UNEF (Unión Española de Fotovoltaica) is a business association representing around 90% of Spain’s photovoltaic sector. Established in 2012 through the merger of the three main PV industry associations, UNEF has played a pivotal role in advancing solar energy in Spain. On May 22nd and 23rd, UNEF hosted its 2nd International Summit on Hydrogen and Energy Storage in Madrid. According to UNEF, integrating storage with solar energy is essential for self-consumption and ensuring power availability during non-sunny hours. Similarly, green hydrogen is considered vital for decarbonizing specific industries. As a result, the photovoltaic sector is advocating for the removal of barriers that hinder the efficient, rapid, and cost-effective deployment of these technologies.

The summit featured over 60 national and international experts and attracted more than 500 participants. This gathering came at a critical time, marked by a slowdown in self-consumption and related storage systems.

Silbat was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on thermal storage. Representing Silbat, Rafael Molinero, our expert in system-level storage technology, shared insights on how to meet the most demanding market needs. The roundtable also included leading startups in thermal storage, such as Build to Zero, Rondo, Energy Nest, and Brenmiller. The discussion spanned a wide range of topics, including the differences between thermal and the electrochemical storage technologies typically used in photovoltaics, the temperatures achievable with thermal storage, industries and applications that can be decarbonized, integration of thermal storage with hydrogen projects, and the challenges faced by deep tech companies in turning R&D work into market-ready products.