Written b Eugenia Herodotou, CEO & Co-Founder, EnergyIntel
I returned from Madrid with three words firmly embedded in my leadership agenda:
Reliable. Resilient. Ready.
Three words that capture not only the future of energy, but also the responsibility we carry as industry leaders to make that future a reality.
The 2026 Annual Member Meeting of the Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDES Council) was much more than an industry gathering. It brought together technology innovators, global energy companies, investors, utilities, policymakers and industrial leaders around one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how do we transform the ambition of the energy transition into infrastructure that actually delivers?
The numbers speak for themselves. Approximately 26 GWh of long-duration energy storage is operating today, with 236 GWh built or in development. Yet the figures presented in Madrid point to a requirement of around 140,000 GWh by 2040. The gap is extraordinary.
For me, those numbers represent far more than a market opportunity. They are an urgent call for leadership, investment and decisive action.
From technological readiness to commercial reality
One of the strongest messages from Madrid was that the industry must move beyond repeatedly proving what long-duration energy storage can do. Many technologies have already demonstrated their capabilities. The challenge now is creating the financial, regulatory and commercial conditions for deployment at scale.
We need investment structures that recognise long-term value, policies that reward flexibility and reliability, and closer collaboration among technology developers, utilities, industrial customers and financial institutions.
Innovation without deployment cannot deliver the energy transition.
From Cyprus to the global energy conversation
Participating in the LDES Council as a Cyprus-based technology company carries particular significance for me. At EnergyIntel, our journey in thermal storage reflects the persistence required to transform technological innovation into practical, commercially deployable solutions.
Our thermal storage technology is designed to provide both electricity and industrial heat, connecting two essential dimensions of decarbonisation. As we advance our plans for industrial manufacturing in Cyprus, our ambition goes beyond developing a technology: we want to demonstrate that a small island economy can become a centre for innovation, manufacturing and international collaboration.
This is especially relevant for islands. Limited interconnections, increasing renewable penetration, grid constraints and the need for energy security make long-duration storage a strategic necessity. Cyprus has an opportunity not simply to participate in this transformation, but to help lead it.
Collaboration must become a competitive advantage
What impressed me most in Madrid was the quality of the discussions and the willingness of industry leaders to explore practical partnerships. The future of energy will not be built by individual companies working in isolation. It will be shaped by ecosystems that combine technology, industrial capabilities, investment, market access and political commitment.
For EnergyIntel, this strengthens our determination to build partnerships that accelerate deployment, expand our international reach and reinforce Cyprus’s position in the global clean-energy value chain.
The time for delivery is now
We have spent years discussing the energy transition. We have set targets, developed strategies, introduced ambitious policies and invested in innovation. Now comes the most important test: can we deliver?
Can we build energy systems reliable enough to support our economies, resilient enough to withstand uncertainty, and ready to meet the demands of tomorrow?
As CEO of EnergyIntel, I believe leadership requires more than identifying opportunities. It demands the courage to invest, the discipline to execute and the responsibility to turn vision into measurable impact.
Madrid strengthened my conviction that long-duration energy storage will be one of the defining pillars of the next energy era. But the future will not belong simply to those who recognise its potential. It will belong to those who have the determination to make it happen.
That is the commitment I bring back to EnergyIntel and to Cyprus.
RELIABLE. RESILIENT. READY.
Not just a message from Madrid. A leadership commitment. And a call to action.
