The winners of The Smarter E Award 2026 were announced at a ceremony in Munich, Germany, last night. The ceremony took part on the eve of The Smarter E Europe, an alliance of trade shows including ees Europe, Intersolar Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe starting today at the Messe München.
Awards were presented at the ICM Munich in five categories: photovoltaics, energy storage, e-mobility, smart integrated energy and outstanding projects; with three awards in each category.
Winners in the Energy Storage category
Exeron CheckMate
Exeron CheckMate is a bidirectional inverter designed for supply-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). It’s available in two variants, both boasting a power density of 3.3MW per cubic metre. The panel commended its impressive power electronics, environmental footprint and grid-forming capabilities.
Phenogy 1-Series
Phenogy’s Phenogy 1-Series includes Phenogy 1.0 and Phenogy 1.1. This sodium-ion BESS represents a significant advancement in battery technology. Unlike traditional lithium-ion and graphite batteries, Phenogy 1.0 and Phenogy 1.1 are more environmentally friendly. Their enhanced temperature stability and cooling system ensure safer operation and over 10,000 complete charging cycles. A pilot system launched in Bremen in 2025, said to be the largest of its kind in Europe.
Sungrow Power Supply PowerTitan 3.0
Sungrow Power Supply’s PowerTitan 3.0 is a containerised BESS suitable for large-scale applications. Each 20-foot unit delivers over 1.87 megawatt PCS and 7.14 megawatt hours of lithium-ion batteries. The panel praised its 92 percent round-trip efficiency, excellent price-performance ratio and grid stability functions.
Winners in the E-Mobility category
HagerEnergy Bidirectional EV Charger edsn
HagerEnergy’s Bidirectional EV Charger edsn is a V2G-capable DC charging device. It uses OCPP and Modbus to create an interface between household power supplies, electric vehicles and the electricity market. Car batteries store solar energy, providing power to an entire house even during grid backup. The panel praises the charger’s simple design, broad compatibility and support for low-carbon mobility.
LEM International DCES-Series
LEM International’s DCES-Series is a DC energy meter designed for fast and megawatt charging systems. It offers easy plug-and-play installation wireless monitoring and precise billing in kilowatt-hours. This system is particularly well-suited for fast charging electric trucks and meets the growing demand for charging solutions. It also ensures reliable data protection for end users.
Tritium Power Solutions Tri-Flex
Tritium Power Solutions’ Tri-Flex is a modular fast-charging system that integrates with DC-coupled BESS. Each scalable Tri-Flex platform can supply up to 3.2MW DC and charge 64 electric vehicles simultaneously. This makes it ideal for company fleets and public charging centres, standing out as an intelligent, flexible and future-proof charging solution.
Winners in the Smart Integrated Energy category
CSET
CSET is a compact high-voltage station designed for smart grids, solar and wind energy and BESS. Inside, it features electric switchgear, an external transformer and wireless monitoring for predictive maintenance. The panellists praised its innovative and cost-effective approach to industrialising grid connections and accelerating the energy transition.
Stem PowerTrack Energy Management System
Stem PowerTrack Energy Management System (EMS) is an edge-to-cloud system for large-scale PV plants energy storage and hybrid plants. It integrates energy monitoring with grid-conforming power plant controllers. The panel was impressed by its holistic design, 99.99% uptime, cybersecurity measures, low latency and wide market potential.
The Mobility House Energy V2G Flex-Platform
The Mobility House Energy’s V2G Flex-Platform is a software ecosystem that connects electric vehicles, bidirectional charging devices, utility companies and energy markets. With smart and V2G charging, users can generate revenue while supporting the power grid, letting consumers actively participate in the energy transition.
Winners in the Outstanding Projects category
Fluence Energy Storage Portfolio in Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered an energy crisis, leading to a surge in demand for decentralised energy sources across Europe. Working with utility company DTEK, Fluence remotely brought six decentralised utility-scale BESS plants online. These plants can provide emergency electricity to 600,000 households, demonstrating the potential of decentralised BESS plants for energy security.
Schoonschip I and Schoonschip VPP
Schoonschip is an energy community in North Amsterdam. Its decentralised microgrid comprises 46 housing units and utilises solar energy, battery storage and water heat pumps. It optimises self-consumption, employs day-ahead pricing and offers up to 80kW of flexibility. The panel praised the elegant design, its potential for urban consolidation, ecological benefits and measurable social value.
SMA Altenso and Africa’s first fully integrated green hydrogen plant
In Namibia, SMA Altenso played a key role in establishing Africa’s first solar-powered green hydrogen plant. This plant integrates a large photovoltaic system, a 5.9MW-hour battery storage system and a 5MW electrolyser. The hydrogen produced on-site powers dual-fuel trucks, buses, power generators and, soon, a locomotive engine. The panel lauded the project as a shining example of a sustainable energy ecosystem.
Photo: the winners of The Smarter E AWARD were announced at a ceremony in Munich
Credit: © Solar Promotion GmbH
