The enthusiasm fueled in part by AI chatbots—which do not accurately reflect the reality of battery investments—creates an illusion of quick profits, but returns are, in fact, more measured and long-term, said Nicolas Pleșea, Managing Director of Adrem Asset Management.

“Many investors talk about how to make money with batteries, but I wonder: if it’s that simple, why aren’t they all billionaires? The reality is that an investment in a battery doesn’t pay off in one or two years, as some investors are misled by AI chatbots or those selling ATRs,” said Pleșea at the “Cell to Revenue: Strategy & Investment Outlook” conference, organized by Energynomics with the support of SolarToday Romania, Jinko ESS, Power Konnekt, and Sinexcel.

Pleșea describes the current market as being dominated by a stark contrast between perception and reality. Furthermore, investments in batteries must be analyzed realistically, through multiple “lenses,” and the most significant risk remains regulatory risk, a constant feature of the Romanian market. At the same time, compared to other markets such as Japan, Romania offers more aggressive energy trading opportunities, without fundamentally changing the nature of the investment.

“We are at a point where enthusiasm trumps reality. If we want to be serious investors, we need to step back from this buzz and look at the market in a disciplined way. Battery storage is not a business about exceptional returns, but about disciplined returns,” Pleșea stated, adding that the current wave of interest in energy storage resembles a gold rush.

The “Cell to Revenue: Strategy & Investment Outlook” conference was organized by Energynomics, with support from sponsors SolarToday Romania, Jinko ESS, Power Konnekt, and Sinexcel.