As solar and other variable renewable sources take a larger share of electricity generation, energy storage is being asked to do more than shift electricity from one part of the day to another. At Intersolar South America 2026 in São Paulo, DoGo Power used a technology roundtable to make the case for AI-enabled, grid-forming storage as a foundation for more resilient renewable-heavy power systems.
The next phase of renewable-energy growth could depend as much on software and power electronics as it does on adding more solar panels.
That was one of the themes at Intersolar South America 2026, held in São Paulo from August 25 to 27, where energy-storage company DoGo Power participated in a roundtable hosted jointly by EUPD Research and Intersolar.
The discussion focused on grid-forming energy storage, a technology increasingly viewed as important as conventional synchronous generators are displaced by inverter-based renewable generation.
Traditional battery energy-storage systems primarily perform an energy-shifting function: electricity is stored when supply is available and discharged when it is needed. Grid-forming systems take on a broader role. Their power-conversion equipment can actively establish and regulate electrical characteristics such as voltage and frequency, helping stabilize networks with high levels of inverter-based generation.
That distinction becomes important as renewable penetration rises.
Solar and wind plants typically connect to the grid through power electronics rather than the spinning generators historically used in conventional power stations. As those synchronous machines represent a smaller proportion of the generation mix, grids can lose some of the physical characteristics that naturally help maintain stability.
Grid-forming inverters are designed to provide some of those grid-support functions electronically.
DoGo is building its strategy around that transition. The company describes itself as focused on grid-scale, grid-forming energy storage and the underlying technologies required for next-generation power systems. Its proposition goes beyond batteries themselves, combining artificial intelligence with grid-forming capabilities to turn storage into an actively managed grid asset.
The company calls its architecture Software-Defined Energy (SDE).
SDE integrates four control and management layers: the Energy Management System (EMS), Power Management System (PMS), Power Conversion System (PCS) and Battery Management System (BMS). The objective is to coordinate these systems rather than treating storage, conversion and battery control as separate functions.
That approach mirrors a broader trend across the energy industry: the increasing software definition of physical infrastructure.
In data centers, telecommunications and manufacturing, software increasingly determines how hardware responds to changing conditions. Energy storage is moving in a similar direction. A battery can provide energy, but intelligent controls determine when and how quickly it charges or discharges, how it responds to grid conditions and how it participates in broader power-system operations.
For renewable-heavy grids, those decisions can have system-level consequences.
DoGo’s model is based on coordinating source, grid, load and storage as an integrated system. Rather than optimizing a battery independently, the architecture aims to coordinate generation and demand with storage and grid conditions.
The idea is particularly relevant in Latin America, where solar deployment has expanded rapidly and electricity systems face different combinations of grid congestion, variable generation, transmission constraints and distributed energy resources.
Brazil is already one of the world’s major renewable-energy markets, with hydropower providing a significant foundation for the country’s electricity system while solar capacity continues to expand. That creates a different storage challenge from markets that depend heavily on coal or gas: batteries may need to complement an already renewable-heavy generation portfolio rather than simply replace fossil-fuel peaking capacity.
For energy developers and utilities, the question is therefore shifting from how much storage can be installed to what that storage can actually contribute to the grid.
Grid-forming technology is one possible answer.
The technology can potentially support weak grids, improve resilience and enable greater integration of inverter-based renewable generation. It also creates opportunities for storage assets to provide services beyond arbitrage, including voltage and frequency support and other grid-stability functions, depending on market rules and system design.
The economics, however, remain critical.
Grid-forming capabilities require sophisticated power electronics, controls and system integration. Battery degradation, hardware costs, interconnection requirements and market compensation all influence whether developers can justify investing in advanced functionality.
This is where AI could become increasingly relevant.
AI can help energy-management systems process large quantities of operational data, forecast renewable generation and demand, identify changing grid conditions and optimize storage dispatch. But AI alone does not make a battery grid-forming. The value comes from combining computational intelligence with the power-electronics and control systems capable of executing decisions in real time.
DoGo’s SDE architecture is an attempt to bring those components together.
At Intersolar South America, the company also received the Top Innovation Award Brazil from EUPD Research for its in-house-developed 4S architecture. The recognition gives DoGo another foothold in a Latin American market where technology providers are competing for a role in the expansion of solar-plus-storage infrastructure.
Still, the larger story extends beyond one company or product architecture.
As renewable generation becomes more dominant, grid operators will increasingly need flexible resources that can respond dynamically rather than simply supply additional megawatt-hours. Battery storage is well positioned for that role, but its value will depend increasingly on software, controls, power conversion and system integration.
That makes the evolution from conventional energy storage to intelligent grid-forming infrastructure an important technology trend to watch.
If the industry succeeds, future power systems may be defined less by individual generators and more by coordinated networks of renewable sources, storage assets, flexible loads, power electronics and software.
For companies developing that infrastructure, the competitive advantage may ultimately come from how intelligently those components work together.
Market Landscape
The global energy-storage market is moving from a relatively simple model of energy shifting toward increasingly sophisticated grid services.
Lithium-ion batteries remain central to new storage deployments, but grid-forming capabilities are attracting attention because of the changing composition of electricity systems. As solar and wind replace conventional synchronous generation, grid operators need technologies capable of providing stability and flexibility through power electronics.
The International Energy Agency expects global energy-storage deployment to grow sharply this decade as renewable generation expands and electricity systems become more flexible. Its Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions analysis says global energy-storage capacity needs to increase sixfold by 2030 to support the tripling of renewable capacity targeted under the COP28 energy goals.
That creates a large opportunity for battery manufacturers, power-conversion specialists, software companies and integrated storage providers.
The competitive landscape includes established energy-storage companies, inverter manufacturers and technology providers such as Tesla, Fluence, Sungrow and Wärtsilä, alongside emerging specialists focused on grid-forming controls and intelligent energy management.
For enterprises and utilities evaluating storage, the key distinction will increasingly be between systems designed primarily for capacity and those capable of providing broader grid-support functions.
DoGo’s approach sits firmly in the latter category, combining its battery and power-conversion architecture with AI-driven control concepts.
Top Insights
- DoGo showcased grid-forming storage at Intersolar South America, highlighting how batteries can evolve from energy-shifting assets into active grid infrastructure.
- Software-Defined Energy integrates EMS, PMS, PCS and BMS, giving DoGo a unified architecture for coordinating storage hardware, controls and grid operations.
- AI adds an intelligence layer to energy storage, enabling more responsive forecasting, dispatch optimization and coordination across renewable generation, loads and storage.
- Brazil’s renewable-heavy power system creates growing demand for technologies that can maintain stability as inverter-based solar generation expands.
- Grid-forming storage could become strategically important as utilities seek flexible resources capable of supporting voltage, frequency and resilience beyond conventional battery arbitrage.
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