STORM participated in the Lebanon Grand Energy Event (LGEE 2026), held from 9 to 11 September 2026 at the Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut. Under the theme “Energy in Motion: Facilitating, Expediting, Expanding,” the event provided a platform for exchange on clean energy, innovation and regional cooperation, bringing together energy leaders, researchers and decision-makers from Lebanon and beyond.
On 10 September, STORM joined the panel discussion “Powering the Mediterranean Energy Transition: Interreg NEXT MED Programme Turning Regional Cooperation into Impact.” The session explored how partnerships across the Mediterranean can help address shared energy challenges and support the development, adoption and wider replication of sustainable solutions.
STORM was represented by Dr. Shadi Najjar, Project Coordinator and Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Moderated by Dr. Esmat AlKaradsheh, Coordinator of the Programme’s Eastern Mediterranean Branch Office, the panel brought together perspectives from public institutions, research and development organizations, and EU-funded projects.
Fellow panelists included Ms. Pascale Assaad, Project Management and Monitoring Expert at the Joint Secretariat (JS); Mr. Mohamad A. Itani, the National Contact Point in Lebanon; Eng. Ahmad Zayed of the National Energy Research Centre at the Royal Scientific Society in Jordan, a STORM partner also involved in Sludge2Energy and SHAREN; and Ms. Ilda Nahas of the Lebanese Development Network, representing MEDSHIFTGREEN.
STORM’s contribution centered on the potential of seasonal thermal energy storage to support the clean energy transition. By storing thermal energy for use months later, this approach can help bridge the seasonal gap between energy availability and demand, supporting greater use of renewable sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels for buildings’ thermal needs.
The session also placed attention on the steps needed to move from promising research and successful demonstrations towards solutions that can be replicated and scaled. For STORM, this is closely connected to its work on pilot installations, a Mediterranean Design Toolkit and a Digital Platform, which aim to support the assessment, design and wider uptake of seasonal thermal energy storage across the region.
The panel’s broader focus linked technological innovation with the policy, investment, skills and institutional conditions needed for lasting impact. Bringing these perspectives together provided an opportunity to position STORM’s work within a shared Mediterranean effort to accelerate the transition towards more resilient, low-carbon energy systems.
STORM thanks the Interreg NEXT MED Programme for the invitation and for creating opportunities for its projects to exchange knowledge and connect with the wider energy community.
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