Energy storage is the key component for renewable energy to grow sustainably. This was the message from Rodrigo Ruiz, PV & BESS Sales Director (Iberia) at SolaX, during the Storage and Renewable Leadership Forum, organised by Strategic Energy Corp. In his speech, he emphasised that battery energy storage systems (BESS) and green hydrogen are not competing technologies but rather complementary ones, much like solar and wind power.

“Renewables cannot continue growing sustainably unless storage is in place,” Ruiz warned. According to his estimates, energy storage could generate up to €30 billion in savings for the European power system by 2030.

The first event of the year by Strategic Energy Corp was a two-part virtual session, co-organised with Mobility Portal Europe and Strategic Energy Europe. Strategic Energy Corp partnered with Future Energy Summit (FES) to host this event, as FES is the leading platform for renewable energy discussions in Spanish-speaking countries.

Notably, on 24 June, the third edition of FES Iberia 2025 will take place at Colegio Caminos (Auditorio Betancourt, C. de Almagro, 42, Chamberí) in Madrid. (Relive the previous edition here). The meeting will feature companies such as Iberdrola, Nextracker, Engie, Grenergy, Statkraft, Acciona Energía, Red Eléctrica, and EDP Renovables, alongside key representatives from Spain’s regional governments and Latin America. Key discussion topics will include solar and wind energy, energy storage, green hydrogen, distributed generation, PPAs, auctions, and new projects.

Storage Market Growth: 60-70% per Year

In terms of market expansion, Ruiz suggested that a reasonable growth rate for energy storage should be around 60-70% annually, ensuring market stability. “We do not want occasional or explosive booms. If we see a boom, it means we are doing things either wrong or too late,” he explained.

Over the past year, the year-on-year growth of the sector has reached 100% in some markets, but this pace can only be maintained if costs continue to decline. Historically, the market has been dominated by Residential Energy Storage Systems (RESS) with 70% and Utility-Scale BESS with 20%, but we are at a turning point. The commercial and industrial (C&I) BESS and utility-scale BESS segments will be the primary drivers of future growth.

Spain and Portugal: 60MWh of C&I Storage by 2025

SolaX has dozens of active projects in the C&I BESS sector, with storage systems ranging from 500 to 3,500 kWh, applied in sectors such as agricultural irrigation, tunnel lighting, and food processing. The company expects to sell around 60MWh of C&I BESS in Spain and Portugal by 2025.

On the utility-scale side, significant project deployment is expected later in the year. Ruiz noted that current projects range from 30 to 50MWh, but there are also large-scale opportunities of up to 1GWh under development.

Regulation and Public Policies: The Sector’s Greatest Challenge

Although Europe leads the energy storage market, funding initiatives are not strong enough, and countries continue to fail to learn from pioneering markets. “As long as each country launches its own isolated initiatives without a coordinated strategy, growth will be inefficient,” Ruiz warned.

The differences in regulatory frameworks between countries make technology deployment complex and inefficient. This not only slows down storage adoption but also prevents the creation of a harmonised ecosystem at the European level.

Ruiz outlined three key areas that regulations must focus on:

1. Safety standards to ensure reliable installations.
2. A clear definition of storage capacity in the transition to a smart grid.
3. Quality control to prevent the market from being flooded with low-cost, low-quality products that could jeopardise system stability.

Supply Chain Challenges and Production Optimisation

Regarding SolaX’s competitiveness in Europe, Ruiz highlighted that the company is a leader in residential, commercial, and industrial storage, and that product reliability is the key factor in customer choices. “The market has shown that reliable storage solutions are what users truly seek,” he stated.

Digitalisation has been a key factor in improving supply chain efficiency, allowing the company to achieve a 98% on-time delivery rate. However, tariffs and the lack of market harmonisation across Europe remain significant barriers. “Not all countries are storage-oriented yet, so agility and flexibility in manufacturing are crucial to success,” Ruiz explained.

The Clean Industrial Deal and Its Impact on Energy Storage

On the same day as the event, the European Commission introduced the Clean Industrial Deal, a new strategy aimed at strengthening clean industrial production across the region. This initiative seeks to accelerate the energy transition by offering financial incentives, supporting local manufacturing, and implementing new regulations to enhance the competitiveness of green technologies.

For the energy storage sector, this deal could provide a crucial boost in funding and regulation, addressing some of the challenges outlined by Ruiz during the forum.

The BESS and green hydrogen markets are expanding rapidly, but their sustainable growth will depend on intelligent public policies, regulatory stability, and cost reductions.

“This is not about choosing between BESS and hydrogen but about leveraging both technologies to ensure an efficient and sustainable energy system,” Ruiz concluded.