EAEST Expert Committee Member Roland Burkhardt Delivers Dual Keynotes at The Battery Show Asia 2026; Energy Depot’s Lu Jing Honoured with Asia-Pacific Women Leaders in Energy Award
The European Association of Energy Storage Trade (EAEST) is pleased to announce that Roland Burkhardt, CEO of Energy Depot Swiss GmbH and a member of EAEST’s Expert Committee, delivered two keynote addresses at The Battery Show Asia 2026, held in Hong Kong from 10 to 12 March 2026. The Association further congratulates Ms. Lu Jing of Energy Depot on her receipt of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Women Leaders in Energy Award, presented as part of the same event.
Speaker Profile: Roland Burkhardt
Roland Burkhardt brings more than 30 years of experience in the European renewable energy industry. He is the founder of Sunways AG, one of Germany’s earliest publicly listed solar companies, established in 1993 and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2001. Sunways operated across the full photovoltaic value chain, from polysilicon to building-integrated PV systems. In 2014, Mr. Burkhardt founded Energy Depot Swiss GmbH, where he has led research and development in energy storage system components and intelligent energy management solutions. In his capacity as an EAEST Expert Committee Member, he is actively engaged in advancing cooperation between European energy storage projects and the global industry.
Keynote Address I: “Systems Thinking: The Foundation of True Innovation in Energy”
In his first keynote, Mr. Burkhardt addressed the structural foundations that underpin genuine innovation in the energy sector. He argued that true innovation in energy does not originate from individual component improvements, but from the architecture of integrated systems. Early topology decisions — such as AC versus DC coupling — lock in cost structures and determine long-term operational expenditure profiles. The integration of storage, power electronics, mobility infrastructure, and energy management systems creates structural competitive advantages that isolated component optimisation cannot replicate.
Mr. Burkhardt further addressed the growing importance of cybersecurity as an infrastructure imperative. As energy systems increasingly rely on remote firmware updates, cloud-based energy management, and vehicle-to-grid connectivity, the attack surface expands commensurately. He stressed that security must be embedded at the system design level rather than treated as a supplementary measure, and called for the standardisation of communication protocols across the value chain to reduce integration complexity and systemic risk.
Reflecting on the long-term trajectory of the sector, Mr. Burkhardt outlined a strategic evolution in which energy storage transitions from an add-on technology today to a system orchestrator by 2030, and ultimately to the backbone of the energy infrastructure by 2040 — enabling grid stability, peak management, flexibility market participation, and energy sovereignty.
Keynote Address II: “The Future of Energy Storage: Trends, Technologies, and Real-World Applications”
In his second keynote, Mr. Burkhardt provided a comprehensive overview of the global energy storage landscape, examining current market dynamics, emerging technologies, and real-world deployment experience. He noted that the global battery storage market is undergoing strong exponential growth, with utility-scale storage dominating new installations and falling battery prices driving rapid scaling. Investment is rising across the United States, China, and Europe, and storage systems are completing the transition from niche technology to critical national infrastructure.
On battery chemistry, Mr. Burkhardt observed that while lithium-ion technology currently dominates, its market share is expected to decline structurally over time. Solid-state batteries offer higher safety and energy density; sodium-ion batteries present a cost-effective alternative for certain applications; redox flow batteries are suited to long service-life requirements; and hydrogen storage is emerging as a strategic pillar for long-duration energy storage beyond 2030.
The keynote also examined real-world applications across market segments: utility-scale storage for grid frequency stabilisation, peak shaving, and blackout prevention; commercial and industrial applications combining peak load reduction and backup solutions with energy management systems; and residential prosumer systems integrating photovoltaic generation with intelligent AI-driven control. Mr. Burkhardt highlighted vehicle-to-grid technology as a significant emerging opportunity, in which millions of electric vehicles could function as a distributed virtual storage asset capable of providing meaningful grid support.
Mr. Burkhardt concluded by identifying the principal challenges facing the sector: raw material dependencies, grid connection bottlenecks, evolving regulatory frameworks, fire protection standards, recycling infrastructure, and the imperative of cyber-resilient system design. He emphasised that technology alone is insufficient — regulatory frameworks and grid operator cooperation will ultimately determine the pace of deployment.
2026 Asia-Pacific Women Leaders in Energy Award: Ms. Lu Jing
EAEST extends its congratulations to Ms. Lu Jing of Energy Depot on her receipt of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Women Leaders in Energy Award, presented at The Battery Show Asia. The award recognises women who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and industry impact in the energy sector, and this year’s selection drew candidates from more than 20 countries and regions.
Ms. Lu Jing was recognised for her contributions to the development of intelligent energy management solutions and her role in advancing the transition toward sustainable energy systems. This recognition reflects both her individual achievements and the broader commitment of the Energy Depot team to driving progress in smart and sustainable energy.
About Energy Depot Swiss GmbH
Energy Depot Swiss GmbH is a Swiss-based energy technology company specialising in research, development, and distribution of high-efficiency energy storage systems and intelligent energy management solutions. Founded in 2014 by Roland Burkhardt, the company operates across Europe and internationally, with a focus on integrated system design and long-term energy performance. Energy Depot Swiss GmbH is a member of the European Association of Energy Storage Trade (EAEST), and actively contributes to the Association’s work in advancing the European energy storage market and fostering international industry cooperation.
About EAEST
The European Association of Energy Storage Trade (EAEST) is a Netherlands-based industry association dedicated to advancing the development of the European energy storage market. EAEST works to connect industry stakeholders with regulators, supports standards and compliance alignment, and facilitates the formation of transparent and investable market structures across Europe.
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