to better align investment and operational decisions with grid requirements. Until 2017, Friedrich Kunz worked as a research associate and project manager at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and published his research in various renowned journals. He holds a Ph.D. in Energy Economics and a diploma in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Dresden.
Barbara Plura completed her studies in Applied Research in Engineering Science at Augsburg University. In 2017, she completed her master’s degree with a thesis on “Asymmetries in the High-Voltage Grid.” She then worked as a project engineer at an engineering office for electrical planning (2018-2022). Since 2022, Barbara Plura has been working as a technical grid planner in the asset management department of the grid operator LVN. Since then, she has been involved in exploring potential solutions that can contribute to the success of the energy transition – one example being the project “Einspeisesteckdose” (feed-in socket).
Steffen is the Founder and CEO of Entrix. With Entrix, he is helping the owners of batteries to capture the maximum value of their assets through an intelligent trading and optimisation platform.
Prior to founding Entrix in 2021, he was a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company, especially advising large European utilities on matters regarding the energy transition.
Lars manages Fluence’s Marketing and Policy Team in the EMEA region providing leadership to the company’s strategic communication with customers, policy makers, media and the general public across Europe. As part of his role, he is directly responsible for policy and regulatory efforts on the EU level and oversees the company’s policy work on the country’s level in Europe. Before taking over the Marketing and Policy Department, Lars held different roles in Fluence on policy as well as on market and business development.
Before joining Fluence, Lars worked for 8 years at Aggreko and Younicos (acquisition in 2017) on storage policy and market development globally, with a specific focus on storage-renewable hybrid assets. Before joining the clean energy sector, Lars worked at the political communication think tank, and as a communication specialist for the European Parliament.
Agenda
As Europe rapidly expands its battery storage fleet and looks to increase domestic production, supply chain security becomes essential. This session looks at measures taken to make the EU more independent in sourcing critical raw materials for BESS components and how the framework conditions to facilitate recycling and circular economy in BESS need to evolve. This session will assess how EU legislation such as the Batteries Regulation, the Circular Economy Act and the RESource EU Action Plan affect businesses and whether they can contribute sufficiently to providing European manufacturers with access to the quantity and quality of critical raw materials needed to ensure diversification.
Giuseppe Artizzu is the Chief Executive Officer of NHOA Energy. He has spent his entire career focusing on the global energy markets. His professional journey includes ten years in energy investment banking in London, Milan, and Rome. He later developed greenfield renewable energy projects in Italy before joining NHOA in 2014.
Giuseppe graduated with honors in Economics and Finance from the University of Bologna. He teaches a Project Development course in the Ridef 2.0 Master at the Politecnico di Milano. He is also an occasional contributor to energy sector journals in Italy.
Marija has years of experience in a news agency environment and writing for print and online publications. She took over as the editor of pv magazine Australia in 2018 and helped establish its online presence over a two-year period. Since December 2021, Marija has been working as staff editor at pv magazine International for both online and monthly print publications, specializing in Eastern European solar markets, battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicles.
Anoucheh Bellefleur is Team Lead for Storage Market and Strategy at ABO Energy, where she leads an international team focused on identifying business models and go-to-market strategies for stand-alone battery storage and hybrid renewable energy projects through in-depth analysis and optimization modeling.
Before joining ABO Energy, Anoucheh spent a decade in project management and senior energy consulting roles.
She also contributes to policy analysis publications and is a regular speaker on renewable energy developments in Europe.
Anoucheh holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) and Sciences Po Paris.
Xenia Ritzkowsky is a Senior Consultant at enervis energy advisors with a dedicated focus on the commercial and strategic dimensions of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Germany. As the lead developer of enerStorage Pro—enervis’ proprietary tool for revenue assessment and market valuation of BESS—she brings a data-driven perspective to investment and policy discussions. With a background in industrial engineering and renewable energy, she advises stakeholders across the energy sector on business models, revenue potential and regulatory developments.
As grid access tightens and price volatility quickly grows across Europe, co-locating batteries with PV is emerging as a smart way to go. By sharing grid connections, boosting revenues through energy shifting and ancillary services, and reducing curtailment, co-location enhances both profitability and flexibility. This session explores the regulatory, technical, and commercial advantages of hybrid renewable assets across Europe. Experts will discuss where co-location is already viable, leading markets, and key regulatory hurdles in permitting and grid connection. We will explore system value, comparing hybrid PPAs and emerging business models to market-optimized stand-alone batteries.
Sven Albersmeier-Braun is Vice President Sales Central Europe at Sigenergy and has a long-standing background in energy storage technology. Before joining Sigenergy in January 2024, he held senior international leadership roles within the energy sector, overseeing market development and organizational growth across Europe.
Building a strong domestic battery manufacturing base is critical to Europe’s energy autonomy. This session unpacks EU policies such as NZIA, CISAF and EU-made bonuses, addressing competitiveness, skills, and raw material challenges. Battery manufacturers and policymakers share insights on needs, targets, project designation and lessons learned at home and from Asia and the U.S., outlining potential pathways to bankability and industrial strength.
Christoph Lienemann is an international business leader in the global battery and e-mobility sector. With more than a 15 years of experience across Europe, North America, and Asia, he combines deep technical expertise in lithium-ion batteries with strong execution in operations, training, and business development.
As Global Business Unit Leader & Partner at PEM Motion, he has built and led teams in the United States, Mexico, and Germany, supporting OEMs, suppliers, and investors in production ramp-up, workforce development, and sustainable industrialization. He also leads the global business unit PEM Share, advancing industry knowledge through initiatives such as Battery-News.com and the Battery Production Days (BPD) conference.
Passionate about building strong industrial ecosystems, Christoph focuses on connecting technology, people, and global partnerships to accelerate the energy transition and strengthen Europe’s battery manufacturing capabilities.
Ensuring high technical and operational standards for BESS systems is essential to maintain and increase bankability, particularly in the context of strong cost pressure and rapid market growth across Europe. As investors and lenders increasingly scrutinise project risks, transparent technical due diligence, robust design practices, and clear risk mitigation frameworks become critical. While formal standardisation plays an important role, it takes time to develop and implement. In the meantime, effective knowledge sharing and industry guidelines are critical to reflect current best practices and lessons learned across the BESS value chain. This session highlights key technical and risk-related considerations impacting BESS bankability. The discussion will underline how shared knowledge can reduce perceived risks, support informed investment decisions, and strengthen confidence among financiers, insurers, and project developers contributing both to reliable BESS deployment today and to future standardisation efforts.
As a Solar Technology & Storage Officer at the German Solar Association, Thomas Seltmann has been working since March 2022 on the further development of technical regulations and political framework conditions for photovoltaics in Germany. Prior to that, he was a photovoltaics and prosumer consultant at the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Centre (Verbraucherzentrale NRW) and worked in various roles in the solar industry for around thirty years. He is a lecturer, author and writes advice articles on photovoltaics tax issues for the trade journal PV-Magazine Germany.
In seiner Rolle als CTO bündelt Jörn Carstensen die Leitung aller technischen Bereiche der greentech Gruppe. Er ist verantwortlich für Anlagenbau, Engineering Services und Technisches Management. Dadurch werden einheitliche Standards und Prozesse in allen technischen Bereichen bei greentech aufeinander abgestimmt und so unternehmensweite Synergien, hohe Qualität und größtmögliche Transparenz sichergestellt.
Jörn Carstensen kam 2014 als Business Development Manager zu greentech. Neben der Erschließung verschiedener europäischer Märkte baute er den Bereich Engineering & Technical Advisory auf. Von 2006 bis 2014 war er für die Conergy Group in verschiedenen internationalen Funktionen im Corporate und Business Development tätig. Zuvor arbeitete er für eine Beratungseinheit von Accenture und unterstützte Versorgungsunternehmen bei strategischen und organisatorischen Fragestellungen. Jörn Carstensen hat Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen mit Schwerpunkt Energie- und Umweltmanagement an den Universitäten Flensburg und Southampton studiert.
Pieter is part of LevelTen Energy’s European team, where he supports both sellers and buyers in leveraging LevelTen’s tools and services to transact PPAs and access market insights. With a background spanning supply and trading, renewable energy advisory, and corporate procurement strategies, Pieter brings deep expertise in PPA strategy, RfP processes, and contract negotiations. Based in Berlin, he focuses primarily on the German PPA market while also supporting activity in Poland and the Netherlands.
I have started my career at an international bank where I have spent 10yrs in project financing and advisory for for energy project before becoming an originator & structurer in EnBW’s trading division (PPA & flexibility projects)
Christoph Strasser ist seit seiner Ernennung zum Geschäftsführer im Jahr 2018 für die strategische Ausrichtung von MaxSolar verantwortlich. Bereits ab 2014 war er als Vertriebsleiter für MaxSolar in Traunstein tätig, mit weiteren Schwerpunkten wie der Leitung aller operativen Gesellschaften, der Finanzierung von Projektentwicklungen sowie seiner Haupttätigkeit in der Vertriebs- und Ergebnisverantwortung.Christoph Strasser ist seit seiner Ernennung zum Geschäftsführer im Jahr 2018 für die strategische Ausrichtung von MaxSolar verantwortlich. Bereits ab 2014 war er als Vertriebsleiter für MaxSolar in Traunstein tätig, mit weiteren Schwerpunkten wie der Leitung aller operativen Gesellschaften, der Finanzierung von Projektentwicklungen sowie seiner Haupttätigkeit in der Vertriebs- und Ergebnisverantwortung.
Insgesamt ist Christoph Strasser seit 2008 im Bereich der Erneuerbaren Energien tätig, mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf Photovoltaik. Seine Expertise erwarb er bei früheren Solarunternehmen in Deutschland.
Experience has shown that future-proof project design is essential for battery storage. As the market matures, some revenue streams will diminish while new opportunities emerge, requiring developers to design assets with built-in flexibility – ready to adapt to evolving market dynamics and grid needs. This session explores system design strategies, highlighting how technical choices shape long-term value. Speakers will also examine the challenges of augmenting and retrofitting existing PV systems with battery storage. The discussion will further evaluate the commercial potential of multi-market systems and consider strategies for balancing capital investment with operational efficiency.
Garikoitz Sarriegi Etxeberria is a Project Engineer at Kiwa PI Berlin, specialising in power electronics and energy-storage-related systems. With a PhD in Power Electronics from RWTH Aachen University, he brings over a decade of experience translating advanced R&D into deployable solutions for battery systems, converters, and grid-connected applications.
His work sits where theory meets bankable reality, supporting the design, optimisation, and reliability of technologies that underpin modern BESS projects. At the BESS Business & Development Forum, Garikoitz shares an engineering-driven perspective on how robust power electronics and system design directly influence performance, risk, and long-term project value.
As Solution Manager at HyperStrong, Hamid leads utility-scale BESS and microgrid solutions across Europe, focusing on grid-connected energy storage projects from concept definition to delivery in regulated EU markets. His experience covers BESS containers, PCS & MV integration, grid-code compliance, microgrid and grid-forming concepts, and system optimization for bankable projects with utilities, IPPs, and EPCs.
Darya Rüwald is Director of Battery Intelligence at ACCURE Battery Intelligence, where she leads the teams responsible for battery analytics development, customer delivery, and domain expertise across the company’s global BESS portfolio. Since joining ACCURE in 2020, she has built the analytics function from the ground up and now leads ACCURE’s dedicated Battery Intelligence department. Darya holds a master’s degree from RWTH Aachen University.
After graduating in electrical engineering, Lutz spent years developing algorithms and conducting experiments, deeply exploring the intricacies of battery data. With over two decades of experience in battery testing, algorithm development, and R&D, Lutz has dedicated his career to understanding the most expensive and relevant part of the energy transition, the battery.
Five years ago, Lutz joined volytica diagnostics as Head of Algorithm Development. This role focuses on unlocking the full potential of battery data, turning insights into actionable improvements for performance and efficiency. Driven by a passion for energy transition, he strives to ensure that every battery is used to its true potential, contributing to a more sustainable and efficient energy landscape.
Moderators
Michael heads the pv magazine editorial department. He’s been writing about solar since 2008, and helped build the German platform under his role as editor in chief. Previously, he worked for radio, television and national newspaper titles, and completed a doctorate in physics.
Marija has years of experience in a news agency environment and writing for print and online publications. She took over as the editor of pv magazine Australia in 2018 and helped establish its online presence over a two-year period. Since December 2021, Marija has been working as staff editor at pv magazine International for both online and monthly print publications, specializing in Eastern European solar markets, battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicles.
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