ees Europe 2026: Grid-forming PCS, DC-coupling, C&I and data centre solutions among product launches and market debuts

The ees Europe 2026 exhibition in Munich highlighted a significant shift toward high-density storage and advanced grid-forming technologies. Major manufacturers including CATL, Fluence, and Sungrow debuted systems ranging from sodium-ion blocks to modular utility-scale platforms designed to lower balance-of-plant costs. These developments are critical for the Energy Storage & Batteries sector as they address the increasing demand for long-duration storage and more efficient solar-plus-storage integration.

CATL made a significant impact at the event with the unveiling of its 30MWh+ sodium-ion block, marking a major step for non-lithium battery energy storage systems (BESS). Fluence also introduced its Smartstack 10MWh product, which achieves a site-level energy density of 680MWh per acre and reduces balance-of-plant costs by up to 40% compared to standard DC blocks. According to Peter Williams, Fluence’s SVP and chief product officer, the modular system allows customers to adopt higher-capacity units without redesigning projects from the ground up, supporting durations from two to eight hours.

Sungrow and Trina Storage focused on integrated and C&I solutions, with Sungrow launching its PowerStack 255CS liquid-cooled system for the European market. This solution offers a 125kW PCS and is scalable to 6MWh, supporting both AC-coupled and DC-coupled configurations for applications ranging from off-grid sawmills to weak-grid environments. Trina Storage debuted its Elementa + Electra 13.8MVA/25MWh integrated DC+AC solution, which features a 587Ah cell and a three-tier liquid-cooling architecture. The system is already seeing commercial traction, with a 40MW/160.48MWh project currently underway in Romania for LSG, targeted for commissioning in Q3 2026.

The exhibition also showcased advancements in power conversion and grid stability from Nidec Conversion, Power Electronics, and SMA. Nidec debuted the UniQube PCS, a 2000V-ready liquid-cooled architecture designed for long-duration energy storage of up to eight hours. Power Electronics introduced its Freesun DC/DC converter for hybrid systems, emphasizing grid-forming capabilities and direct solar-plus-storage hybridization. SMA rounded out the major launches with its Stability Enhanced DC Coupled Hybrid Solution, which integrates the Sunny Central UP-S battery inverter to provide grid-forming stability for large-scale power plants.