VIDEO: European BESS integration with Chinese cells can be competitive, says Maxxen’s Ruben Valiente

Maxxen managing director Ruben Valiente speaks with Energy-Storage.news editor Andy Colthorpe at Energy Storage Summit 2026 in London.

Breaking into the energy storage system integration space is not easy, but, argues Valiente, there is more room for players from Europe than we see currently.

With Maxxen sourcing its lithium-ion cells from Hithium, in a partnership that extends beyond supply, Valiente explains why China has “got it right” when it comes to battery technology, while there is still scope for value to be added locally. We also discuss which markets in Europe are the hottest, and what sort of applications make the best business case in some of those examples.

You can read and watch more coverage from Energy Storage Summit 2026, which was hosted in February by our publisher Solar Media (part of the Informa Group).

Held alongside The Battery Show Europe, Energy Storage Summit provides a focused platform to understand the policies, revenue models and deployment conditions shaping Germany’s utility-scale storage boom. With contributions from TSOs, banks, developers and optimisers, the Summit explores regulation, merchant strategies, financing, grid tariffs and project delivery in a market forecast to integrate 24GW of storage by 2037.

Battery Asset Management Summit Europe is the annual meeting for owners, operators, investors, and optimisation specialists working with operational BESS assets across the continent. The Summit focuses on how to maximise performance and revenue, manage degradation, integrate advanced optimisation software, navigate evolving market and regulatory frameworks, and plan for repowering or end-of-life strategies. With insights from Europe’s most active storage markets, it equips attendees with practical guidance to run resilient, profitable battery portfolios as the sector scales.