The Bulgarian company IPS, which is also a member of APSTE, was honored in the “Energy Storage” category
June 29, 2026 – International Power Supply (IPS) was honored with the prestigious The smarter E AWARD 2026 in the Energy Storage category for its innovative inverter, EXERON CheckMate.
The award was presented on the eve of The smarter E Europe 2026 exhibition at ICM Munich – Europe’s largest exhibition forum dedicated to renewable energy and smart grids.
The smarter E AWARD recognizes groundbreaking technologies and solutions that accelerate the transition to a reliable, renewable, and climate-neutral energy system. This year, the winners were selected by an independent jury of 42 international experts from among the most innovative products and projects in the sector.
EXERON CheckMate was recognized for its pioneering approach to utility-scale energy storage systems, thanks to:
- Its patented modular architecture, which ensures exceptional reliability and continuous operation even in the event of individual component failures;
- Industry-leading efficiency of 99.5%, achieved through technology utilizing SiC semiconductor components and liquid cooling;
- Grid-forming capability and synthetic inertia functionality with a microsecond response time.
- Made in the EU: Developed, engineered, and manufactured in Bulgaria, with a focus on technological sovereignty, security of supply, and creating high added value for the European economy.
Production and Supply Chain
IPS develops and manufactures its X-BESS industrial energy storage systems at the X1 gigafactory – a strategic manufacturing project under the European Union’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). This underscores the company’s commitment to building a resilient and independent European supply chain in the energy storage sector.
“Winning The smarter E AWARD is an extraordinary recognition of the innovation, engineering expertise, and dedication of the entire IPS team,” said Alexander Rangelov, CEO of IPS. “EXERON CheckMate was developed to meet the growing need for reliable, scalable, and grid-supporting energy storage systems. The jury’s recognition of our power electronics and system architecture features validates the exact principles that we believe will define the next generation of energy storage technologies.“
Unlike conventional battery energy storage systems, the EXERON CheckMate and the X-BESS AC block – into which the inverter is integrated – utilize a distributed architecture designed on the principles of redundancy and fault tolerance. This minimizes single points of failure and ensures maximum operational availability.
This accolade further solidifies IPS’s position as one of Europe’s leading innovators in the field of battery energy storage systems.
It follows another significant international recognition – the Battery OEM of the Year award at the Energy Storage Awards, highlighting the company’s increasingly vital role in the advancement of global energy storage technologies.
>> Read more at exeron.com and ips-group.net
