Keep calm and deploy solar (and batteries) – with James Allston and Marko Topič

With the Strait of Hormuz disruption continuing to drive
fossil-fuel costs higher, businesses big and small have been left
looking for ways to cut energy costs.


But, in contrast to energy crises of the past, today’s clean
energy technology is mature, cost competitive, and ready to fill
the gap.


This week on the pod, we speak to James Allston of Orkestra
Energy for a view on how European businesses are responding to
sustained high electricity prices and growing volatility. Rather
than reacting to headlines, he explains how structural forces –
from rising network charges to falling battery costs – are
accelerating the business case for solar and storage.


We unpack how local market dynamics, in leading commercial and
industrial (C&)I marketplaces such as the United Kingdom and
Germany, are shaping very different “value stacks” for batteries,
including managing peak demand, navigating negative pricing, and
optimizing behind-the-meter savings.


We also explore the next frontier for commercial energy users: EV
fleets with integrated on-site solar and storage. As grid
capacity tightens and electrification accelerates, this
convergence will likely shape how businesses think about both
energy costs and transportation.


Then, we shift from deployment to innovation with renowned solar
researcher Professor Marko Topič from the University of
Ljubljana, who takes us inside one of the most promising areas of
solar research: perovskite solar cells.


With record-breaking efficiencies already achieved, industry
focus has turned to the next challenge for the emerging solar
technology: durability. We dive into the perovskite degradation
mechanisms, surprising “self-healing” behaviors, and the
painstaking work required to understand, and ultimately control,
these processes in real-world conditions.


Professor Topič discusses indoor perovskite-powered IoT devices
and even space applications, providing a glimpse into an exciting
future – but one that will only be realized if researchers can
bridge the gap between lab performance and long-term reliability.


️ Questions or feedback? Write us at
podcast@thesmartere.com