Our Co-CEO James Allston recently joined The Smarter E Podcast - a weekly series produced by the team behind Intersolar Europe, covering the people and trends shaping the renewable energy industry - to discuss how European commercial and industrial businesses are responding to sustained high electricity prices and growing energy price volatility.

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With the ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruption continuing to push fossil fuel costs higher, businesses across Europe have been looking for ways to reduce their exposure to energy price risk. Unlike previous energy crises, today's clean energy technology is mature, cost-competitive, and ready to fill the gap - and the business case for solar and battery storage is strengthening by the quarter.

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In the conversation, James explains how structural forces like rising network charges and falling battery costs are accelerating the shift to on-site generation and storage, and why these long-term trends matter more than short-term headline events. He also breaks down how leading C&I markets like the UK and Germany are producing very different battery value stacks,  from managing peak demand and navigating negative pricing in Germany, to optimising behind-the-meter savings in the UK.

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The discussion also explores what's coming next for commercial energy users: the convergence of EV fleets with on-site solar and storage. As grid capacity tightens and electrification accelerates, this integration will increasingly shape how businesses think about both energy costs and transport infrastructure.

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Watch the full interview between James Allston and Jonathon Gifford below, or listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple.
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Want to see how the battery value stack looks for your market? Book a one-on-one demo with Orkestra in your region, or jump straight into the platform to start a free trial today.

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