Solarplaza Seminar BESS Portugal

Tuesday 29 September 2026

08:30

Registration & welcome coffee

09:15

Opening words

presentation

15 min.

Session 1

Market opportunities

09:30

Europe's BESS landscape: how energy storage is scaling across markets

presentation

20 min.

Overview of global BESS deployment trends, current installed capacity, and growth forecasts
Key regional markets driving expansion
Comparison of standalone vs. co-located storage projects

Rosemary Colaert

Clean Horizon

09:50

BESS in Portugal: market outlook and the regulatory framework shaping deployment

presentation

20 min.

Overview of the current state of the Portuguese BESS market
Near-term deployment outlook
Policy and regulatory framework: permitting, licensing, grid access, and market participation rules

Ricardo Ferreira

APREN

10:10

B.E.S.S. practices: Lessons from the frontline of storage deployment

panel

35 min.

Barriers Portugal must overcome to accelerate storage deployment
Perspectives on investor risk, returns, and market maturity
Key execution risks developers face on the ground

Eurico Correia

GALP

10:45

Morning networking break

Session 2

Technology

11:30

Understanding BESS technology: from lithium-ion systems to supplier landscapes

presentation

20 min.

Introduction to battery energy storage technologies (with a focus on lithium-ion systems)
Key technical differences between standalone and co-located storage configurations, and short-, medium-, and long-duration energy storage
Explanation of the BESS supply chain and an overview of leading global players active in today’s market

11:50

BESS system design in practice: sizing, cycling and operational considerations

presentation

20 min.

Core BESS design principles, including system sizing and power-to-energy ratios
Charge and discharge strategies, cycling profiles, and their impact on performance and lifetime
Key engineering considerations and common design trade-offs

12:10

Case study: Sourcing and constructing BESS in the real world

presentation

20 min.

Choosing the right technology for the right business case
Key considerations when selecting technology suppliers and system components
Lessons learned from EPC coordination, integration, and commissioning

12:30

Ask me anything!

panel

15 min.

Audience Q&A with speakers

12:45

Networking lunch break

Session 3

Financing & revenues

13:45

From merchant promise to bankable cashflow: structuring the BESS revenue stack

presentation

20 min.

Why merchant and ancillary revenue that looks strong on a spreadsheet gets discounted by lenders and why Portugal's pay-to-reserve auction leaves bankability to the developer
What structures make up the revenue-contracting spectrum: merchant, floor, tolling, hybrid RES+BESS and TBx-referenced structures and the role of blended approaches in optimizing for duration, market and risk appetite
Who carries price, shape, degradation and basis risk in each structure, and the basis-risk trap in benchmark deals
The adviser's checklist: a practical, public-data checklist for designing a revenue stack that survives lender due diligence

Gonçalo Ferreira

Navega Partners

Gonçalo Ferreira

Founding Partner and CEO

Navega Partners

Gonçalo Ferreira is Founding Partner and CEO of Navega Partners, an independent clean-energy advisory firm based in Porto. Navega advises developers, investors and energy-intensive buyers on the structuring and negotiation of long-term offtake, and on the commercial strategy behind storage and renewable assets. Gonçalo brings two decades in European power markets, across the utility, IPP, advisory and trading sides of the industry. He spent over a decade at EDP and EDP Renewables, moving from corporate risk to energy management and global procurement (including procuring EDP's first battery asset in Spain, 2017), followed by renewable-energy advisory, before leading renewables origination for Iberia at Engelhart, where he structured PPA, route-to-market and BESS tolling and optimisation deals. He holds an M.Sc. in Economics (Nova SBE), a Postgraduate degree in Applied Econometrics (ISEG), and an Executive MBA (IESE). His work is dedicated to advancing the commercial, financial and analytical dimensions of frontier energy offtake, spanning PPA structuring and negotiation, energy procurement, and the analytical pricing of BESS revenue, developing the models and commercial structures that make PPA and BESS offtake bankable.

14:05

How BESS generates revenue: Offtake contracts, merchant, ancillary services and beyond

presentation

20 min.

Overview of the main revenue streams for BESS
How BESS accesses and operates in frequency services and balancing markets
Key factors influencing revenue predictability and risk

14:25

Case Study: The BESS business case

presentation

20 min.

CAPEX and operating cost considerations
Expected project returns and investment hurdles
Key sensitivities affecting profitability

14:45

Ask me anything!

panel

15 min.

Audience Q&A with speakers

15:00

Afternoon networking break

Session 4

BESS in operation

15:45

Operating and optimizing a BESS asset: performance, monitoring and control

presentation

20 min.

Key aspects of BESS operations, including monitoring, dispatch, and performance management
How optimization strategies influence revenues, battery health, and asset lifetime
Common operational challenges and best practices for managing BESS assets over time

16:05

Energy market trading with BESS: strategies and practical considerations

presentation

20 min.

The role of traders, aggregators, and algorithms in maximizing BESS value
How trading strategies differ between day-ahead, intraday, and balancing markets for BESS
The impact of liquidity and price volatility on BESS trading outcomes

Agustin Sesena

Capalo AI

Agustin Sesena

Regional Manager, Iberia

Capalo AI

Agustín Seseña Carrillo is a Madrid-based energy professional with over a decade of experience in power markets, structured products, and renewable energy investment. He combines an engineering background with deep financial expertise, he has built a career at the intersection of energy market analysis, commercial strategy, and the energy transition. Agustín began his career as a Process Engineer at ISOLUX CORSAN, working on bids for thermal and combined cycle plants. He then joined Enérgya-VM, where he spent six years in a variety of roles, most notably as Head of Structured Products, where he pioneered participation in Ancillary Services with renewable assets in Spain. From 2023 to 2026, Agustín worked as Senior Power Markets Analyst at Renewable Power Capital, supporting the firm's European BESS, Wind and Solar portfolio. He now serves as Regional Manager for Iberia at Capalo AI. Agustín holds a degree in Energy Resources Engineering from the Escuela de Minas y Energía at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and an Executive Master in Quantitative Finance from Afi Global Education.

16:25

Case study: Owning and operating BESS assets

presentation

20 min.

Operational challenges from managing BESS assets
How asset owners work with traders, aggregators, and optimization platforms
Practical takeaways for future BESS portfolios

16:45

Ask me anything!

panel

15 min.

Audience Q&A with speakers

17:00

Closing remarks

presentation

15 min.

17:15

Networking drinks

Solarplaza Seminar | BESS Portugal

Opening words

Market opportunities

Europe's BESS landscape: how energy storage is scaling across markets

BESS in Portugal: market outlook and the regulatory framework shaping deployment

B.E.S.S. practices: Lessons from the frontline of storage deployment

Technology

Understanding BESS technology: from lithium-ion systems to supplier landscapes

BESS system design in practice: sizing, cycling and operational considerations

Case study: Sourcing and constructing BESS in the real world

Ask me anything!

Financing & revenues

From merchant promise to bankable cashflow: structuring the BESS revenue stack

How BESS generates revenue: Offtake contracts, merchant, ancillary services and beyond

Case Study: The BESS business case

Ask me anything!

BESS in operation

Operating and optimizing a BESS asset: performance, monitoring and control

Energy market trading with BESS: strategies and practical considerations

Case study: Owning and operating BESS assets

Ask me anything!

Closing remarks