We cannot have a sustainable energy system without storage, and lots of it. For signatory countries to achieve the commitments set at COP28, for example, global energy storage systems must increase sixfold by 2030.

Batteries are expected to contribute 90% of this capacity. They also help optimize energy pricing, match supply with demand and prevent power outages, among many other critical energy system tasks. Put simply, batteries are the beating heart of the energy transition 鈥撀爏o what are the opportunities and challenges of this pivotal market? To find out, the 乌鸦传媒 Research Institute surveyed 750 senior executives globally, including in the energy and utilities sectors. Its research report, The battery revolution: shaping tomorrow鈥檚 mobility and energy, generally reflects what I hear from clients, but I would add a couple of other factors.

As battery prices fall, their prevalence goes up

Let鈥檚 start with the good news: the falling price of batteries as production capacity increased over the past decade or so. It will be interesting to see how these ongoing price drops impact two of the challenges highlighted in the report 鈥� the extended payback period for investors and the profitability of manufacturers.

Likewise, as batteries become more available and affordable, I believe that every solar photovoltaic site will have some form of battery storage. I also expect that we will see more residential battery use. That could be people buying their own battery energy storage system (BESS) to capture energy from their solar panels and discharge it at peak times. Or it could be EV owners with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality renting or leasing a battery through the growing trend for Batteries-as-a-Service (BaaS).

Innovation could lead to surplus batteries and energy demand outstripping supply

This rise in availability, and corresponding drop in cost, also has its downsides. First, with so many batteries coming on to the market, how can we track where they are all are, or how well they are cared for during their life cycle? And what happens when an innovation arrives like 鈥淔lash Charging鈥�, from the Chinese company BYD, which allows an EV battery to charge in 15 minutes? How do we know that the stock it supersedes will be properly disposed of, not just thrown into landfill?

Second, if increasing numbers of homes have a BESS and an EV charging point, it will create a level of demand that the grid was not designed to meet. For example, it makes sense to charge your EV overnight. But if everyone does the same, it puts a huge stress on the system. This could conceivably lead the Distribution System Operator (DSO) to tell consumers they can鈥檛 have an EV charger or a BESS 鈥� the political implications of which could be huge.

One final issue I would call out, which is also in the report, is the growing need for sovereignty in battery and energy production. We have all seen the impact on energy prices of being overly reliant on other countries for our supply. But having just one country 鈥� China 鈥� produce 83% of the world鈥檚 batteries, and mine around of one fifth of its lithium, creates similar vulnerabilities. Only time will tell how the trade tariffs the US administration recently imposed on China will affect the price of batteries and their raw materials stateside, for example.

Data and AI will be a big part of any solution

Currently, there is no single, defined solution to the issues I have described. But here are some ideas to consider.

1. In today鈥檚 distributed energy system, data and AI are king 鈥� so why not use them to help ease the stresses I have described? For example, advanced battery management systems can extend the life of batteries by constantly monitoring and maintaining their health and optimizing the way they charge and discharge. Data and AI can also speed up research and increase visibility of the supply chain.
2. Collaboration between governments and industry could help to overcome the issue of an overstrained power grid. For example, . Having a DSI in place will ultimately make it easier to connect all the battery storage devices on the grid and optimize when and how they are used.
3. Europe and the US have invested heavily in rebalancing the scales for battery production. (Though again, it remains to be seen how the tariffs imposed by the US will affect its own efforts.) Meanwhile, governments that are serious about sovereignty will need to keep incentivizing local production. That鈥檚 as well as supporting the research and development of technologies that rely on different components or materials, like solid-state and sodium-ion batteries.
4. As I said before, new innovations risk making old ones redundant. Yet according to our report, just one in three organizations has taken meaningful steps to establish a circular economy. To move the dial, we need more initiatives like the EU Sustainable Batteries Regulation, more research into recycling and repurposing methods and a 鈥榮ustainable-by-design鈥� approach to battery manufacture.

Batteries are not the only storage

These challenges will not be solved overnight. But meanwhile, other innovations are emerging. For example, the giant solar array at New York City鈥檚 John F Kennedy International Airport will also feature 3,84 MW of hydrogen fuel cells. I鈥檓 sure London鈥檚 Heathrow Airport would have appreciated this capacity when a fire in one of the electrical substations supplying its power forced it to close for over a day in March 2025.

Far from being the be all and end all, then, batteries are part of a bigger picture of energy storage 鈥� one that is constantly evolving. In future, this could mean we have a sustainable energy system that deploys different types of storage to help it manage, monitor and optimize energy use. With AI technologies developing at pace, we have more opportunity than ever to achieve it.

Balancing opportunity, technology, and cost

The race is on to stay ahead of increasing public and commercial demand for low carbon mobility. If the race is between battery powered electric vehicles (EVs) and low carbon hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, there鈥檚 little doubt that batteries have taken the lead.

This is mainly because, while electricity is readily available, hydrogen is currently not scalable or easy to source. Right now, budget issues stand in the way of widespread deployment of low carbon hydrogen, and it remains a developing market at the R&D or proof of concept (POC) stage.

It seems that the trajectory towards EV domination is unstoppable, whether in the form of passenger vehicles or mammoth vehicles on mining sites. However, many think batteries may just be an interim solution to the large scale expansion of low carbon hydrogen. Despite the issues hydrogen has with sourcing, scalability, transportation, and cost. In fact, the low carbon hydrogen economy remains buoyant, with demand projected to grow massively to 38 Mt by 2030.

Whatever course the race to accelerate low carbon mobility takes, 乌鸦传媒 is playing its part. In this disrupted and dynamic environment, we provide consulting and services to a diverse range of energy providers, from experienced global players to innovative, ingenious start-ups. As a digital expert, we鈥檙e experienced in advising data driven businesses. We鈥檙e particularly adept at creating digital twins and creating digital representations of infrastructure, including EV charging networks

With almost one in every five cars sold in 2023 fully electric, EVs are no longer a niche market.

The 14 million new electric cars registered represented a 35% uplift from 2022, with analysts predicting that, worldwide, 17 million more new EVs were on the road in 2024

Sales are highly concentrated, with 95% completed in just three markets, China (60%), Europe (25%), and the United States (10%).  The growth in the global EV retail market is impacted by numerous domestic factors too. These include differences in national governments鈥� laws, regulations and subsidies, local supply chain and charging infrastructure challenges, and varying levels of cultural acceptance. Communication of EV鈥檚 overall value proposition, the concept of mobility and total cost of ownership, has been inconsistent.

But the long-term trajectory towards a future in which EVs dominate is unstoppable. It鈥檚 an industry bursting with innovation, new business models and an energy that reflects the vital role it plays in slowing down the impacts of climate change. 乌鸦传媒 is playing its part in this dynamic sector too, providing consulting and services for a diverse range of stakeholders, from the major global manufacturers to the brightest start-ups.

Helping you optimize opportunities across the CCUS spectrum

For the energy industry, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is crucial right now. For energy providers in particular, the ability to efficiently capture carbon without creating still greater emissions is an important part of the emissions reduction jigsaw.

The logic is simple. We鈥檙e not making enough progress on reducing the carbon emissions that amplify global warming. Therefore, many players across multiple industries, including energy providers, are focused on capturing the carbon they produce at source. From there, 乌鸦传媒 can help identify the right carbon capture plan.

Currently, we鈥檙e active across the CCUS spectrum. We鈥檙e helping some energy providers develop CCUS activities and others to deploy them. We鈥檙e enabling clients to deliver CCUS as a service. And we鈥檙e contributing to the development of new CCUS technologies through our engineering and design expertise.

As a digital organization, 乌鸦传媒 enables and supports data driven organizations fundamental in developing intelligent industry. 乌鸦传媒 understands the challenges and opportunities of CCUS. We鈥檙e experienced at creating digital twins to enable you to understand where the risks are. And to identify and optimize opportunities in systems integration, cybersecurity, and AI.

Energy businesses are embracing digital thinking and game changing technologies to ensurev a cleaner, more sustainable and resilient future for our planet.

As well as cutting CO² emissions in generating the energy required by the global economy and society, they鈥檙e also reducing the impacts of their own day-to-day business operations.

乌鸦传媒 supports many of these organizations across the energy and utility landscape to develop comprehensive, data-driven strategies and action plans to reduce their carbon footprint and optimize operational efficiency.

Reliable, sustainable and clean 鈥� nuclear is back, and it鈥檚 more innovative than ever.

Amid global energy uncertainty, accelerating sustainability goals and an unending energy crunch, nuclear is back in a big way. In recent years the industry has become more innovative than ever, and has begun to attract new levels of private investment. The outlook for nuclear is strong. But the road ahead is far from straightforward.

To take full advantage of today鈥檚 fertile climate, leaders in the nuclear sector will need to build and operate faster, cheaper, and more innovatively. To attract investors, you鈥檒l need new ways to project revenue decades into the future. You鈥檒l need to manage compliance, create the right partnerships, and continue to build public trust. With a network of over 2,000 nuclear specialists around the world, we鈥檙e here to help you every step of the way.

Managing excess energy for when it鈥檚 needed most

Effective battery storage is a critical part of successful energy transition, especially as the contribution of alternative energy sources becomes increasingly essential. There are two important areas of activity. The first is grid scale storage, where substantial batteries run alongside large solar power plants. And the second is behind-the-meter activities for both domestic and industrial users. As batteries continue to reduce in cost, energy storage is an increasingly attractive opportunity for both user groups.

Grid scale storage technologies are critical in helping the electrical power grid to balance supply and demand by storing excess electricity and releasing it when it鈥檚 needed. This excess usually comes from variable renewable sources, like solar power, and inflexible sources, like nuclear power.

Behind-the-meter technologies and infrastructure produce energy that often never passes through the electricity meter. These systems, from solar panels to battery storage units, allow users to produce and store their own energy, then manage their consumption by using it at the optimum time. Less energy is required from the grid, reducing energy bills, and excess energy can be sold back to the grid.

Vehicle-to-grid technologies allow excess energy from increasingly effective electric vehicle batteries to be discharged back into the home. In turn, this helps increase demand for battery powered vehicles.

Global utilities are transforming mindsets and business models in the race to deliver net zero

The challenges facing the world鈥檚 utilities businesses are uniquely complex. But with electricity generation producing 40% of global CO² emissions and water management another 10%, these organizations, alongside wind, solar and a resurgent nuclear sector, are playing a vital role in shaping a cleaner, more sustainable and resilient future for our planet.
They鈥檙e embracing digital thinking and collaborative innovation with skill and ingenuity, deploying game-changing technologies and the power of integrated data analytics and insights.  Modern, flexible, integrated infrastructure, networks and workforces are rapidly emerging.

乌鸦传媒 supports organizations across today鈥檚 energy and utility landscape. We help them:

• Develop comprehensive and holistic approaches to business transformation
• Build strong technological foundations at scale
• Adopt end-to-end digital mindsets
• Maximize the power and impact of automation, AI and machine learning.

The results are breakthrough improvements against diverse KPIs, from enhanced customer engagement and satisfaction to productivity and bottom-line profitability, and, crucially, enduring reductions in carbon footprint.