The Energy Storage Awards 2025 quietly showed where green technology is really working: modular BESS, long-duration storage, AI optimisation, and inclusive talent.
Most climate targets fail not because of a lack of renewables, but because of a lack of flexible, reliable energy storage to back them up. That’s why the 2025 Energy Storage Awards in London weren’t just a black-tie celebration – they were a snapshot of where green technology is actually working at scale.
This matters because storage is the missing middle of the clean energy transition. Solar and wind keep getting cheaper, but without storage and smart optimisation, grids curtail renewables, burn more gas than they need, and stall decarbonisation. The companies that walked away with trophies this year are quietly solving those problems in Europe, the US, and some of the toughest markets on the planet.
For anyone building a green technology strategy – utilities, investors, corporates, city planners – the 2025 winners point to three clear themes: modular grid-scale batteries, long-duration innovation beyond lithium, and AI-driven trading that makes storage profitable. Let’s get into what actually won, why it matters, and how you can use these lessons in your own projects.
What the 2025 winners tell us about the future of green technology
The Energy Storage Awards 2025 highlighted one big truth: green technology is now about integration and intelligence, not just hardware.
Fluence, Energy Dome, EDF, Zenobē and others didn’t win because they built the flashiest project. They won because they combined technology, software, and market design in a way that supports real grids and real customers.
Here’s the pattern that emerged:
- Grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are going modular and repeatable, not bespoke science projects.
- Non-lithium long-duration energy storage (LDES) is moving from slide decks into commercial operation.
- AI- and algorithm-powered trading platforms are turning storage from a cost centre into a revenue engine.
- Diversity, talent, and new financing models are now seen as core infrastructure, not PR extras.
If you’re planning serious decarbonisation in 2026 and beyond, you’re going to need all four.
Fluence, DTEK and modular BESS: resilience in the hardest markets
The headline story from the night was Fluence’s triple recognition – and for good reason. It shows how modular battery systems and smart integration are becoming the backbone of modern grids.
Why Fluence’s wins matter
Fluence took home:
- System Integrator of the Year (for the third year in a row)
- Product of the Year for its Smartstack grid-scale BESS
- Best Overall European Energy Storage Project for its work with DTEK in Ukraine
Judges highlighted Fluence as a Tier-1 modular BESS provider that’s pushing ahead with multiple hundreds-of-megawatts projects. That scale isn’t just impressive; it’s a sign that storage is being treated like core grid infrastructure, not a pilot experiment.
Then there’s the DTEK portfolio: 200MW/400MWh of storage in Ukraine, delivering grid services in a war-torn country. If you want a stress test for green technology, this is it. Storage that can keep a fragile grid running under those conditions can support anything from offshore wind integration to urban electrification.
DTEK also picked up Developer of the Year, off the back of:
- The largest generation portfolio in Ukraine
- Active development of BESS in other European markets, including Poland
Practical lessons for green tech projects
What can you actually take from this if you’re planning your own storage or green technology roadmap?
-
Go modular, not bespoke
Fluence’s Smartstack approach shows why modular systems win:- Faster deployment and commissioning
- Easier replication across multiple sites
- Lower engineering overhead for each new project
-
Design for resilience, not just ROI on paper
If a storage system can operate under wartime grid instability, it’s robust enough for:- Extreme weather events
- Aging grid infrastructure
- Rapidly growing EV and electrification loads
-
Think portfolio, not single asset
DTEK’s 200MW/400MWh isn’t one big vanity project; it’s a portfolio of assets that work together. That’s where optimisation, software, and AI start to really pay off.
For businesses and public-sector leaders in our Green Technology series, this is the key point: serious decarbonisation requires modular, scalable storage embedded into your grid or campus plan from day one.
Long-duration energy storage: Energy Dome and the CO₂ Battery
Short-duration lithium batteries dominate headlines, but they’re not built to cover multi-hour to multi-day gaps in renewable output. Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is what lets grids rely on high levels of wind and solar without constant backup from gas.
Energy Dome’s back-to-back win as Long-Duration Energy Storage Company of the Year is a sign that LDES is finally moving into commercial reality.
What’s special about the CO₂ Battery?
Energy Dome’s technology uses carbon dioxide in a closed-loop system to store energy. Judges highlighted:
- A 20MW/200MWh commercial project already operating in Italy
- A strong global pipeline, with a strategic focus on the US
- Commercial maturity and leadership, not just lab results
- Flexible business models: storage-as-a-service and traditional ownership
From a green technology perspective, that combination is powerful:
- Non-lithium technology reduces pressure on critical minerals like lithium and cobalt.
- 10-hour-scale storage (and beyond) makes it easier to balance multi-day wind lulls or evening peaks without fossil peakers.
- Service-based models help utilities and corporates adopt LDES without huge upfront capex.
Where LDES fits in your decarbonisation strategy
Here’s the thing about long-duration storage: you don’t need it everywhere, but where you do, nothing else really substitutes.
LDES becomes crucial when:
- Your grid or microgrid is pushing beyond ~60–70% variable renewables
- You’re planning to retire gas peaker plants within the decade
- You need firm, dispatchable clean capacity to meet regulatory or corporate climate targets
If you’re responsible for energy strategy, start mapping:
- Which hours or days your system is most constrained (not just peak demand, but low-renewable periods)
- Which loads you could shift or support with long-duration storage (industrial, district heating, data centres)
The reality? LDES isn’t a science project anymore. Companies like Energy Dome are proving that long-duration green technology can be bankable, not just theoretical.
AI, optimisation and the business side of battery storage
Storage doesn’t pay for itself just because it’s green. It pays for itself because it’s smart. That’s where EDF’s wins and projects like Zenobē’s Blackhillock site come in.
Why trading and optimisation are now centre stage
EDF’s Wholesale Market Services team took Trading and Optimisation Team of the Year for the second time, plus Breakthrough R&D / Innovation of the Year for its trading and optimisation (T&O) platform.
Judges described the platform as:
“A leading platform for BESS asset owners, with a strong focus on breaking down barriers for new customers.”
In practice, that means:
- Algorithm-driven dispatch into multiple markets (wholesale, balancing, capacity, ancillary services)
- Intelligent forecasting of prices, demand, and grid constraints
- Revenue stacking that changes hour by hour, not year by year
From the AI and green technology angle, this is where things get interesting. You’re not just installing a battery; you’re effectively deploying an AI-assisted trading asset that:
- Soaks up surplus solar and wind
- Responds to grid frequency deviations in fractions of a second
- Arbitrages prices to fund its own rollout
Zenobē’s Blackhillock: storage as a grid-forming asset
Zenobē Energy’s Blackhillock project in Scotland underlines the same trend from a project perspective. It won:
- Grid-Scale Standalone Energy Storage Project of the Year
- Best Project over 100MW – UK
- Best Project over 100MW – Europe
Blackhillock will reach 300MW/600MWh when all phases are complete. Judges noted its strategic location to ease Scottish grid congestion and support offshore wind integration.
The key piece? It’s a grid-forming BESS, not just a passive asset. That means it can provide inertia-like services and support system stability, functions traditionally delivered by large spinning fossil generators.
For anyone planning smart cities or electrified industrial clusters, this is the model:
- Use AI-optimised storage to stabilise the grid and monetise flexibility
- Position assets where they relieve network bottlenecks and enable new renewables
- Treat digital optimisation platforms as core infrastructure, not an optional add-on
If your green technology strategy doesn’t yet include a serious conversation about optimisation software – not just hardware – you’re leaving both revenue and resilience on the table.
Talent, inclusion, and financing: the hidden infrastructure of green tech
You can’t scale green technology with hardware alone. The 2025 awards also highlighted the people and networks that are making energy storage bankable and inclusive.
Rising talent and new deal structures
The Rising Star award went to Rutwij Hoshing of Gore Street Capital, with judges noting:
- Pioneering US IRA tax credit transactions
- Securing rare contracts in the California market
- Scaling a storage portfolio from 9MW to 900MW
- Helping raise over £150 million in debt, with global M&A impact
That’s a masterclass in what modern green finance looks like:
- Deep knowledge of support schemes (like the US Inflation Reduction Act)
- Ability to secure long-term offtake and grid contracts
- Comfort operating across multiple regulatory regions
If you’re trying to get your first or next storage project financed, this is your roadmap: strong technical design plus smart policy and financing structures. You need people who understand all three.
Diversity and inclusion as real infrastructure
The first-ever Diversity and Inclusion Award went to the Women in Energy Storage Network (WinES), a UK-based initiative connecting women across the energy storage sector.
Judges highlighted that WinES:
- Has support from multiple major companies
- Connects a large number of women and influential leaders
- Acts as a model for a more inclusive industry, with potential to expand internationally
I’ve found that teams working on complex green technology problems benefit massively from diverse perspectives. When you’re solving system-level challenges – from grid constraints to new AI trading models – you simply get better solutions from mixed teams.
From a hard-nosed business perspective, ignoring inclusion is now a competitive disadvantage:
- It narrows your talent pool in a sector that’s already short on skills
- It weakens innovation, especially in cross-disciplinary areas like AI and energy
- It undermines your ability to win public and regulator support for large infrastructure
If you’re serious about being a leader in green technology, investing in diverse talent and networks isn’t optional anymore.
What this means for your green technology roadmap
The 2025 Energy Storage Awards weren’t just about who got a trophy. They showed where serious capital, talent, and innovation are heading in energy storage and green technology.
The clearest signals:
- Modular grid-scale storage is now standard practice for resilient, scalable projects.
- Long-duration energy storage is moving into the commercial mainstream and should be on your planning horizon.
- AI-driven trading and optimisation platforms are what turn storage assets into profitable, grid-supporting infrastructure.
- Finance, policy literacy, and inclusive talent are as critical as batteries and inverters.
If you’re planning your 2026–2030 decarbonisation strategy, start by asking:
- Where can modular BESS and LDES reduce my reliance on fossil backup?
- Which parts of my system need short-duration vs long-duration storage?
- How will AI-based optimisation fit into my operations model, not just my R&D deck?
- Do I have the right mix of technical, financial, and policy talent to actually deliver?
The companies recognised this year are already answering those questions in the field. The opportunity now is to learn from what’s working and build storage and smart optimisation into your green technology plans before grid constraints and volatility force your hand.