New energies, energy security, industrial supply and demand all covered in September’s technical briefing
The latest Frist Friday Press Club briefing welcomed 20 leading industrial and technical editors for three briefings spanning the global energy system. The September briefing saw clients from Definition Agency and Clay & Daughter, leveraging the club’s audience to develop meaningful relationships with the tier one media. Presentations and networking facilitated lively discussions throughout the three course lunch with many opportunities for follow up.
Energy Institute: amplifying Statistical Review of World Energy 2026
The Energy Institute’s Head of Statistical Review of World Energy kicked of the briefing by amplifying the findings from the 2026 report, following its launch in late June. Now in its 75th year, the report covers the global energy system and trends shaping the future.
Selene Law highlighted that renewables were the largest source of Total Energy Supply for the first time outside of a recession, with solar power accounting for 71% of the increase. While fossil fuels continue to dominate energy supply, the figures show a promising shift towards renewables.
Atlas Copco: showing how to take hydrogen from hype to reality
Chris Hyde, Atlas Copco’s Business Line Manager for Air and Gas Applications followed up by explaining how compressor technology can make the UK’s hydrogen ambition a reality. He explained that H2Y is a mature compression technology that is now available in the UK for the first time and can pressurise hydrogen to 350, 500 and up to 900 bar so it can be stored, transported or dispensed.
Hyde spelled out the important technology features for successful compression. These include responding to changing upstream conditions, eliminating gas blow-off at stop avoids hydrogen loss, and predictive maintenance to support uptime.
The key takeaway was that hydrogen deployment is no longer a question of technology, it is a practical plant design challenge that involves pressure, flow, safety, uptime and serviceability.
ABB’s Electrification Service: launching the concept of energy storage as a service
ABB’s Lee Todd, VP Energy & Carbon Services, and Matthew Wise, VP Head of Strategy & Development, closed the day by answering an important question, how do we create operational certainty in an uncertain world? Their take was that energy storage is becoming a game-changer for the grid and industry.
They shared detail from a new white paper about the future of electrification services. It highlights battery energy storage systems (BESS) as offering potential for more flexibility than ever before. BESS-as-a-service offers businesses a route to energy storage without the upfront capital investment or additional complexity. ABB’s experts shared insight into the lifecycle of BESS-as-a-service from assessment and development through to installation, optimisation and full lifecycle management.
