BESS Quality & Performance: Energy Storage Summit 2026
- Panel title: Product Selection, Quality, and Underperformance in Battery Storage Projects
- Held at the Energy Storage Summit 2026 in London
- Moderated by Cameron Murray, section editor at Energy-Storage.news
- Panelists drawn from STS, ContourGlobal, CEA and Volytica
- Solar Media runs the summit as part of its global energy storage conference series
A panel at the Energy Storage Summit 2026 in London, moderated by Energy-Storage.news section editor Cameron Murray, examined how battery buyers catch quality and underperformance problems before contracts are signed. The session, titled Product Selection, Quality, and Underperformance in Battery Storage Projects, drew Elias Garcia Goma of technical advisor STS, Maria Cuadrado of independent power producer ContourGlobal, George Touloupas of analytics firm CEA and Claudius Jehle of Volytica. Solar Media runs the summit as part of its global energy storage conference series. No participant put a figure on how widespread BESS underperformance is across the installed fleet.
Navigating BESS Quality and Performance
A panel discussion titled ‘Product Selection, Quality, and Underperformance in Battery Storage Projects’ brought together industry leaders to share insights. The conversation, moderated by Cameron Murray, Section Editor for Energy-Storage.news, featured Elias Garcia Goma (Technical Advisor, STS), Maria Cuadrado (Global BESS Strategy and Development Manager, ContourGlobal), George Touloupas (Vice President, ESG and New Services, CEA), and Claudius Jehle (CEO, Volytica).
Key Considerations for BESS Procurement
- Expert Insights: The panel comprised representatives from consultancies, analytics firms, and independent power producers, offering diverse perspectives on BESS challenges.
- Risk Mitigation: A primary focus was on strategies to ensure BESS equipment meets quality standards and performs as expected throughout its lifecycle.
- Underperformance Concerns: The discussion aimed to equip stakeholders with the knowledge to avoid and address potential underperformance issues in battery storage projects.
The Energy Storage Summit 2026 is a flagship event within Solar Media’s global series of energy storage conferences. The summit provides a platform for industry professionals to discuss market trends, technological advancements, and best practices in the sector.
Why It Matters
This focus on BESS quality and performance is vital because underperforming cells show up as missed availability payments and warranty disputes years after commissioning, not at handover. For the broader energy industry, this means a growing emphasis on robust testing, transparent supply chains, and standardized performance metrics to build confidence and accelerate the deployment of these essential assets.
Critical Perspective
While the summit highlighted concerns about BESS quality and performance, the article offers no specific metrics on the extent of underperformance encountered by developers. Historically, the rapid deployment of new energy technologies has often been followed by unforeseen complications, as seen with early solar panel degradation. Will the industry’s current emphasis on quality control truly prevent a repeat of past performance disappointments?
