Long-Duration Energy Storage - What's Holding it Back, When Will it Break Through?

Dr. Gëzim Tosuni is a distinguished economist and academic, currently serving as Professor of Economics and Finance at the University "Kadri Zeka" in Gjilan. With a strong background in corporate governance, financial institutions, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors, he has made significant contributions to higher education and research in Kosovo. Dr. Tosuni is also a Member of the State Quality Council (SQC) at the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA), where he plays a key role in shaping education policies and ensuring academic standards. His research and publications focus on corporate governance, financial market stability, and political party financing, providing valuable insights into the intersection of economics, policy, and business. Beyond academia, Dr. Tosuni has been Chairman of the Board of KOSTT Sh.a since December 2024, where he contributes to the strategic direction of Kosovo's transmission system operator. His expertise in finance and governance supports KOSTT's mission to enhance the reliability and efficiency of the country's electricity grid while fostering international collaboration in the energy sector.

Dr Muhammad Rashid is an Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick, where he is involved in the development of battery technology and electric mobility in the UK. He earned his Ph.D. in Mech. Eng. from IIT Delhi in 2016 which was focused on the development of battery technology in India. He also did his master's (2011) and bachelor's (2009) in Mech. Eng. from India. For the past 13 years, he has been working in various segments of battery technology, i.e., battery design and development for electric vehicles and 2nd life applications. He has gained this expertise via working on different industrial projects with various batteries (ILLIKA, AMTE Power, UKBIC, British Volt) and EV manufacturers (JLR, Bentley, Norton, Aston Martin) in the UK; and European Metal Recycling and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at IIT Roorkee and IIT Delhi on various clean energy projects. He has several publications in high-impact journals and attended various conferences as a guest speaker.

Karim is the Founder and Executive Director of Orisun Invest, a project origination platform in renewable energy he launched in 2020, focusing on wind and solar in emerging markets. Orisun has closed after 3 years of operation 605 MW in 8 different countries and the company benefits from continuous deal flow of around 1.5 GW. Karim has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, having founded and co-founded several companies active in Europe, Africa and Asia, providing advisory or development services to both private companies and governments. He participated through his companies in the closing of over $500 million of equity. Earlier in his career, Karim held managerial positions at Dexia Bank, participating in the closing of more than $ 2 billion of debt and over 1 GW of on-shore wind and solar capacities. He is a board member of the Global Solar Council and is acting as Director Transaction Advisor in Dii Desert Energy, a leading business network in the MENA region advocating for an acceleration of the energy transition, which he represents at the IRENA Coalition for Action.

Solar & Energy Storage Executive with 20+ years of Global experience. Extensive functional knowledge with accomplished marketing, financial, business development and technology skills. I'm a seasoned professional with extensive functional knowledge with accomplished marketing, financial, business development and technology skills with a keen understanding of RE market design/fundamentals and business models, and strong in-market commercial and transactional experience who lived in 3 continents.

Daniel is a highly respected global marketing and event management leader with over 13 years experience in brand development, international marketing strategy and public relations campaigns. The proven track record of more than 400 successfully accomplished B2B marketing, communication and event management projects across the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America reflects his strong intercultural competence and ability to translate customer demands into profit making concepts and avantgarde solutions. Extremely well connected in the global solar and energy storage industries, Daniel has acted as facilitator for hundreds of companies across all segments that wanted to expand their business in specific regions. Daniel holds a BA (Hons.) in International Business Management and MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Since May 2020, Mr. Fuchs is heading the global sales team for NAS Batteries at BASF New Business. He has been working for three large electrical companies such as ABB, Siemens, and BASF for the last 33 years and since more than a decade he has been responsible for the sales of advanced energy storage technologies to utilities, project developers and system integrators. With passion he drives the deployment of new green technologies to accelerate the energy transition. He is an ambitious promoter of NAS® batteries (sodium-sulfur-based batteries) to customers across the globe and supports them on their way to the energy transition. Mr. Fuchs holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the RWTH Aachen University and an Executive Master in Business Administration from the University of West Florida.