Skysense is looking to make a significant leap forward in the Mexican energy storage market. The company aims to expand into the utility-scale segment and capitalize on the sector's current growth.
“ In Mexico, we want to sign a couple of utility-scale projects this year. In addition, we plan to submit some projects to the standalone call for proposals ,” said Enrique Garduño , CEO and founder of Skysense, during his participation in a panel at the Future Energy Summit (FES) Mexico 2026 .
The strategy comes as Mexico moves forward with a tender for 935 MW of standalone storage , with a reference duration of three hours, representing approximately 2.8 GWh of energy capacity. This initiative opens a new window of opportunity for developers and integrators interested in independent power generation projects.
For Garduño, this opening changes the landscape of the local market. “ In the utility-scale sector, we see a huge opportunity in Mexico with the new calls for proposals ,” he stated during an exclusive interview conducted at FES Mexico 2026 .
From behind the meter to the utility scale
The move towards larger-scale projects is based on a track record developed primarily in the commercial and industrial sectors. Skysense completed its first storage project approximately five years ago and currently operates around 250 MWh of battery storage distributed across Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Puerto Rico.
The company defines itself as an energy company because it participates in virtually the entire value chain, except for manufacturing. Its activities include development, integration, EPC, operation and maintenance, and asset financing —a combination that Garduño considers necessary given the increasing sophistication of projects.
In the commercial and industrial market, the executive observes a significant evolution compared to the firm's initial developments. " The segment behind the commercial and industrial meter has experienced tremendous growth since we undertook our first project at the company in 2021 ," he noted during the exclusive interview with this publication.
According to Garduño, the market today shows greater maturity and confidence in the technology , while the new rules related to self-consumption and storage expand the possibilities for structuring projects.
That experience also includes microgrids designed for isolated operations. In one of its success stories, Skysense worked with a client who was entirely dependent on natural gas and incorporated solar generation and storage to manage the system.
“ They have managed to displace almost 60% of their natural gas use and we also gave the operation a lot of robustness ,” Garduño explained.
The project also added a financing structure and improved operational continuity. According to the executive, the case reflects how energy storage is no longer evaluated solely on its energy contribution, but also on its capacity to address technical, financial, and operational needs .
This change is also reflected in the demands of industrial clients. Garduño maintains that companies are increasingly demanding comprehensive solutions that simultaneously address financing, energy costs, quality, and continuity of supply.
“ They are increasingly demanding more technically and financially sophisticated solutions, and you have to be ready for that ,” he warned.
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Standalone, availability and financing
In evaluating utility-scale projects, Skysense focuses on the overall profitability of the asset, not just the cost of the battery . Garduño mentions CAPEX, OPEX, cost of money, timeframe, execution time, operation and maintenance, and offtaker characteristics as key variables.
Within that scenario, the executive is particularly interested in standalone projects and mixed schemes linked to storage.
“ I think the idea of using drums in mixed projects with this famous tolling technique is a great opportunity. I think it’s a great opportunity ,” he stated during his participation in the FES Mexico 2026 panel.
However, the executive's view is not equally optimistic regarding all the initiatives announced in the Mexican market .
“I’m a little less optimistic about the projects from the private call for proposals that took place in December. I don’t know how many will actually reach a ready-to-build stage, a complete completion,” he stated.
Given this scenario, technical expertise will be one of the factors Skysense will use to compete. Garduño believes there are few system integrators in Mexico with real-world experience working with different brands and dealing with the operational problems that can arise in a storage system .
One of the critical variables is availability. “ The main KPI is the availability you have of the asset ,” the executive explained.
The relevance of this indicator increases in applications where a failure can have different economic impacts depending on the time of year. " It's not the same to fail in April as it is to fail in December ," Garduño explained, referring to the impact of critical hours on certain applications in the Mexican market.
Therefore, the executive emphasizes the importance of the BMS and SCADA being able to anticipate failures and properly coordinate batteries, cooling systems, fire protection, and other auxiliary services .
The other major challenge will be financial. Growth towards utility scale requires structures capable of supporting projects with high capital requirements both during construction and throughout the asset's life.
“ This business is very capital-intensive across the board ,” Garduño argues.
As an EPC contractor, the company needs working capital, he explains, while as an energy producer it requires long-term resources. Therefore, improving capital structures and attracting new investors to Mexico are part of Skysense's roadmap .
In parallel, the company aims to consolidate its regional position in microgrids and storage, with Mexico as its core market and Colombia as another growth area. There, Garduño identifies opportunities related to connectivity issues, isolated areas, and operations that still rely on expensive fossil fuels.
With 250 MWh of batteries in operation , experience behind the meter, and a strategy now focused on larger-scale projects, Skysense seeks to capitalize on the new phase of energy storage in Mexico. The BESS standalone tender and the goal of signing two utility projects mark, for now, the main steps in this leap forward.