Energy Storage 2024: Batteries and beyond – innovating for grid-scale storage

James Whiteford: Electricity Modelling and Regional Strategy Manager, National Grid ESO

After completing a PhD investigating the interactions between the gas and electricity transmission networks in 2010, James Whiteford joined National Grid and has worked in a number of roles focussed on gas and electricity network development. His current role is in the Electricity System Operator where he is responsible for leading on the electricity supply modelling and assumptions within the annual Future Energy Scenarios. The Future Energy Scenarios represent a range of different, credible ways to decarbonise our energy system as we strive towards the 2050 target.

Varnika Agarwal: Research Analyst, Rho Motion

Varnika is a Research Analyst at Rho Motion where her primary focus is on the technical side of electric vehicle, energy stationary storage and battery market analysis. She has a strong research background through her DPhil at University of Oxford. During her time in Oxford, she researched on solid-state batteries with research papers published in high impact journals. Rho Motion, headquartered in London, offers the most comprehensive and well-informed forecasts and analysis for the energy transition.

Maxine Thompson: Fire Safety Engineer, Jacobs

Maxine is a member of the Fire Safety team working in the Jacobs Manchester First Street office. She has been working for Jacobs as a graduate fire safety engineer since the start of December 2021 and has recently finished her graduate scheme. She has an educational background in Engineering.

Maxine completed a 3-year bachelor’s degree at the Manchester Metropolitan University in Mechanical Engineering, graduating in 2020. Throughout Maxine’s professional and educational career, she has had to carry out a breadth of different objectives incorporating several engineering disciplines. Having come from a Mechanical Engineering background, she brings a new perspective to Fire Engineering.

Within Maxine’s time in Jacobs, she competed in a competition and won the CIWEM Glynn Ellis early careers prize. Maxine’s presentation was on the environmental consequences of a BESS fire and how mitigations measures in place can reduce risk to ALARP.

Gary Daniels: Senior Associate Director, Jacobs

Lead for the Jacobs Manchester Fire Engineering team, Gary is a chartered engineer, registered with the Institute of Fire Engineers, with over 24 years post graduate experience as a fire engineering consultant. Specialising in the built environment, Gary has managed the delivery of projects in the residential, leisure, aviation, research and development, defence, education, industrial, transport and commercial office sectors.

Gary is a committee member of the British Standard Institute committee FSH/14 and has been actively involved in development of several British Standards (BS 9991, BS 9792 and BS 7974-2) as well as industry guides (SCA ‘Guidance on Smoke Control to Common Escape Routes in Apartment Buildings’ and CIBSE Guide E).

He is a committee member of the Institution of Fire Engineers Registrants Group, assessing all engineering registrations, a former Board Trustee of the Institution of Fire Engineers and both former President and current Secretary of the UK Chapter of the SFPE.

Jonathan May: Business Development & Technical Sales Manager - Grid Technologies, Grid Solutions UK&IE, Siemens Energy

Jonathan May BEng MSc EUR ENG FIMechE is part of Siemens Energy UK&I Grid Technologies, Solutions Business Development and Technical Sales team.

Jonathan is currently working on UK&I grid stability projects with particular focus on Siemens Energy FACTs (Flexible AC transmission systems) portfolio. Having joined Siemens Energy in 2009, Jonathan’s previous roles were in Power Generation and O&G products and his most recent post was Product Manager for the SGT200 & Package/Auxiliary Systems. Prior to 2009 Jonathan worked as an engineer in advanced manufacturing at Turbocam International.

Bjarke Buchbjerg: Chief Technology Officer, Kyoto Group AS

Bjarke Buchbjerg, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Kyoto Group AS, a Norwegian company focused on advancing industrial heat electrification and decarbonization, leads technological innovation through the groundbreaking Heatcube thermal energy storage system. With a background as an Engineer and Team Lead at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy in Denmark, Bjarke played a pivotal role in developing cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for large offshore wind turbine blades. Actively contributing to the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE), Bjarke chairs the Thermal Energy Storage Task Force, shaping a new policy framework for thermal energy storage at the European Committee level. Holding a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Aalborg, he also studied Chemical Technology at the University of Oslo.

Jonathan May: Business Development & Technical Sales Manager, Siemens Energy, Grid Technology Solutions

Jonathan May BEng MSc EUR ENG FIMechE is part of Siemens Energy UK&I Grid Technologies, Solutions Business Development and Technical Sales team.

Jonathan is currently working on UK&I grid stability projects with particular focus on Siemens Energy FACTs (Flexible AC transmission systems) portfolio. Having joined Siemens Energy in 2009, Jonathan’s previous roles were in Power Generation and O&G products and his most recent post was Product Manager for the SGT200 & Package/Auxiliary Systems. Prior to 2009 Jonathan worked as an engineer in advanced manufacturing at Turbocam International. 

Nick Provost: Commercial Manager, Balance Power

As Commercial Manager at Balance Power, Nick is responsible for developing strategies to maximise Balance Power’s commercial position over both short, and long-term periods. This has involved working with external parties to determine revenue impacts for projects that have unconventional grid connection parameters and characteristics. Starting in 2023, Nick’s role has expanded to include being the General Manager of Net Zero Power, a Balance Power group company set up to deliver energy project development expertise direct to businesses to help them unlock more challenging decarbonisation projects.

Prior to joining Balance Power, Nick spent over 10 years working within the sales and pre-contract commercial environment for an energy solutions company and big-six utility supplier. He successfully built a reputation as the ‘go-to’ person for all energy modelling requirements which was used to underpin energy performance contracts worth £150m+ in both the UK and USA.

Beau Gray: Project Manager – Energy Transaction, Centrica Energy Storage +

Beau is a project manager at Centrica Energy Storage + working in the Energy Transition team.  

Beau joined CES+ in 2017 as a mechanical engineer, in 2019 he was appointed as the Mechanical and Integrity technical authority and in 2022 held the position of interim HSE & Technical director.

Beau left the Royal Navy in 2011 and transitioned into the Oil and Gas Industry as a mechanical engineer supporting BPs Southern North Sea offshore gas platforms, moving to Perenco UK following a change in ownership.

A key achievement of his was being part of the project management team that re-instated gas storage in the Rough reservoir in 2022.