The expansion of renewable generation capacity has built momentum for several years now, and today solar and wind energy are established technologies. The most impactful innovations we have seen over the last six months, are therefore those that are tackling the parts of the system, beyond generation, that are more challenging. This includes, notably, energy storage and transmission, as well as the regulatory and bureaucratic aspects of the energy transition. We are also seeing more technologies that are designed to keep clean energy assets in good working order.

As both Jacopo Tosoni and Gerry Newton-Cross point out, going forwards, we need to focus on continuing to build flexibility into the system. This will include the development of new and longer-duration energy storage technologies – heavy pieces of infrastructure – but also smart systems at a residential level. As Netwon-Cross puts it: “consumers need to be at the heart of any flexibility solutions.” It will therefore be interesting to observe whether these priorities will be reflected in the solutions that come across the Springwise editorial desk in the coming six months.