Conrad Nichols Principal Technology Analyst

Bio

Conrad Nichols is a Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx. Having started in 2022, he oversees energy and battery storage research topics at the market research firm, and is responsible for authoring reports, creating forecasts, and delivering presentations and insights to clients directly and at in-person events globally.

Education

Conrad studied for his MEng in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, completing an integrated year in industry at Mondelēz International, and graduated with First-Class Honours. His interest in R&D led him to work for a research consultancy after graduating, working with multinational clients spanning a broad range of sectors covering Food and Beverage, Consumer Goods, Agritech, Energy and Sustainability.

Research

With IDTechEx, Conrad is responsible for leading research in Li-ion BESS, Redox Flow Batteries, Long Duration Energy Storage, Thermal Energy Storage, and Li-ion Battery Circular Economy topics, including Li-ion Recycling and Second-life EV Battery Repurposing. Within these topics, Conrad has examined and reported on advances in technologies, materials, components, regional market developments, supply chains, electricity markets, legislation and regulations, among other areas. BESS applications covered by Conrad include grid-scale, commercial & industrial, data center, and residential sectors.

He continues to attend events and travel to conduct primary research, and present IDTechEx's findings at conferences and to customers directly. This includes presentations at leading global events for battery and energy storage such as The Battery Show Europe, The Battery Show North America, Battery Recycling Conference & Expo, The International Flow Battery Forum, and Smart Energy Week Japan.

Consulting

Conrad has also completed bespoke consultancy projects for multinational companies in battery and energy storage topic areas.

One project involved assessing the technology, business, and market developments of a leading Li-ion BESS manufacturer and developer. This included assessing the types of BESS technologies offered by the manufacturer, analysing the prices at which these technologies were being sold in different scenarios, key projects in their pipeline, and new manufacturing facilities being established.
Another project involved leading and authoring a concise 10-page summary report, covering energy generation and storage technologies. This provided key insights into the state of the global energy storage market and emerging technologies. This included further analysis and discussion on the future penetration of long duration energy storage technologies and other energy generation technologies, e.g., electrolyzers and small modular reactors (SMRs). The report assessed energy storage technology readiness levels, Capex, round-trip efficiency, cycle life, energy density, funding into various technologies, influence of policy on energy storage, and energy storage for residential and data center applications.

Speaking at Forthcoming Events

The Battery Show & Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Tech Expo Europe 2026

Stuttgart - 9 - 11 Jun 2026

IDTechEx Principal Technology Analyst Conrad Nichols and Technology Analyst Daniel Parr will both be speaking in the conference. The organisers say: "The Battery Show Europe, Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology, and Energy Storage Germany conference delivers insight into key business and technical challenges, providing a platform to explore the latest trends set to accelerate the European battery market forward."