Recap of the NY BEST conference held in Rochester, NY October 25th-26th written by Steve Beyer.
Everything energy storage and batteries was discussed and debated at a recent conference in Rochester, NY. The NEW YORK BATTERY AND ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGY consortium (NY-BEST https://ny-best.org/page/About NYBEST) of which Re:Build Optimation is a member, held their annual fall conference October 25-26.
NY-BEST is a composite of industry, academia, NGO, and governmental organizations dedicated to and interested in the development, adoption, application, and advancement of energy storage technologies. This event happens every fall and is the mirror image of a technology conference and exposition that NY-BEST hosts in the spring. That is coming up May 16, 2023 in Albany, NY.
The organization, led by executive Director Dr. William Acker, and supported by an experienced and expert team, uses this event as a gathering point and training/communication opportunity among the membership and the energy storage community at large. Attendees come from not only NY state but from across the country and internationally as well. Technical seminars are offered the day before the conference, covering a variety of topics and technologies. The day of the conference itself features several keynote speakers and a variety of panel discussions with subject matter experts from across the business and technology spectrum.
Executives from New York’s NYSERDA, battery recycler Li-Cycle, the energy storage group EPRI, battery manufacturer Viridi Parenti and the acting Director and Principal Deputy Director of the DOE‘s office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chain all delivered addresses to the group covering policy, technology and the markets.
Panel discussions covered topics from business model innovations to technology development, the future of EVs and the electric grid, and building a clean energy workforce. Special discussions were held on long duration storage and battery safety. One of the final panel discussions covered the challenges and steps to success in scaling up manufacturing processes. The ability to assist start up companies in particular, and manufacturers in general, to identify, solve, and implement the steps to successfully get batteries and energy storage products to market. This panel discussion included Re:Build‘s Dr. Kim Blair along with executives from The Raymond Corporation, Ramboll, and iM3NY/C4V. NY-BEST’s John Cerveny moderated the discussion which generated much information and lessons learned from bringing technology to market for new and existing companies. Getting technical and marketing support to build out and equip the required production strategy was top of the list of topics. The panelists weighed in with solid experiential advice and insights from their companies’ plans and projects.
Overall the event is a tremendous benefit for those interested in batteries and energy storage. Poster sessions and vendor exhibits round out the value of the conference. A lot of networking time is provided to make connections and create new relationships. Check out the May Spring conference agenda and you will see ReBuild Optimation and hundreds of others there in Albany.
