AKUCAST: CHALLENGES FOR FVE AND ENERGY STORAGE
With the Solar Energy and Storage 2023 conference coming up on May 30, hosted by the Solar Energy Association, we decided to dedicate this episode of AKUCAST to the topics that are driving the world of PV, storage, flexibility aggregation and the overall modern energy industry. This time we talked with Jan Krčmář, Director of the Solar Association, and Pavel Doucha, Partner of AK Doucha Šikola, member of the Solar Association and AKU-BATU and well-known energy lawyer. Together we discussed non-connection of new PV plants, storage and flexibility, Lex RES II, community energy and much more. What’s going on positively in the market? What is holding the market back? And what are the challenges ahead? Listen to the next episode of our podcast.
You can listen to the full podcast on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
23.5.2023 | Online
AKUCAST: WHY INSTALL BATTERY STORAGE IN LDS?
What are the differences in the use of BESS in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in industrial sites and local distribution systems? Is there sufficient government support for BESS in LDCs or industrial plants? This time we will talk to Martin Michko, Director of the Czech Association of Local Distribution System Operators, who says that new technologies will always increase in importance with a sensible project. What does Martin base his ideas on? Find out in the next episode of AKUCAST. This time the episode is hosted by Ivan Trup, head of the AKU-BAT technical working group.
You can listen to the whole podcast on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
3.5.2023 | Online
AKUCAST: RESIDENTIAL FLEXIBILITY
The topic of the 12th part of AKUCAST is very topical, widely discussed, attractive – Flexibility, especially at the low voltage (LV) level, i.e. mainly residential flexibility, or smaller companies. We will probably have to wait a while for a more massive involvement of households in flexibility, but it is already clear that the potential is great. Experience from Western markets such as the UK, France and Belgium shows that flexibility aggregators can not only partially replace fossil power plants, but also enable the transition to digital and sustainable energy and can reduce countries’ costs for stabilising electricity systems, similar to energy storage.
We are delighted that two of our distinguished members, Jan Hicl, Product Director at Nano Green from Nano Energies and Tomas Molek, Senior Flexibility Consultant at Flexigy from Unicorn, have accepted the invitation to participate in the next part of our AKUCAST.
You can listen to the full podcast on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
13.4.2023 | Online
AKUCAST: THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL “COAL” COMPANIES IN THE ERA OF ENERGY TRANSITION
The topic of the next AKUCAST episode is “The role of traditional “coal” companies in the energy transition”. We discussed with representatives of two publicly well-known companies in this field, namely SUAS Group (member of the AKU-BAT Association) and Pavel Tykač’s Sev.en Group. Pavel Tomek, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sokolovská uhelná and Pavel Farkač, Head of Transformation and Development Projects of Sev.en Group, accepted the invitation to the studio. And the reason why we chose this topic for our podcast is the bold plans of both companies in the field of energy transformation, RES construction, battery storage, hydrogen and the entire battery Value Chain.
You can listen to the whole podcast on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
9.3.2023 | Online
AKUCAST: Banks and modern energy
How do our banking house members, Komerční banka and Česká spořitelna view the current turbulent events in the energy sector in general? Are the banks focusing, for example, on favourable loan financing for the acquisition of a home or business PV plant with a battery? How does the lack of legislation affect the banks’ attitude towards financing battery storage? And will the attitude towards financing modern technologies change when the amendment to the Energy Act is adopted, where the anchoring of storage or aggregation flexibility should already be reflected? Not only on these topics we talked with representatives of both banks, Pavel Beran from Komerční banka and Miroslav Brajer from Česká Spořitelna.
You can listen to the whole podcast on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
18.1.2023 | Online
AKUCAST: The impact of electromobility on the grid and e-mobility as a potential source of flexibility
The theme of the pre-Christmas AKUCAST is “The impact of electromobility on the grid and e-mobility as a potential source of flexibility”. The aim of the discussion this time was not to deal with the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles, but with distribution and flexibility experts, Stanislav Votruba from PREdistribuce and Tomas Cmíral from LEEF Technologies, we talked about the future impact of these “batteries on wheels” on the distribution system, how to use electric vehicles smartly to stabilize it or how they can be a source of flexibility.
You can listen to the whole episode on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
20.12.2022 | Online
AKUCAST: Improving power grid quality with battery storage
This time we talked to Peter Gaman from PATRIC about improving the quality of the power grid with battery storage. Petr Gaman is an energy expert who specializes in battery storage and e-mobility. He has worked at GE Transportation, Hutchinson, ŠKODA ELECTRIC and AERS. He is currently on the board of PATRIC Technology Center. In our next episode of AKUCAST, we discuss not only why power quality is an important indicator and how quality is assessed, and how one battery storage system, for example, can provide multiple applications.
You can listen to the whole episode on our YouTube channel or Spotify.
24.10.2022 | Online
AKUCAST: PRIORITIES OF THE CZECH PRESIDENCY IN THE ENERGY SECTOR
We took a thorough look at the Czech Presidency’s priorities in the energy sector and took a peek under the hood of what the Energy Attaché is in charge of, and how the Czech Presidency is cooking. We also discussed the European legislation that is being prepared and, since we are in AKUCAST, we last but not least opened up the topic of hydrogen, which is also one of the key topics from the point of view of AKU-BAT. You can listen to AKUCAST on Spotify and on the AKU-BAT YouTube channel.
27.9.2022 |
AKUCAST: Batteries from all angles – technology, applications, materials, myths, recycling, safety…
The leitmotif of the next part of the AKU-BAT CZ podcast series is battery technology. In this episode of AKUKAST, Pavel Hrzina, a prominent Czech expert in photovoltaics and battery systems from the FEL ČVUT and the Solar Association, and David Vodička, commercial director of GAZ Gmbh, an important German manufacturer of nickel-cadmium batteries with a 135-year history, which is part of the well-known Bochemie group in Bohumín, will present new trends in battery development. Together with Jan Fousek from the AKU-BAT CZ association, the gentlemen also talked about materials and the availability of raw materials for their production, battery recycling, battery safety and, last but not least, the ways of using individual types of batteries.
Hear all this and much more in our next episode of AKUCAST.
12.8.2022 | Online
AKUCAST: Hydrogen or batteries? Using battery storage and hydrogen technologies in energy and industry
Hydrogen or batteries? In today’s episode of AKUCAST, we learn from members of the AKU-BAT leadership when it is better to store electricity in battery systems and when in hydrogen. Today’s guests are Martin Panáč from Siemens and Zdeněk Tříska from Solar Global. Both companies have not only been behind the construction of the first large-capacity energy storage systems in our country, since the beginning, and are still very intensively involved in battery storage, but they also have realistic and elaborated projects for relatively large hydrogen storage systems. Don’t miss the next episode of AKUCAST on the use of both technologies in energy and industry!
You can listen to the full podcast on Spotify or the AKU-BAT YouTube channel.
12.7.2022 | Online