The implementation of battery energy storage technologies (BESS) is positioned as a strategic necessity for the decarbonization and modernization of the Panamanian electrical system.
However, the lack of a specific regulatory framework prevents its full integration into energy tenders and limits its potential to provide stability and efficiency to the grid.
"Regulating energy storage requires a concise methodology that balances regulatory compliance, technical details, and efficiency in decarbonizing the electricity matrix," said energy and climate professional Rosilena Lindo Riggs .
Battery storage is a key tool for ensuring the safety and reliability of the electrical system. Lindo Riggs maintained that BESS systems are fundamental because they allow for frequency regulation, peak demand reduction, and ensuring blackout start-up —essential functions in a modern grid.
"Battery energy storage systems are a key part of the diversified and resilient energy mix of the present and future," he emphasized.
But for storage to fulfill that strategic role , it is essential that the State promote suitable conditions.
"Innovation is needed from public institutions in the energy sector, private organizations and companies, and the construction of state-of-the-art infrastructure," he said.
Currently, the main obstacle is the lack of technical and regulatory frameworks that would enable BESS to actively participate in the National Interconnected System .
Lindo Riggs stressed that it is necessary for the regulatory body of the electricity sector to adopt a clear procedure to assess the state of flexibility of the system and the minimum requirements necessary .
"It is necessary to clearly stipulate regulations for the participation of storage technologies from generation onwards," he explained.
Furthermore, he noted that regular reports on the flexibility of the electricity system should be published , which will allow for an understanding of the real need for storage integration and guide technical planning.
Furthermore, he noted that regular reports on the flexibility of the electricity system should be published , which will allow for an understanding of the real need for storage integration and guide technical planning.
Lindo Riggs also warned about the lack of an official bidding schedule , which limits sector planning and weakens public policy signals.
"We need a document that formalizes the bidding schedule," he stated, and proposed that this could be done through a resolution from the National Energy Secretariat (SNE) , published in the Official Gazette.
In that regard, he stressed that it would be essential to amend the tender specifications from October to January and include battery energy storage systems .
"That would be the first step to give support as public policy to what the current secretary has indicated," he said.
One of the major technical challenges is defining how BESS will be integrated into transmission or distribution networks .
To that end, the professional argued that safety codes, performance verification tests, and commissioning procedures must be established.
"It is important to define in the regulations how their integration with transmission or distribution networks would be carried out, what the security codes to be applied would be, and what the performance verification tests would be that would be applied to the BESS to be installed in Panama," he pointed out.
The transformation of the system cannot depend solely on technical actors or the private sector. Lindo Riggs called on the Executive Branch to lead the process, promoting the implementation of new technologies such as energy storage. "The Executive Branch needs to promote the implementation of new technologies and processes to maintain the security and reliability of the National Interconnected System," he stated.
For her, this transformation is not only technical, but also strategic: it is about building an economy based on innovation and renewable energies, where storage plays a leading role.
Panama faces a historic opportunity to transform its electrical system through the integration of technologies such as battery storage.
But to achieve this, it is urgent to move forward with clear, technical and up-to-date regulations that allow for its deployment with guarantees.
As Rosilena Lindo Riggs summarized, "energy storage is fundamental to the construction and operation of modern electrical networks .
Without clear rules, its potential will be underutilized in a context that demands increasingly resilient, clean, and efficient solutions.