#3 Energy Storage News & Views

Welcome to the Energy Storage News & Views, a bi-weekly newsletter where I will be sharing the latest developments in the world of Energy Storage and an update on things here in the Energy Storage and Grid practice at Hyperion Executive Search.

It's been another eventful week! Firstly, there were two prominent conferences taking place - InterBattery in Korea where the most innovative battery players were together discussing and showcasing the nex-gen technologies in batteries. One of the highlights was Samsung's announcements on their Solid State Battery plans (see the Insights below). It was also Giga Storage in Stockholm, where there was a sense of real optimism about Europe's place in the battery Gigafactory race (again more Insights below).

The highlight from the UK was the findings from the REMA consultations with a key talking point being around the concept of locational / zonal pricing - this could eventually mean that electricity prices are set on a regional basis as opposed to nationwide, which seems to be dividing industry leaders - some say it could ultimately reduce prices for many of the UK population but others say the prolonged rollout due to its complexity, could create a lot of uncertainty.

Alongside REMA, there were also some concerns from the industry over the Government's commitment to supporting Gas Peaker projects, at least in the short-term. At a time where we want to be shifting away from fossil fuels, it is a discouraging message, although I can understand the arguments for its viability in the short-term until we get more BESS sites up and operational, to support the renewables transition.

We also saw encouraging news with UK Gigafactory plans with Agratas (Tata-JLR JV) pushing ahead with their new site in Somerset and Coventry's proposed Gigafactory plans receiving an initial ￡35M funding injection to prepare their proposed site.

Recruitment Trends

We're progressing a number of exciting assignments right now, across the world of BESS, battery manufacturing, and battery software, both in UK, wider Europe, and the US.

We're seeing an increased demand for commercial and operational specialists amongst our client base. Companies need strong sales and BD talent to help capture opportunities in growing European energy storage markets. Additionally, many clients are scaling and need top operational leaders to oversee production ramp up, team building, maturity of internal processes, and fundraising support.

You can see some of our live assignments below!

We're growing!

Some exciting news from the Energy Storage & Grid practice is that we're actively growing the team with the hire of a Senior Consultant. We're looking for experienced 360 consultants who will have the opportunity to take ownership of one of our key sub-sectors in Energy Storage & Grid.

If you've had a particularly positive experience with a search consultant in the past, and you think they'd be interested in joining Hyperion, they can see more on the role here

Our Upcoming Events

Next week I'll be in the Netherlands visiting clients for a couple of days and attending the Future of Utilities event in Amsterdam. In recent years, face to face interaction has become less and less, but for me there's no substitute to meeting in person, particularly visiting a company's HQ where you really get a feel of the team and a sense of the culture of the organisation.

I'm delighted to be joining a speaking panel at next month's Solar & Storage Live event in London, covering Future Energy Scenarios for Battery Storage. I will be sharing my take on the shifting trends we're seeing with our clients.

Next week I'll be in the Netherlands visiting clients for a couple of days. In recent years, face to face interaction has become less and less, but for me there's no substitute to meeting in person and visiting a company's HQ - that's where you really get a feel of the team and a sense of the culture of the organisation.

Deals

Breathe Battery Technologies - Undisclosed - Volvo Cars Tech Fund (CVC arm) invested in Breathe and will integrate Breathe's software into its battery-management platform for next generation fast charging (up to 30% charging time reductions)

Vianode - €30M (Grant) To support the industrialisation of their synthetic graphite battery anode production, specifically their pilot qualification plant in Her?ya, Norway, set for start-up later this year

Anaphite - ￡1.6 million (Grant / early VC) To further rollout their unique dry coating battery process, improving manufacturing cost viability and sustainability

Li-Cycle - $75 million (Note financing) Further commitment from lead existing investor, Glencore (previously invested $200M) to support Li-Cycle's future construction and expansion strategies

Lohum - €14 million (Growth equity) To support the continued scaling of capital investments related to it's recycling operations, marketing investments

Pure Lithium - $15M (Series A) To support commercialisation of their lithium metal battery

NextEnergy Capital - $110 million (capital commitment) for its solar PV and energy storage-focused fund, NextPower V ESG (NPV ESG) which will accelerate the fund’s positive momentum and growth in Spain, Poland, Italy, Canada and the US (18GW pipeline)

Insights

More Solid State Battery Moves in Asia! It seems like every month there's a new announcement relating to Solid State Battery developments. Solid State has long been touted as the holy grail for battery developments but production at any kind of industrial scale has seemed a long way...?Read more

There's a new EU-backed Energy Storage Player in Town.?Really encouraging development from the EU here, as their investment arm EIT InnoEnergy launched their own Energy Storage platform, Repono, for owning and operating storage assets. We all know the need for increased capacity of Energy Storage...?Read more.?

Hydrogen made in Germany got another boost.? Hydrogen and its role in future clean energy scenarios is a topic that always sparks a debate.? What is an undeniable trend is that Germany is becoming more and more of a hydrogen technology hub in Europe.? Both on the public funding as...?Read more.?

The beauty of working with cleantech disruptors like About:Energy.? One of the things I love about being an executive search leader in the Cleantech / ClimateTech space is the opportunity to work with truly groundbreaking companies who are inventing incredible new solutions to some of the world's biggest problems....?Read more.?

Can Falling Battery Prices Boost European EV Adoption? There's been a lot of spotlight on European EV adoption in recent months, particularly here in the UK, with high costs often being cited as a key barrier for the everyday driver to switch - particularly those with large families or high-mileage...?Read more

What makes a great COO.? One of the most in-demand roles amongst Energy Storage and Grid startups and scaleups is the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Many of these companies have been led excellently by their Founders, reaching a point where they have great tested...?Read more.?

Live Assignments