On Wednesday 17th June, the ESA was pleased to welcome members and friends of the Association to The House of Lords for our first in-person networking event. It was a charged moment as our CEO, Jason Howlett, stood up to begin the day’s proceedings. He reminded everyone that the Association was still one week shy of its first birthday and already we had become the go-to organisation for government on issues relating to behind-the-meter and long duration storage. An impressive achievement, one that belongs to every single member and one that was borne out by our four excellent guest speakers.

“The nation is going to need you.” These concluding words from Lord Alan Whitehead make a fitting summary of the tone of the four addresses. Our host and patron Baroness Luciana Berger was first to speak, championing storage as a cornerstone of the UK’s energy future. She highlighted the work of ESA members Invinity and Offgrid Energy, building manufacturing operations here in the UK, as well as our international manufacturer members like Sunsynk, Goodwe, Sungrow, Pylontech and AlphaESS, bringing their innovative products to the market here. It was a privilege to then hear from Bill Esterson, Chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, who notably commented that his committee are now seeing the evidence that better integration of storage and optimisation could negate the need for further costly grid upgrades and help bring down bills. This industry has long championed that message and it is excellent to hear it is being received at such a high level. Michael Shanks, Minister of State for Energy at DESNZ, began by remarking on how much progress the ESA had made in such a short space of time, especially the relationship forged with members of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero team. He went on to speak with great passion and eloquence about the high ambitions of this government and the critical role the storage sector plays in them. He spoke about the government’s recent launch of their consultation on community batteries, which has the potential to transform ordinary individuals’ relationship to their energy supply and ensure the benefits of the energy transition can be felt – and owned – by all. Our final guest speaker was Lord Whitehead – DESNZ minister and long-term champion of renewable energy, with nearly three decades’ parliamentary experience. He – along with Mr Shanks and Mr Esterson – highlighted the crucial role that a diverse portfolio of LDES technologies will have to play in Britain’s future energy system, and how this government is committed to fostering sustained long-term investment in those technologies.

We also had the chance to hear from our event’s sponsors. Neil Evans, UK Country Manager at Goodwe, explained the revolutionary complete energy ecosystem which Goodwe now offer. They have the capability to offer solar PV, inverter, battery storage, heat pumps and EV chargers, all combined under one energy management system to maximise efficiency, simplicity and returns to the consumer. Tom Woolley from SMS Metis, discussed his own company’s innovative approach to Low Carbon Tech (LCT) rollout. Amid bruising arguments over how to finance the cost of the energy transition, Metis provide their products at no upfront cost, repaying their investment via monthly subscriptions from the consumer and still providing huge bill (and carbon savings) to the end user. This ‘infrastructure-style’ approach rests on SMS’s thirty years of experience rolling out smart meters across the country and strong partnerships with local authorities and social housing landlords.

Overall, it was an event that truly testified to the momentum and government support the storage sector now has. It remains to us to build on that momentum and ensure we deliver on the vital promise of a resilient, affordable and net-zero energy system for the UK. The energy in that packed room of industry leaders and senior politicians gave us high hopes for what can be achieved before we turn two…

The feedback from participants was excellent with so many asking, “How do we top that?” for our next networking event. Having our four headline speakers is certainly going to be difficult to beat, but we already have some ideas and members should look out for details on our exclusive members hub area.

The ESA is hugely grateful to Baroness Berger and her team for hosting our event; to the catering and support staff of the House of Lords for the excellent service we received; to our four guest speakers for giving up their time to come and give their addresses; to Goodwe, Metis and Sunsynk, our drinks sponsor, for their generous support; and to every member and friend of the Association who attended, for making it such a thought-provoking and energising gathering.

28th July 2025