Applications & Installations

Storage Highlights 2020 – Megawatt Winner: Ecocoach

With the new decade, pv magazine brings forth yet another energy storage highlights. Approximately two weeks of work went into sifting through this year’s 22 highlights submissions, conducting research, and preparing them for the jury. Once again, this year’s work was crowned by the moderation of the jury meeting, in which six leading industry experts discussed the technologies and solutions. Differing from previous years, the jurors have selected the top five “Gigawatt” winners, followed by five “Megawatt” winners, and a series of “Finalists” which we are publishing here, leading up to Energy Storage Europe.
Erica Johnson
By
Erica Johnson
Image: Ecocoach

Built in partnership with Messe Düsseldorf and Energy Storage Europe, pv magazine’s annual Energy Storage Highlights 2020 special edition is hot off the press. Join us to celebrate this year’s top five awardees at our Insight panel session with discussion among our Gigawatt winners and panel of expert jurors.

Introducing Megawatt Winner…

Ecocoach

Digital solution integrates energy management with building automation

The case project for which Swiss tech company Ecocoach developed and launched its new digital solution is spectacular. The new 50-unit Mättivor smart complex development near Zurich, situated on a slope with a magnificent view of the mountains, hosts a 260 kWh battery system, 20 EV charging stations, and standard smart home functionality. Ecocoach developed a unique software solution to integrate energy management with building automation in a way that facilitates easy setup and programming for installers. With this innovative approach, they convinced the jury to include them in the group of the five Megawatt winners this year.

Ecocoach’s software itself was inspired during the planning and construction of the new Swiss settlement. For housing estates, the digital connection of smart energy equipment and their scaling has historically required a high degree of programming knowledge and effort. Ecocoach simplifies the challenge with its digital solution, featuring a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the system to be set up via drag and drop. The company says that their comprehensive solutions integrate all relevant smart energy technologies, including the automation of all relevant building components, such as lights, blinds, heating, and air conditioning.

Once set up, the graphically supported installation compiles the program for the building. The code can be copy, pasted, and adapted for other building units. Even the consumption of power, heat, water, and gas can be grasped by the integrated smart meter and used as basis for analysis and invoicing.

pv magazine Storage Highlights Ceremony

Now as a Webinar!

You are invited to join us online for the pv magazine Storage Highlights Ceremony on March 11, 10am – 11:30am (CET)!

The Energy Storage Europe Düsseldorf has been postponed indefinitely due to Coronavirus. Consequently, we will not be able to host our Insight event live onsite. However, in the age of digitalization we will host the Storage Highlights Ceremony as a webinar.

The five Gigawatt Winners will pitch their winning applications to the expert jury panel with a subsequent discussion by the independent leading analysts.

Register now and join us! 

Jury Comment

Florian Mayr: “Highly relevant as it facilitates the trend towards prosumership and will allow a broader spectrum of providers to offer integrated building energy systems.”

Jurors

Xavier Daval | CEO, kiloWattsol

Xavier Daval is an international solar and storage expert, and the CEO of French solar technical advisory firm kiloWattsol SAS, which he founded in 2007. Daval is an electrical engineer and the former EMEA director of a
NYSE-listed manufacturer in the electronics industry. He is also the vice president of French
renewable energy association Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables-SER, the chair of its solar commission SER-SOLER, and the director of the Global Solar Council (GSC).

James Frith | Head of Energy Storage, Bloomberg NEF

James Frith spearheads the energy storage team at BloombergNEF. He leads the company’s coverage on energy storage technologies and
the lithium battery supply chain to provide insights on technology, markets, policies, and regulation. He leverages his background in battery research to provide key insights into
the chemistries, applications, and markets for lithium-ion batteries.

Mark Higgins | COO, Strategen

Mark Higgins is the COO of Strategen, a
professional services firm focused on market
development for a decarbonized grid. Higgins also
serves on the board of the Vehicle-Grid Integration
Council, a nonprofit organization committed to
advancing the role of smart EV charging. His past
experience includes serving as the director of
utility west at SunEdison, vice president of finance
for Hu Honua Bioenergy, and Pacific Gas & Electric’s
lead for key policy areas, including interconnection
and transmission planning.

Julian Jansen | Senior Market Analyst – Solar & Energy Storage, IHS Markit Technology

Julian Jansen is a research manager at IHS Markit Technology, leading the group’s global research on stationary energy storage to provide
deep insights on the key value drivers and emerging business models accelerating storage
deployment across Europe and North America.
Jansen also delivers strategic advice for bespoke projects on a range of new energy technologies.

Florian Mayr | Partner, Apricum

Florian Mayr is a partner at Apricum, where he provides expertise on energy storage, renewables, and e-mobility. Mayr supports companies around the world to advance clean
technologies by providing counsel for strategy
and transactions in the sector. Prior to joining Apricum, Mayr spent eight years in senior positions at McKinsey & Company and German
utility RWE.

Nina Munzke | Teamleader Stationary Energy Storage Systems, Karlsruhe institute of Technology

Nina Munzke has worked at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, serving as the team
leader of “Systems Control and Analysis” since 2012. At the KIT Electrotechnical Institute, her
focus is on energy storage systems. Munzke has
extensive experience in the field of dimensioning and simulation, in addition to developing
intelligent system controls for stationary storage systems. She is also an expert in the evaluation of the performance of stationary storage systems.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].

Written by
  • Erica Johnson
    Erica Johnson
    Erica joined the pv magazine team in April 2019 as managing editor. In addition to leading the global editorial team alongside Jonathan and Becky, she focuses on solar+storage content, and manages the special publications business. She has more than a decade of experience working in the PV industry, supporting the energy transition across the public, […]
    View author posts

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].

Comments