Steve Merrick

Exhibition: June 23–25, 2026, Messe München
Conference: June 22–23, 2026, ICM München

Job Title: Staff Product Manager
Company: Wärtsilä Energy Storage
Country: USA

Steve Merrick, Staff Product Manager at Wärtsilä Energy Storage, manages the product development of battery analytics solutions that sit within Wärtsilä's controls and optimisation software, GEMS. His work focuses on developing software that enhances battery efficiency, maintenance, and longevity, optimising these systems that are crucial to the global energy transition.
Steve's experience in energy storage began at Shell New Energies, where he focused on storage trading and optimisation. He then built software for joint EV charging and storage solutions at FreeWire Technologies.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Drake University and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

June 23, 2026From Data to Decisions: Operational Lessons from AI in Utility-Scale Battery Storage

Sessions

Session

Can We Trust AI to Run the Grid? From Data Infrastructure to Operational Intelligence

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 09:30 am - 11:00 am

ICM München Room 4

Grid operators are no longer asking whether AI belongs in control rooms, but when they will be able to rely on it. AI tools for forecasting imbalances, detecting congestion, supporting dispatch decisions as well as enabling digital twins and edge intelligence are advancing rapidly. At the same time, European frameworks are evolving to support data-driven grid operation.But trust is not built on model accuracy alone - it requires real-world deployment, transparent validation and clear human oversight.During this 90-minute session, speakers will share concrete results from deployed systems. Find out where AI-assisted operation has delivered measurable improvements, what data infrastructure is genuinely needed and what regulatory conditions can help a tool move from the pilot phase to one that becomes part of daily operations.