Conference Speakers

Scroll down to discover the high-class speaker line-up for The smarter E Europe's conferences 2023, June 13–14 in Munich.

Conference Speaker Overview

Speaker

Gulnara Abdullina, LONGi Solar

Vice President Europe

Germany

Gulnara Abdullina has been involved in renewable energy since 2007. She joined Longi Solar in early 2021 as a first foreign Vice President to lead Longi's localization efforts in Europe. Before joining Longi, in 2009-2020 Gulnara has served in various executive roles at Jinko Solar, among which Global Business Development Director and General Manager Middle East and Africa. Prior to stepping into solar PV industry, Gulnara Abdullina has worked in various commercial functions in hydrogen fuel cell industry in China and in consumer goods sector in the USA and Russia. Gulnara was selected as one of the young new energy leaders by RECHARGE 4040 Initiative in 2014, which brings together 40 clean energy pioneers under 40 years old. In 2019 and 2020 she was chosen as one of the Top 50 most influential people in the GCC utilities industry by Utilities Middle East Magazine. Gulnara holds a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics from the Ural State Technical University, Russia, as well as an MBA degree from China Europe International Business School, Shanghai, China.

Speaker

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Peter Adelmann, Technical University of Ulm

Professor

Germany

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Speaker

Dr. Guido Agostinelli, IFC - International Finance Corporation

Solar Sector Head

USA

Guido Agostinelli is the Sector Head for Solar Energy in the Global Energy Infrastructure team at IFC, where he deals with the corporation's investments in Solar PV and Distributed Generation solutions. He created investment opportunities and worked on projects for the World Bank Group totaling more than $2 billion. Prior to joining IFC in 2014, Guido has been managing partner at Syntegra Solar, an international business advisory firm, and senior partner in the venture capital team at Good Energies, a fund focused on renewable energies that backed some of the most successful IPOs in the solar sector in the late 2000s. Earlier in his career, he has held managing positions and served in the advisory boards of leading international R&D institutes such as IMEC and CSEM. Guido holds a PhD in engineering from the University of Gent and an MBA from SDA Bocconi in Milan.

Speaker

Daniele Agostini, Enel Group

Head of Energy and Climate Policies

Italy

Daniel Agostini is the Head of Energy and Climate Policies at the Enel Group. He is responsible for overseeing policy analysis and corporate position development on Energy and Climate Policies across the over 30 countries in which the Enel Group operates. He is in charge of monitoring and assessing energy policy developments in the areas of energy markets, climate change, carbon regulation, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Mr. Agostini sits on the Board of the International Emission Trading Association. He chairs the Electrification and Sustainability Committee of Eurelectric. He is also an active member of a number of international leadership initiatives including the Senior Advisory Group to the WEF CEO Climate Leaders Alliance, the Policy Committee of the Global Sustainable Energy Partnership (GSEP) and the Advocacy and Communication Committee of the European Heat Pump Association. Before joining Enel, Mr. Agostini served in roles of increasing responsibility within global advisory firms working with public and private sector clients in the areas of energy and environment. Mr. Agostini holds a BSc in Environmental Engineering with a minor in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA), an MSc in Water Resources Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley (UCB, USA) and an MSc in Environmental and Resources Economics from University College London (UCL, UK).

Speaker

Stefanie Alexander, RWE Offshore Wind GmbH

Head of Regulatory Affairs Renewables Europe & APAC

Germany

Stefanie Alexander heads RWE's Regulatory Affairs Renewables department for Europe and APAC and is responsible for regulation in RWE's solar and wind energy business in more than 20 markets in Europe and Asia Pacific. As fully qualified German lawyer, she has been working in the energy industry for around 15 years. Before joining RWE in 2022, Stefanie Alexander held a senior position in the legal department at Uniper, where she was responsible for licensing, energy and antitrust law as well as regulation. Prior to that, she worked as an antitrust expert at a major international law firm in Cologne.

Speaker

Rodrigo Álvarez, Statkraft

Business Development Director

United Kingdom

With a degree in Industrial Engineering, Rodrigo Álvarez has been linked to the renewable energy sector throughout his career, for almost 20 years. He has been always dedicated to renewables and new energies, worldwide, working in some of the leading utilities in Europe. He is currently business development director at Statkraft, taking responsibility of all new developments in Spain, where the Company is successfully increasing its footprint in the country, contributing to renew the way the world is powered.

Speaker

Arina Anisie, IRENA International Renewable Energy Agency

Analyst - Renewable Energy Innovation

Germany

Arina is an energy expert with experience in developing global and regional analysis of innovations for the energy transition based on renewable energy, electrification of end-use sectors with renewables, power sector analysis and stakeholder engagement. Arina is an Analyst on Renewable Energy Innovation at International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), where she works since 2017. Prior to joining IRENA she worked as an energy analyst at PSR Energy Consulting and Analytics, a Brazilian based consulting firm. She is an industrial engineer and holds a MSc degree in Electric Power Systems from Comillas University in Madrid, and a MSc degree in Network Industries and Digital Economy from Paris Sud XI University.

Speaker

Adele Ara, Lightsource bp

Head of Global Business Operations

UK

Adele joined Lightsource bp in summer 2014 and serves as Head of Global Business Operations, leading the business transformation and digitalisation strategy. Previously Adele served as Director of Asset Management for Lightsource bp, leading a team managing the company's portfolio of solar PV assets globally. Prior to joining Lightsource bp, Adele was a Senior Manager at Platina Partners, a private equity fund specialised in renewable energy investments across Europe, where she was responsible for the asset management of a portfolio of wind and solar PV assets. At Platina, Adele was also an Investment Manager with responsibilities over the development and acquisition of solar PV projects in Southern Europe. Prior to this role, Adele served as a corporate and investment bank analyst at Citi. From 2020 to 2022 Adele chaired the Lifecycle Quality Workstream at Solar Power Europe. Adele holds an MSc in Economics for Arts, Culture and Communications Summa Cum Laude from L. Bocconi University in Milan.

Speaker

Dr. Julián Ascencio-Vásquez, Envision Digital

Senior Staff Engineer

Spain

Dr Julián Ascencio-Vásquez has more than eight years of experience in the field of PV yield and O&M optimization, currently as Senior Staff Engineer at the Solar Centre of Excellence (CoE) of Envision Digital, and is an active member of the International Energy Agency - Task 13 PVPS Programme. His primary R&D activities include designing and implementing performance and risk modelling and assessment algorithms of PV systems operating worldwide. Before Envision Digital, he worked for several renewable energy companies in Chile, Belgium and France. His academic background includes a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, received in 2021, a B.Sc. in Civil Electrical Engineering from the P. Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile, M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Sustainable Development from the ESIEE-Amiens, France, and M.Sc. in Automated Systems Engineering from the University of Picardie Jules Verne, France. He is the first author and contributor of over 30 scientific articles and reports and a participant and speaker at the most prestigious solar R&D international conferences.

Speaker

Ulrich Aschenbroich, ABB E-Mobility GmbH

Managing Director ABB E-Mobility GmbH

Switzerland

Since September 2019, Ulrich Aschenbroich is leading the E-mobility division of ABB in Germany, which was transferred to ABB E-mobility GmbH on October 1, 2021. He is responsible for sales, opertions and service for charging infrastructure from 3.7 kW AC up to 600 kW DC. In addition to product business, he is continuously developing ABB's solution business in the field of charging infrastructure. Here, the spectrum ranges from small fast charging parks with 2 to 6 chargers to entire bus depots. Ulrich Aschenbroich has been with ABB since 2007 and has held various positions, including marketing and business development in distribution grid products.

Speaker

Ruth Atsegbua-Mohammed, Creeds Renewable Energy

Chief Operations Officer

Nigeria

Ruth has over 20 years of experience, working with both national and multinational technology organisations and the renewable energy industry. She started her career as a sales trainee, then executive administrator at Galaxy Backbone Plc (GBB, former GITT). During her time at GBB, she developed a wealth of knowledge and experience across various departments serving Sales, Business Development and Project Management Lead responsible for the technical department team in her unit. She transitioned to Samsung Electronics West Africa (SEWA) as the Regional Manager for Abuja and Northern Region with the key responsibility of developing and executing initiatives to increase market share among Public Sector groups in the region. She has built a wealth of knowledge through professional trainings over the course of her career. She joined the Creeds team in 2019 as General Manager operations and coined the LiteDey brand which encapsulates what the company, Creeds Renewable Energy's drive is about. She is an alumni of the Lagos Business School She is currently the Chief Operations Officer and a director of Creeds Renewable Energy.

Speaker

Michelangelo Aveta, Eurelectric

Business Hubs Advisor - Policy Integration Lead

Belgium

Michelangelo Aveta is a Business Development Advisor at Eurelectric, the sector association representing the European electricity industry. With members in over 30 European countries, Eurelectric speaks for more than 3,500 companies in power generation, distribution, and supply. In his daily tasks, Michelangelo contributes to the expansion of Eurelectric Business membership, bringing new and ambitious organisations to collaborate with the electricity industry's leadership and members to advance the shared goal of decarbonizing the European economy and the energy sector. Prior to this, Michelangelo has been responsible for Eurelectric's expert groups the for decarbonisation and electrification of the mobility and the building stock. Before joining the association in 2021, Michelangelo has several years of experience as a public affairs consultant advising associations and corporations from the automotive and transport sector. Michelangelo holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a master's degree in International Relations from the LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, and a master's degree in European Political and Governance Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges.

Speaker

Sebastian Bachmann, hxi GmbH

E-Mobility Expert / Consultant

Germany

With co-founding of chargeIT mobility GmbH in 2010, Sebastian Bachmann pursued the vision of integrating cars into the power grid and increase renewable energy in the EVs batteries. This required building an agile, strong team with over 50 colleagues and an innovative technology platform: Charging controller & charge point management system were developed and successfully implemented with over 150 energy suppliers & companies. Sebastian Bachmann studied economics in Heidelberg and Zurich and wrote his thesis on high-voltage direct current transmission. After 12 years with chargeIT and Eneco e-mobility, Sebastian is now working as a consultant and specialist for e-mobility at hxi GmbH in Munich where he is striving to accompany the formation of the energy industry of tomorrow.

Speaker

Daniel Barandalla, UL LLC

Solar Advisory Lead EMEALA

U.S.

Mr. Barandalla has more than 15 years of experience in the solar photovoltaic industry as a renewable energy consultant and project manager. He currently serves as a Solar Advisory Lead for UL Solutions Advisory Team in Europe and Latin America. He has relevant experience in lender's (technical due diligence review and independent engineering services) and owner's engineer tasks for solar PV projects developed worldwide. Daniel has worked in key Merge and Acquisition (M&A) transactions for UL Solutions key clients overseeing portfolios of operating and development Solar PV assets worldwide. Furthermore, prior to joining UL Solutions, he focused as TA on commercial activities in Latin America with good expertise on Projects in Mexico, Chile, Brazil and other areas in Central America. He has been previously involved in Projects in the Asia Pacific Region, with experience in PV module audit inspections as well as providing training solutions for different stakeholders.

Speaker

Carla Barrera, SLB

Business Development & Marketing Director for Energy Storage

United States of America

Carla Barrera is Business Development & Marketing Director for Energy Storage - SLB New Energy (SNE). She is responsible for identifying and developing new growth opportunities for the deployment of differientiated stationary energy storage solutions and expand industry relationships to grow market presence. Carla is also responsible for the market strategy, positioning and branding of the business. Carla has 20 years of experience in the energy sector and has been with SLB (ex. Schlumberger) for 16 years, having worked in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, and North America, in various managerial roles in Business Consulting, Sales, Marketing, Technology, and from 2020, in the New Energy organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA from University of Nottingham, UK.

Speaker

Hannes Bauer, truzzt Alliance

CEO

Germany

Hannes Bauer is the CEO of the truzzt GmbH and also the CEO of the Orbiter.de GmbH truzzt GmbH. In 1996 Hannes launched, the first German-language search engine "Kolibri". Cooperation partners were Pro7, a German broadcaster, and computer pioneer Silicon Graphics International. In 2000 he filed a patent for a fingerprinting technology, a process for interactive communication between an Internet-capable browser and an Internet-capable web server. The docket number was DE: 10028 646.1 In 2011 he developed the 'Empfehlen' portal for Deutsche Telekom. It was operated until 2016. In a joint venture with Bertelsmann from 2012 to 2016, this was a successful application for fraud prevention. Earlier than others, the necessity of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) for data ecosystems was demonstrated with idento.one. Together with Infineon and the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), he created a data space- based keyless car entry application. Starting in 2022: In partnerships with Ionos, Atos, verifeye, Neuropil and others, a reliable infrastructure for interoperable data spaces based on European values, the truzzt Alliance is being rolled out.

Speaker

Saskia Baumann, Siemens Energy

Head of Vertical Sales Experts

Germany

Saskia Baumann studied mechanical engineering (B.Eng.) at the Georg-Simon-Ohm University in Nürnberg, Germany and Business Administration (MBA) at the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen, Germany. She is leading the vertical sales experts within Grid technologies Business Area of Siemens Energy since 1.10.2022 with a focus on renewable, industry and infrastructure customers. Saskia is working since more than 12 years with Siemens and Siemens Energy, from production process, product manager roles into sales strategy and operational sales.

Speaker

Duarte Bello, EDP Renewables

CEO for Europe and LATAM

Spain

Duarte joined EDP Group in 2006 as Head of M&A and Corporate Development, overseeing international M&A transactions in renewables and networks in Europe, the U.S., Latin America, and China. Three years later, he took over as Chief of Staff for EDP's CEO. Since 2017, he has been developing his professional career at EDP Renewables, where he is CEO for Europe and LATAM, leading the strategy for renewable onshore (wind and solar) in 15 countries. He is also a member of EDP Group's Investment Committee. Prior to joining EDP Group, Duarte worked in investment banking at Citigroup in London, and at Schroder Salomon Smith Barney in the UK and Portugal. As for his academic background, Duarte studied Business and Administration at Faculdade de Economia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and later completed his academic training with an MBA at INSEAD (France and Singapore).

Speaker

Josefin Berg, S&P Global

Associate Director

Spain

Josefin Berg, associate director in the Clean Energy Technology group at S&P Global Commodity Insights, analyzes the trends and strategies in the downstream photovoltaic (PV) market. Her focus areas include PV demand and forecasts, company strategies (developers and engineering, procurement and construction providers), mergers and acquisitions, costs and the integration of PV in the power generation mix. She has been following the ever-changing PV market since 2010, starting with Europe and now leading a team of analysts around the world. Berg authors reports on PV markets and trends, and she regularly speaks at industry events. She holds a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Uppsala University, Sweden. She speaks English, French, Spanish and Swedish and is based in Barcelona, Spain.

Speaker

Robin Berg, We Drive Solar

Director

The Netherlands

Robin Berg (1970) is a sustainable entrepreneur and innovator based in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. In 2003, Robin invested in a pilot for high speed wireless and glassfiber internet in the district of Lombok. Since 1999, Robin invested in solar power generation. In 2008, he started installing solar power plants on 25 school roofs in Utrecht and interconnecting these to form one of the first private grids in the country. This lead in 2016 in the establishment of the company We Drive Solar of which Robin is director. We Drive Solar has realized several international firsts in the field of electric car sharing and bidirectional charging

Speaker

Dr. Vincent Berrutto, European Commission

Head of Unit

Belgium

Vincent Berrutto is the Head of Unit responsible for research, innovation, digitalisation, and competitiveness at the European Commission Directorate General for Energy (DG ENERGY). His Unit supports research and innovation in clean energy, fosters digital energy services, and improves EU's competitiveness, with the long-term goal to decarbonise Europe by 2050. Prior to this, he was heading the Unit in charge of energy efficiency at the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-size Enterprises (EASME). He also dealt earlier with clean energy issues in other services of the European Commission, as well as in the French government. He is a civil engineer with a MSc and a PhD in building science.

Speaker

Dr. Philipp Blechinger, Reiner Lemoine Institut gGmbH

Teamleader Off-Grid Systems

Germany

Philipp is an international expert in island energy supply and rural electrification. He conducted a PhD in engineering about 'Barriers to implementing renewable energies on Caribbean islands' at the TU Berlin. In 2011, he joined the Reiner Lemoine Institut and he started to develop the Off-Grid Systems Research Unit, which he is currently heading. Within the Unit, he develops and manages projects and strategic processes. In 2019 Philipp was appointed Visiting Scholar in the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) of the University of California, Berkeley as part of the C-BEAR+ project and he is a selected member of the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Since 2020 he is also leading the RLS-Graduate School on Energy System Transition with currently 6 PhD students.

Speaker

Ivar Blekastad, Ocean Sun

COO

Norway

Ivar Blekastad is the COO of Ocean Sun, a listed company on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Ocean Sun is a leading FPV supplier of a unique, patented Floating PV technology. Prior to joining Ocean Sun in 2022 Ivar was one of the founders of the Norwegian ingot and wafer manufacturer Norwegian Crystals. He served in multiple roles as COO, CCO and CPO in the period 2012 to 2022. Ivar has extensive PV experience since 2008 when he joined REC Solar and was head of Module production in Singapore. Prior to joining the Solar business Ivar worked as Managing director and Plant manager in the Automotive business for Hydro Aluminium. Ivar holds a MSc in Reliability and Risk analysis from the University of Stavanger.

Speaker

Dr. Tobias Brandis, Wacker Chemie AG

President WACKER POLYSILICON

Germany

Dr. Tobias Brandis has been President of the business division WACKER POLYSILICON since 2017. After Studies of Law at Universities of Heidelberg, Geneva and Tübingen, he earned a doctorate in Law from the University of Munich. He started his career as attorney-at-law and joined Wacker Chemie AG in Munich in 2007 as Senior Counsel. In 2010, he became Senior Vice President Corporate Development at Wacker Chemie AG and Member of the Supervisory Board at Siltronic AG, Munich. In 2014, he took over as CFO and Member of the Board of Wacker Chemical Corporation, Adrian (MI), USA and Wacker Polysilicon North America (TN). IN 2017, he became President of WACKER POLYSILICON, an early polysilicon pioneer and today the leading global supplier of highest quality hyperpure polysilicon, the key raw material for applications in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries.

Speaker

Adam Briggs, Ambri Incorporated

Chief Commercial Officer

United States of America

Adam has led Ambri's commercial efforts for five years and his career has spanned over three decades advancing new battery and fuel cell products for energy storage, consumer electronics, military and industrial markets. Adam led Duracell's OEM sales and consulting group. He was president of Millennium Cell and CEO of Acumentrics, fuel cell technology developers and manufacturers. Most recently as the Chief Commercial Officer of NEC Energy Solutions, he led the capture of grid scale energy storage projects for that leading energy storage integrator for a four year period.

Speaker

Zackes Brustik, Moderator mit Tech, Greentech & Innovationsfokus

Moderator

Germany

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Speaker

Marcus Bücken, Siemens AG

Head of Sales eCar Charging Germany

Germany

Marcus Bücken, an industrial engineering graduate from Kiel and Perugia (Italy), has amassed extensive international experience over a decade. He excelled in product management and business development at Siemens' headquarters for large drive technology. In 2016, Marcus transitioned to sales, focusing on electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, including cars, buses, and commercial vehicles, as well as integrating energy storage with the German power grid. Since October 2021, he has led nationwide EV charging infrastructure sales in Germany, driving its growth and adoption. Marcus Bücken's expertise and leadership contribute significantly to advancing sustainable transportation solutions.

Speaker

Duncan Burt, Reactive Technologies Limited

Chief Strategic Officer

United Kingdom

Duncan Burt joined Reactive Technologies as Chief Strategic Growth Officer to support Reactive's strategic growth and the development of new and existing services that are key to operating power grids with growing levels of renewable generation. Previously, he was Operations Director for the GB Electricity and Gas Transmission Grids and Chief Sustainability Officer for National Grid Group. In these roles, he oversaw the development of the British Power Grid as it became the fastest decarbonizing grid in the G20, saw the first coal-free operation of the GB electricity system, and set a strategy for zero carbon operation by 2025. Alongside this, Duncan worked closely with a range of TSOs across the globe in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow and was named one of the Global Top 100 Sustainability leaders by Sustainability Magazine

Speaker

Gøran Bye, Norwegian Crystals

CEO

Norway

Gøran Bye is a twenty year veteran of the PV-industry and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Crystal AS (NCR). NCR specializes in manufacturing high-quality and cost-efficient monocrystalline silicon products, such as bricks, wafers, and ingots with what is probably the world's lowest carbon footprint - Ultra Low-Carbon Silicon (ULCF-Si). NCR is located in Northern Norway, a region with access to clean hydropower, glacier cooling water, and a skilled workforce with a rich tradition rooted in the solar industry. There has been monocrystalline silicon production in this town for the last 25 years. Before joining NCR, Gøran has been CEO of REC Silicon; Director of Industries for MASDAR; CEO of LDK Silicon & Chemical Technology Company and provided advice to Boards and Senior Executives of companies and investors in the semiconductor materials and photovoltaic industries.

Speaker

Gianni Ceneri, Gridspertise Srl

Head of Technology Development / CTO

Italy

Gianni Ceneri is Chief Technology Officer at Gridspertise and currently in charge of the sustainable design and development of Gridspertise's technological solutions for the electricity distribution business with a specific focus on the implementation of smart grid frameworks and leveraging innovation in the energy business. The technologies developed along the last years represent a strong boosting factors for the DSOs that are facing the challenge of the Energy Transition accelerating the digitalization and evolution of the existing grids and including a cloud-edge approach needed to enable new use cases for the integration of DERs and complex loads. Along years, Mr. Ceneri has contributed to the extension of the organization's market leadership in the Smart Metering and Smart Grids sector through an unyielding commitment to innovation and engineering excellence. Mr. Ceneri had international professional experiences both in Europe (Spain, Netherlands), Far East (PRC) and Latin America focused on the development, manufacturing and certification of smart metering products. Mr. Ceneri has managed many massive rollouts of Smart Metering solutions around the worlds with main focus on the piloting phases in order to validate the technologies before the handover to normal operations.

Speaker

Boris Cergol, Endava

Regional Head of Data

Slovenia

Boris Cergol holds a PhD in Mathematical Statistics and has more than 15 years of experience implementing machine learning projects across various industries. As Regional Head of Data at Endava, he is dedicated to growing the companie's data capabilities in the Adriatic region. Thoroughout his career, Boris has co-founded and led a data consultanty, established a new AI departement within an IT services company, and advised governments on AI strategy and standards. He is passionate about innovation and maintains a good track record of spotting key technology trends early on. In recent years, his main areas of interest have been large language models and other generative AI technologies.

Speaker

Tomaso Charlemont, BayWa r.e. AG

Product Manager PV Revamping / Repowering EMEA

Germany

Tomaso Charlemont is an executive with over three decades of experience in Business Development and Supply Chain. After more than 20 years in the field of data communication, he embraced a second career in renewables in 2008. Over the past 15 years Tomaso developed and consolidated his experience in Solar PV joining PV inverter OEMs Satcon and Chint Power Systems, French EPC Vergnet and British renewables developer RES. Beginning of 2022 he joined BayWa r.e. where he coordinates the development of the Solar PV Revamping and Repowering business across the EMEA Region addressing with his strong experience the enormous potential of modernizing underperforming PV assets. BayWa r.e. is Europe's leading revamping and repowering expert. BayWa r.e. teams have completed over 52 utility-scale projects in 7 countries over the past 4 years and the current portfolio covers more than 370 MW of installed capacity. BayWa r.e. is trusted in all major European markets, with dedicated multidisciplinary teams in Germany, Italy, Spain, UK & Ireland and France.

Speaker

Jenny Chase, BloombergNEF

Lead Solar Analyst

United Kingdom

Jenny Chase is an analyst with BloombergNEF's global Solar Insight Service. She joined BNEF mid-2005 and launched the Solar Insight Service in early 2006, and ran the team from Bloomberg's Zurich office until late 2022. She then stepped down from management and continues to write about and analyze the solar industry as part of the team. Jenny is the author of a book, Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon, published by World Scientific Publishing in 2019. She holds a BA in Physical Sciences and an MSci in Physics from the University of Cambridge, England, and breeds award-winning West of England geese. She is on Twitter as @solar_chase and Mastodon as @solar_chase@mastodon.green.

Speaker

Delphine Cherel-Sparham, ENGIE SA

Chief Projects & Engineering Officer Renewables

France

Delphine joined the Engie Group in 1991 and has more than 30 years of experience in the energy sector on various technologies including renewables. Her core expertise is in the development and construction of industrial projects. She has also been involved in the management of industrial assets and has supported the growth of the Engie Group in several countries in executive roles. Delphine is an EXCOM member of Engie's Global Business Unit Renewables. As Chief Engineering Projects Officer she has the lead responsibility for Engineering, Procurement of Solar PV and Wind equipment, and Project Management Oversight of all the Renewable Projects. Her core mission is to deepen the industrialisation of the development and construction of Engie's renewables projects

Speaker

Michael Claußner, Energy Brainpool GmbH & Co. KG

Analyst

Germany

Michael Claußner studied International Business Studies (B. Sc.) at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Integrated Natural Resource Management (M. Sc.) at the Humbold University in Berlin. He wrote his Master's thesis on portfolio strategies for non-subsidised renewable energies. At Energy Brainpool GmbH & Co. KG, he has been working for several years in consulting projects for both the public and private sectors and is an expert in marketing strategies for renewable energies. He focuses on both green PPAs and prosuming business models with decentralised PV systems in the household and commercial sector. He also regularly conducts expert seminars on these topics for energy industry professionals.

Speaker

Patrick Clerens, EASE - The European Association for Storage of Energy

Secretary General

Belgium

Mr Clerens studied law at the University of Saarbrücken and the University of Mainz. Since 1996, he has worked as a consultant for a private company specialising in European Affairs in Brussels. In his capacity as Brussels Representative of different European associations, he has been involved in the climate and energy field since 2003. He has managed the EASE office in Brussels as Secretary General since its establishment in September 2011. Since then, EASE has grown from the initial 13 founding members to over 60 and is still growing rapidly.

Speaker

Maria Colom Cifuentes, Engie

Head of Decentralized PV

Spain

María Colom holds a Degree on International Business by Universidad Pompeu Fabra and a Master on International Management by CECO-ICEX. Worked at the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Moscow, in a private equity fund in Eastern Europe, in business strategy on a top renewable energy company, as energy policy director at the national solar association and had cofounded a start-up. She is currently leading the distributed PV and storage business at Engie Spain and has been elected Vice-Chair of the Buildings & Prosumers Workstream at SolarPower Europe. As Head of Solar PV at Engie Spain, she is powering Industrial Solar Self-Consumption and Small Scale Solar PV Plants with a team of 30+.

Speaker

Gianluca Corbellini, Hive Power

CEO

Switzerland

Gianluca Corbellini is the CEO and co-founder of Hive Power, a SaaS which enables companies to manage anything connected to the grid, from Energy Communities to EV Charging. Gianluca holds a master's in Mathematical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, where he focused on Scientific Computing and Artificial Intelligence - before it became a buzzword. Collaborating throughout the years with the likes of E-On, Altran, Techstars, and the European Commission, Gianluca has deep experience in smart cities and energy. He possesses an acute expertise in gas commodity trading and renewables, particularly solar energy. While working on these technologies, Gianluca understood that Smart Grids as the key to improving energy systems and fighting climate change. This revelation led him to co-found Hive Power and bring the company to where it is today.

Speaker

António José Coutinho, EDP Inovação SA

CEO

Portugal

António Coutinho is the CEO of EDP Inovação, where he heads the innovation platform of EDP to position the group in the energy transition challenge. Prior to EDP Inovação, António has served several positions and key functions within the EDP Group since joining in 2003. Between 2010 and 2021, he was Executive Board Member of EDP Comercial, responsible for energy retail and energy services for B2B until 2018 and the New Downstream after. He served as Chief Energy Management Officer for EDP Renewables North America between 2007 and 2010. Prior to EDP Renewables, he was the Head of Energy Planning at EDP SA. Prior of EDP, António was Principal at The Boston Consulting Group. António is a civil engineer and holds a MSc on Operational Research, both by Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal.

Speaker

Roy Crooijmans, Alliander

Product Owner

The Netherlands

Roy is Product Owner at Alliander System Operations building systems and new capabilities for the DSO to manage grid capacity in the Energy Transition. With a background in business and marketing, he brings many years of experience as an e-commerce entrepreneur and his enthusiasm for customer interaction to Alliander, the largest grid operator in the Netherlands, to build new products relying on new forms of customer interaction which are essential for dynamically managing grid capacity.

Speaker

Maria Theresa (Tetchi) Cruz Capellan, Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA)

Secretary-General

MARIA THERESA 'TETCHI' CRUZ CAPELLAN is a newly elected Secretary-General of Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association, founder and Chairperson of Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance, CEO and President of SunAsia Energy Inc. and a former Undersecretary of Department of Agriculture. The rush to clean energy began in the Philippines in 2006 with the help of a woman who used solar energy to light 10,000 homes in the remote areas of the country. Like many, she didn't start out in the career she would later be famous for. She completed her degree in Behavioral Sciences at a Catholic -run Maryknoll College, then completed her Master in International Development at Harvard University. In 1990, she became the youngest and first woman to serve as Assistant Secretary in the Philippine Department of Agriculture for six (6) years. She became Undersecretary in 2002, a post she held for four years! Her work as Undersecretary left a lasting legacy as she founded commodity boards notable of which are the meat, coffee, and seafoods boards. These private led organizations paved the way for strategic program like 'pork-in-a-box' - a product created by the meat sector to transform sale of live animals to the marketing of high-value pork cuts. Her other achievement is the introduction of vannamei shrimp in the aquaculture sector - a move to arrest the decline of prawn production in the country. She migrated from agriculture to energy when she was appointed as Chief of Party for the rural electrification program of the USAID-funded AMORE. After lighting 10,000 homes in Southern Philippines, she joined SunEdison USA in 2010 as Country Advisor for the Philippines. That same year, she founded the Philippine Solar Power Alliance, a not-for-profit industry association pushing for the enactment of the Renewable Energy law in the country including its implementing rules and regulations. In 2013, she launched her own solar company - SunAsia Energy Inc - and was responsible for developing the 3rd largest power plant in the Philippines. She received the Most Outstanding Scientist Award in Singapore in 2016, and was recognized in Shanghai as the one of the 2018 World's Developer for Solar and Storage. Recently, she concluded the partnership with the top global company BlueLeaf-Macquarrie Capital to build the largest floating solar energy portfolio of 1.2Gw in Asia. Today, she continues to work in the renewable energy space as CEO of SunAsia Energy, Chairperson of the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance and newly elected Secretary General of Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association. She travels around the world, serve as thought leader in conferences and conventions, relentlessly promoting the benefit of solar and how the technology helps people's lives and save our planet.

Speaker

Killian Daly, EnergyTag

Executive Director

United Kingdom

Killian runs EnergyTag's, a non-profit focused on enabling the real-time electricity tracking that will transform clean energy sourcing and redefine what it means for companies to be 100% renewable. Alongside the world's top experts, Killian led the process of drafting the EnergyTag Standard, which created the Granular Certificate, a robust and widely recognised instrument for hourly energy attribute tracking. The Standard is supported by hundreds of organisations including some of the world's leading sustainability players like UN Energy Google, Microsoft, Iberdrola, AES and Clean Air Task Force. Killian also Chairs the Linux Foundation's Carbon Data Specification, which aims at ensuring raw energy data is standard and available. Prior to joining EnergyTag, Killian managed global energy strategy at Air Liquide, one of the world's largest hydrogen producers. Killian holds a Masters degree in Energy Technologies from the University of Cambridge.

Speaker

Daniel Dang, SolarPower Europe

Director Business Development

Belgium

Daniel joined SolarPower Europe, the European Solar Association in 2014 and currently holds the position of Director Business Development. He oversees the business development strategy of the organization. Daniel is an external brand ambassador of SolarPower Europe and he is in charge of establishing and maintaining a consistent corporate image throughout all the business development activities of the association. Daniel previously worked as a Finance and Insurance Consultant at KBC and also held the position of Marketing Researcher at Burgas Airport. He holds a Master's degree in Management Science from HEC Management School, gained a specialization in Digital Marketing and Sales Management from the University of Liege, and has a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the University of Economics Varna.

Speaker

Benjamin de Boissezon, 50Hertz Transmission GmbH

Project Lead Energy Economics

Germany

Benjamin de Boissezon is a project lead and market design expert with 12 years experience in the energy industry in France and Germany. After obtaining an engineering degree from Centrale Lyon in 2011, Benjamin joined the global utility company Engie in the Research and Innovation division. He was responsible for the economic assessment of Smart Grid technologies as part of a national demonstration project. In 2014, Benjamin took on a project director position in the Power System Economics division of the French TSO RTE. He was in charge of the evolution of the French balancing market rules, leading national consultations on market design and ensuring coordination with the national regulatory authority. He was also an active member of ENTSO-E working groups in charge of the European harmonization of balancing markets and imbalance settlement processes. In 2018, Benjamin joined the Energy Economics division of the German TSO 50Hertz where he currently directs cross-functional projects related to market operation, power system operation, energy economics and market design. He notably coordinated the implementation of an intraday balancing energy market in Germany as well as the development of a redispatch process based on decentralized flexible resources.

Speaker

Eloisa de Castro, Enerpoly

CEO

Sweden

Eloisa de Castro is the CEO of Enerpoly, a Swedish zinc-ion battery manufacturer. In 2020, Eloisa joined Enerpoly with the mission to build a sustainable and reliable supply of batteries for Europe's clean energy transition. Eloisa has over a decade of experience in technology leadership and entrepreneurship in the energy and aerospace industries. Before joining Enerpoly, she served as the Director of Market Operations at Modern Energy, specializing in grid modernization and power markets. Prior to that, she led energy products development as CTO of Hoplite Power and Chief Mechanical Engineer at Princeton Satellite Systems. Eloisa earned her MBA from INSEAD and her bachelor's in mechanical engineering from MIT.

Speaker

Lucien Debons, Studer Innotec SA

Sales International Organizations

Switzerland

Lucien Debons is a senior business development manager at Studer Innotec, a top innovative company in the development and manufacturing of power electronic equipment. With over 14 years of experience in the field of renewable energy, he has successfully led renewable energy projects in Turkey, Sweden, Latvia, and Switzerland. Lucien's expertise lies in helping professionals uncover new business opportunities and facilitating solarization projects for international organizations. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Speaker

Bertrand Deprez, Schneider Electric

Vice President EU Government Affairs

Canada

As Vice-President in charge of EU Government Affairs at Schneider Electric, Bertrand Deprez is in charge of government affairs in Europe for the group. He is also heading the Group's liaison office to the EU institutions. He is currently holding responsibilities in several associations and groups related to the EU. Prior to that, Bertrand worked several years at Edelman/The Centre a well-known PR/PA agency specialised in EU affairs. Bertrand graduated at University Lyon 3 (France) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK). He lives in Brussels.

Speaker

Hubert Deubler, Cegasa Energía, S.L.U.

Business Development

Spain

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Speaker

Benedikt Deuchert, Kyon Energy Finance GmbH

Head of Business Development & Regulatory Affairs

Germany

Benedikt Deuchert is Head of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs at Kyon Energy, one of the leading battery project developers for utility-scale battery storage projects in Europe. He is responsible for developing new business models and leads initiatives to shape the regulatory environment for flexibility services in the electricity grid in general, and for battery storage in particular. Before joining the management team of Kyon Energy, he gained 8 years of experience in the energy sector, most recently as Senior Consultant at E-Bridge Consulting (Bonn, Germany). Benedikt Deuchert holds an MSc (Master of Science) degree in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich.

Speaker

Alexandru Domniteanu, P3 digital services GmbH

Automotive Cybersecurity Consultant

Germany

Alex Domniteanu is a seasoned Automotive Cybersecurity Engineer at Cyber Threat Defense part of P3 Group, bringing a wealth of expertise from his previous role as a Software Test Engineer at Porsche Engineering. His experience spans conducting security assessments, developing tailored attack strategies, and identifying vulnerabilities in key automotive systems. At Cyber Threat Defense, Alex spearheads penetration testing for various applications and specializes in Secure Code Reviews. Notably, he assisted Ford in achieving homologation for a new vehicle project, ensuring adherence to ISO 21434 cybersecurity standards. Alex's commitment to enhancing application and infrastructure security is evident in his extensive work, including evaluating vendors for VW and conducting Threat Analysis and Risk Assessments for CARIAD. Known for his strategic thinking and collaborative approach, Alex's contribution to the field of automotive cybersecurity is truly invaluable.

Speaker

José Donoso, Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF)

General Director

Spain

José Donoso has been working in the Renewable Sector for more than 30 years. He started at the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE). After that, he joined Gamesa, a Spanish wind energy company, as Development Director. During this period he combines this work with that of President of the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE). After that, and until now, he has been the General Director of UNEF (Spanish Photovoltaic Energy Association). He is also president of the Spanish Photovoltaic Technology Platform (Fotoplat) and member of the Advisory Board of the Electricity Market Organization (OMEL). At international level, he is member of the Task 1 of the International Energy Agency and Elected President of the Global Solar Council. Besides, he is professor in the post grade course in Wind Energy of the University Polytechnic of Madrid and in the Master Course of the Industrial Organization School.

Speaker

Iain Dougan, SSEN Transmission

Head of IT Operations

United Kingdom

Iain has worked in the Energy IT industry for the past decade with the last 4 years in SSEN's Transmission business. Iain has been responsible for defining and developing the IT and Digital capabilities that SSEN Transmission need to support the investments in the Transmission Network in the north of Scotland that will enable Great Britain's Net Zero ambitions. Iain is currently responsible for Strategy and Operations within SSEN Transmission IT with a key focus on both day-to-day operations and understanding the future Digital, Data and Cyber Security capabilities that will be needed to support SSEN Transmission's rapid growth plans.

Speaker

Bruce Douglas, Eurelectric

Communications and Business Director

Belgium

Mission: Electrify everything (that can be electrified) with clean and renewable energy. Bruce Douglas has 25 years' international experience in the promotion of renewable energy and electrification. He is currently Director of Communications and Business at Eurelectric based in Brussels, representing over 3000 companies active in the European power sector. Previously he has held the following positions: Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, Coordinator of the RE-Source Platform - the European alliance for corporate sourcing of renewable energy, founding Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC), Chief Operating Officer at WindEurope for 10 years, founding Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Managing Director of FLiDAR, an offshore wind company. He has a Master degree in renewable energy systems technology and is fluent in English and French.

Speaker

Lina Dubina, SolarPower Europe

Policy Advisor for Sustainability

Belgium

Lina Dubina works as a Policy Advisor for Sustainability at SolarPower Europe, the European Solar Association representing companies and organizations active along the whole solar value chain. As part of the Land Use and Permitting Workstream, Lina coordinates work on agrivoltaics and floating PV and oversees several environment-related projects. Lina holds an MSc.eng in Environmental Management and Sustainability Science from Aalborg University in Denmark.

Speaker

Algirdas Ducinskas, Pvcase

R&D Specialist

Lithuania

Algirdas Ducinskas is an R&D specialist at PVcase, a next-generation PV software company offering tools for faster and more accurate planning, design, and optimization of solar PV systems. Algirdas earnt his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry at the Ècole Politechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. He investigated fundamental properties of perovskite semiconductors, which were applied in solar cells. On top of that, Algirdas Ducinskas was involved in multiple research projects focusing on energy storage technologies. At PVcase, Algirdas is responsible for the development, implementation and validation of novel simulation algorithms applied for the energy yield assessment of large-scale PV projects.

Speaker

Lea Dunst, BSW - German Solar Association

International Project Manager

Germany

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Speaker

Jörg Ebel, IBC Solar AG

Vice President Corporate Affairs

Germany

President of the German Solar Association (BSW Solar) Vice President Corporate Affairs IBC SOLAR AG Member of Board of Directors of the Global Solar Council (GSC) and the European Solar Association Solar Power Europe (SPE)

Speaker

Katharina Eickelberg, SMA Solar Technology AG

Senior Vice President Global Communication & Sustainability

Deutschland

Katharina Eickelberg is the SVP Global Communication & Sustainability at SMA Solar Technology AG, a leading global specialist in photovoltaic system technology. She is responsible for Communication, Brand, Public Affairs, Investor Relations and Sustainability. Before joining SMA, Katharina was Head of Business Communication at Swedish utility Vattenfall. Besides driving communication and sustainability at SMA, she concentrates on topics such as Leadership and Diversity & Inclusion. Katharina lives in Berlin with her two sons.

Speaker

Markus Elsässer, Solar Promotion GmbH

Chief Executive Officer

Germany

Markus Elsässer studied mechanical engineering at the University of Stuttgart. He worked for a German manufacturer of solar thermal systems before he founded several companies all in the field of renewable energies. Markus Elsässer is the founder and CEO of the company Solar Promotion GmbH, an internationally operating exhibition company with a focus on renewable energy, energy storage technologies, electric transportation and energy efficiency. In 1991 he founded Intersolar, the world´s leading exhibition series for the solar industry with events spanning four continents. In 2014 the ees (electrical energy storage) exhibition was started, which has become Europe's largest exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems. In 2018 he founded The smarter E, an innovation hub for events and topics driving the new energy world: renewable energies, decentralization, digitalization and electric transportation. Solar Promotion has currently 50+ employees in Germany and has representation offices in 14 countries.

Speaker

Dr. Gunter Erfurt, Meyer Burger Technology AG

CEO

Switzerland

Gunter Erfurt occupies the position of Chairman of Meyer Burger Research AG and Chief Executive & Technology Officer at Meyer Burger Technology AG. He is also on the board of Oxford Photovoltaics Ltd., Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft eV and Fraunhofer Institut für Elektronenstrahl und Plasmatechnik. He previously held the position of Global Head-Planning & Investment at SolarWorld AG Project Manager-Planning & Investment at Deutsche Solar GmbH, Head-Planning & Investment at Solarworld Industries America LP and Managing Director at SolarWorld Innovations GmbH (which are all subsidiaries of SolarWorld AG), Research Associate at Saxon Academy of Sciences, Chairman-Management Board at Meyer Burger (Germany) AG and Director & Managing Director at Meyer Burger GmbH. He received an undergraduate degree from Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau and a doctorate from Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg.

Speaker

Özer Ergül, Aquila Capital

Group Head of Procurement CPO

The Netherlands

Özer Ergül is Group Head of Procurement with Aquila Capital and Chair of Supply Chain Sustainably workstream with Solar Power Europe. He worked for automotive companies including Toyota first quarter of his professional experience and he has been in the renewable energies sector since 2000. Prior to joining Aquila Capital in 2022 he worked as Group CPO for Lightsource BP in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he was responsible for group-wide procurement activities as well. Before that, he worked as Group VP Procurement and Supply Chain for ABB Hitachi in Baden, Switzerland. He holds a MSc degree in Aerospace Engineering, and he is a qualified CPSM and CSCP charter holder.

Speaker

Tristan Erion-Lorico, PVEL

VP of Sales and Marketing

USA

Tristan brings over 15 years of solar and electrical industry experience to PV Evolution Labs (PVEL). As VP of Sales and Marketing, he oversees PVEL's commercial activities and collaborates with PV module buyers, investors, research institutions and manufacturers to develop innovative performance and reliability test programs for product qualification. Tristan previously served as Product and Quality Manager for Silfab Solar, where he oversaw Silfab's extended reliability testing and was responsible for new product development and new material qualification. He has also directed equipment procurement and technical site operations for solar project developers and Independent Power Producers at a range of projects across North America, South America and Asia.

Speaker

Jozsef Farkas, P3 digital services GmbH

Partner Energy & Software

Germany

Jozsef Farkas leads the software development department in the field of energy & e-mobility within the P3 group. For more than 10 years he has been able to gather in-depth knowledge in the areas of connected charging infrastructure, standardization and digitization in the field of e-mobility. During this period he was responsible as a product manager at a major energy supplier and rolled out one of the largest IT platforms for the management of charging infrastructure. In his current role, he accompanies and supports his customers in the consulting, development and operation of customer-specific software solutions, from the backend to the frontend. This has resulted in some valuable and innovative products for the e-mobility and energy market. He developed his passion while studying electrical & industrial engineering at the RWTH Aachen University.

Speaker

Marcus Fendt, The Mobility House GmbH

CSO, Managing Director

Germany

Marcus Fendt studied Industrial Engineering in Munich. Before joining The Mobility House in 2010, he held several management positions in the automotive and energy industry. As CSO and Managing Director at The Mobility House he is responsible for sales, international business development and marketing. Together with leading car manufacturers, utilities, fleet operators and e-mobility providers he realized partnerships and projects in the areas of smart charging solutions for electric vehicles and the underlying business models that arise out of the merge of the automotive and energy sector like V2G.

Speaker

Jon Ferris, LCP Delta

Head of Flexibility and Storage

United Kingdom

Jon has spent his career in energy engaging consumers and distributed assets in energy markets, managing a €1bn wholesale trading book on behalf of C&I consumers, working with retailers to develop new contracts improving market access for smaller and more diverse flexible assets. As Head of Storage and Flexibility at LCP Delta, he is responsible for leading research into two of the most dynamic aspects of the energy transition, and producing the industry-leading European Market Monitors on Flexibility and Storage.

Speaker

Barbara Flesche, Statkraft AS

Executive Vice President, Europe

Norway

Barbara came to Statkraft as CEO of SolarCentury through the acquisition of the company. She then became CFO in Statkraft European Wind and Solar before she took on the EVP role in 2022. Barbara also has extensive experience within consulting and finance from various businesses. She holds a master's degree in economics and finance from University of Hamburg. She heads the Business Area Europa that oversees development and operations of European activities within hydropower, wind power, solar, gas and batteries. Group procurement and the project delivery unit is also in this business area.

Speaker

Kathrine Fog, Norsk Hydro

Senior Vice President

Norway

Kathrine Fog is Senior Vice President and Head of Energy Strategy & Policy at Hydro, a fully integrated aluminium and energy company with approx. 30,000 employees in 40 countries. In addition to being a hydropower producer, Hydro has recently expanded its Energy business to include on- and offshore wind power, solar, batteries and hydrogen. Ms Fog's responsibilities cover the strategy process, long term energy market analysis, developing energy policy positions as well as sustainability in the Energy Business Area. Kathrine Fog has more than 30 years of experience across various business areas in Hydro. She has a degree from the Norwegian School of Management (BI) in Oslo, Norway.

Speaker

Andrés Franco, ISIGENERE - ISIFLOATING

CEO

Andrés is CEO of ISIGENERE, the pioneering company in floating solar systems since 2008 when their first floating solar system was designed and installed in Alicante (Spain). Born and raised in Colombia, Andrés studied Computer Science and holds an MBA by the Kellogg Graduate School of Business in USA. Andres started his career working in software startup building systems for big corporations and doing the first ecommerce and intranet systems in Colombia. After his MBA he started working for the consultancy McKinsey & Company in Spain where he advised clients in strategy and technology projects. Later he moved to Aquanima, a procurement services company owned by Santander Bank, the largest Eurozone bank at its time, where he led the growth of the company from 1 country and managing 80 million euros of spend, to 11 countries and 8000 million euros of spend. Now as part of Isigenere, Andrés is leading the growth of the company in utility scale and self-consumption projects while continuing the innovation by creating new and better versions of ISIFLOATING, its floating solar system. The Isifloating technology is recognized in the industry for its high-quality, durability, safety and low cost of logistics and installation. Since 2008 ISIGENERE has already implemented floating solar projects in 4 continents in different types of water bodies: large dams, hydroelectric facilities, quarry lakes, brackish water, irrigation reservoirs and other types of artificial reservoirs.

Speaker

Dr. Marco Frattini, Enel X Way

Head of e-Mobility Europe

Italy

Marco Frattini has been at Enel Energy since 2017, first in the role of Head of Marketing and Supply and then later in the role of North-East Italy Macro Area Sales Manager. In the latter role, he was in charge of managing consumer and business channels and achieved excellent results in terms of new customer acquisitions and increasing the points of sale capillarity of the territory. He began his career in leading business consulting firms before joining the corporate telecommunications world at WIND, first as Head of Wireline Marketing & Sales and then as Head of Consumer Marketing from 2013 to 2017. He graduated with a degree in business economy from Bocconi University in Milan.

Speaker

Uwe Fuchs, BASF Stationary Energy Storage GmbH

Head of Sales

Germany

Uwe Fuchs is heading the global sales team for NAS Batteries at BASF Stationary Energy Storage. Prior to joining NAS team in 2020, he has been working for large electrical companies such as ABB and Siemens. Since more than a decade he has been responsible for the sales of advanced energy storage technologies to utilities, project developers and system integrators. With passion he drives the deployment of new green technologies to accelerate the energy transition. He promotes NAS® batteries (sodium-sulfur-based batteries) to customers across the globe and supports them on their way to the energy transition. Mr. Fuchs holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the RWTH Aachen University and an Executive Master in Business Administration from the University of West Florida.

Speaker

Matthias Giller, MaxSolar GmbH

Head of Sales

Germany

Matthias Giller is an experienced specialist of battery storage systems in the field of renewable energies as well as a comprehensive industry expert. Since 2022 he is Head of Sales at MaxSolar GmbH and therefore a member of the company´s management board. In his area of responsibility are all Sales and Marketing activities throughout the company. During his time as Sales Manager at INTILION GmbH, he was successful and significantly responsible for the expansion of the sales force. His focus was on Sales of C&I and Utility-Scale battery storage systems. Matthias Giller holds a degree in Technical Consulting and Management (M.A.) from Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences. He completed his dual studies at Hoppecke Batterien GmbH & Co. KG and work for the company for around twelve years.

Speaker

Carmen Gimeno, GEODE

Secretary General

Belgium

Carmen Gimeno is the Secretary General of GEODE, the European association representing the interests of 1200 private and public energy companies for both electricity and gas in 15 European countries. She is also a Managing Partner at Verdia Legal in Barcelona, where she has been working since 1995. Her expertise in energy law is built upon over 20 years of experience in this field. Ms Gimeno holds a Law degree from the University of Barcelona (1992). In 1993, she became a Member of the Bar Association of Barcelona. In the same year, she earned a postgraduate degree in Business Management Techniques at the Business Studies School of the University of Barcelona. She also studied Political Science and Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and completed a study period within an Erasmus Programme at Ruprecht-Karls Universität in Heidelberg, Germany, specialising in International and Community Law (1990-1991).

Speaker

Philip Gladek, Spectral Enterprise B.V.

CEO

The Netherlands

Philip Gladek is a self-taught engineer with a background in business strategy. In 2012, he came to the Netherlands to help his sister start Metabolic, a consulting and venture building company that applies systems-thinking to tackle global sustainability challenges. In 2015, Philip founded Spectral, a leading smart energy technology company focused on accelerating the sustainable energy transition, where he is currently CEO / CTO. Over the past eight years, Philip has led Spectral's team to develop and scale up cutting edge solutions for integration of battery storage systems, renewable energy assets, and other sources of flexibility to enable the deployment of virtual power plants and smart grids.

Speaker

Andreas Görtz, Rolls Royce Solutions GmbH

President Business Unit Sustainable

Germany

Andreas Görtz, President of Business Unit Sustainable, is responsible to built-up business for CO2 neutral products within Rolls-Royce Solutions. He studied mechanical engineering and has 20 years of management experience, including international teams, as well as in-depth experience in international project management, expertise in implementation of new structures and processes and merger and acquisitions. Before joining Rolls-Royce Solutions, he served as the Head of Micro Technologies Division at Rohwedder AG. After he joint Rolls-Royce Solutions he was responsible for project system business and he let the global power generation business for over 5 years.

Speaker

Alan Greenshields, ESS Inc.

Director EMEA

United States of America

Alan is the Director of Europe at ESS Inc. and brings over 15 years of experience in the rechargeable battery space. He is a serial entrepreneur, focusing on new technology and has successfully founded and run several technology ventures in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.  Alan has also held senior board-level roles at battery companies. He has been deeply involved in several initiatives relating to renewable energy, including the Think Tank on Energy Environment and Business initiated by Harvard Business School in 2010.   He started his career in high-volume manufacture of computer electronics with IBM, Scotland and later worked as a senior manager in the Instrumentation Division of VDO Adolf Schindling AG, Germany, a world-leader in automotive instrumentation and now part of Continental.

Speaker

Alexis Grenon, Schneider Electric France

Senior Vice President, Digital Grid Line of Business

France

Alexis Grenon spent the first 10 years of his career in the hi-tech aerospace industry, developing innovative solutions for air traffic management on a global scale. In 2005, Alexis joined Schneider Electric to bring his software and services acumen, both technical and business, to accelerate Schneider Electric digital transformation. Since then, Alexis lead number of strategic initiatives, from the inception of the EcoStruxure company program to the creation and scale of several Lines Of Business. In July 2021, Alexis was nominated to lead the Digital Grid Line Of Business. Digital Grid aims at helping Utility companies to tackle disruptive mega trends by providing Grid, Asset and Edge Management solutions and services. Digital Grid ADMS, DERMS, ArcFM GIS and AMI are some of its core offers. Alexis has an electrical engineer background, a '05 Insead MBA alumni, a fanatic sailor, lived in 6 countries and is now based in France with his extraordinary wife and 4 children.

Speaker

Radu Gruescu, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Partner

Denmark

Radu Gruescu is Partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, responsible for originating, evaluating and executing investments and projects within CIP's Flagship strategy. Radu's primary focus is on Investment Platforms, where he is Partner-in-Charge and board member for a number of CIP investments. With EUR 20bn of capital raised so far for energy infrastructure investments and with a target to increase this to EUR 100bn by 2030, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is a global leader in renewable energy investments and makes significant and meaningful contributions to the green transition. Radu joined CIP in 2017 and has a track record of more than 21 years in the energy sector. At CIP, he has led investments in projects and companies covering a large spectrum of renewable energy technologies (onshore wind, solar PV, battery storage and geothermal) and across many European markets. Prior to joining CIP, Radu was Director at Terra Firma Capital Partners, with responsibility for European renewable energy investments such as Infinis in the UK and RTR Rete Rinnovabile in Italy. Before that, he worked in the Power Generation and M&A departments of Centrica plc, where he focused primarily on offshore wind transactions and business development. He started his career in 2002 in J.P. Morgan's Energy & Power investment banking group in London. Radu studied Business Administration and Electrical Engineering and graduated from Darmstadt University of Technology.

Speaker

David Hanek, Fronius International GmbH

Group Lead Product Management PV and Sector Integration Products

Germany

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Speaker

Christopher Hecht, ISEA Institute, RWTH Aachen University

Data Scientist / Scientist

Germany

Christopher works as Data Scientist at The Mobility House to generate a clearer visibility over the flexibility assets such as charging stations and vehicles connected through the backend in the portfolio. In parallel, Christopher continues his work as a scientist with the ISEA Institute, RWTH Aachen University. Christopher's research focusses on applying machine learning and big data algorithms on public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Key questions are how the existing infrastructure can best be used, how future expansion is best placed, and how electric vehicles can positively interact with the electricity grid. Through the platform www.mobility-charts.de as well as appearances in various conferences, he is a leading voice on charging infrastructure usage in Germany. As part of electric mobility, he also focusses on buffer batteries and home energy storage systems. He has experience in the fields CAPEX/OPEX projection for power and gas grid assets, power grid and power market modelling, wind energy tenders, and renewable energy technology. He further has an extensive IT and programming background with projects completed in database management and back-end development.

Speaker

Dr. Anna Heimsath, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

Head of Department "Analysis PV Modules and Power Plants"

Germany

Anna Heimsath (female), is head of the department "Analysis of Modules and PV Power Plants" at Fraunhofer ISE. In the department, more than 70 scientists, technicians and students conduct research on novel applications and improved operation of PV technologies. Anna Heimsath has been researching the further development of solar technologies for more than 15 years. She studied production engineering at the University of Bremen and later earned her doctorate in physics, supported by scholarships from the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Fraunhofer TALENTA programme. She has many years' experience in the acquisition and management of national (BMWI, BMBF) and international research projects (e.g. EU projects, bilateral projects with China and India) as well as participation in standardisation committees. She leads the IEA PVPS Task 13 Subtask 2 performance and durability of PV applications, including activities on floating pv, agrivoltaics, bifacial+tracker and digitalization.

Speaker

Raphaël Héliot, AVERE - The European Association for Electromobility

Policy Officer

Belgium

Raphaël Héliot is Policy officer at AVERE - the European Association for Electromobility. Within his work, he advocates for the promotion of legislative and non-legislative European initiatives which aim at supporting the deployment of e-mobility. He is also involved in several expert groups/ forums of the European Commission (EAFO, Sustainable Transport Forum, etc) where he leads the work on charging infrastructure's deployment, EV's roll out and more sectoral issues including fire safety, skills, grid and urban mobility.

Speaker

Dr. Renée Heller, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Professor

The Netherlands

Renée Heller PhD is professor of Energy and Innovation within the Faculty of Technology and the Urban Technology research program of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences since 2020. Before that she was senior lecturer in Sustainable Energy Systems within the Engineering program and the aforementioned research program. At the AUAS, she conducts research into the integration of EV, PV and heating technologies in the electricity grid, energy-positive areas, and building-related integration of PV. Renée graduated in physics in 1995 on the faster production of a-Si solar cell layers. She also graduated in general literature. In her PhD research at Utrecht University (2000), she conducted research into hydrogen storage in thin metal layers. After this, Renée started working at Ecofys, a consultancy agency in the field of energy saving and sustainable energy. Here she was responsible for the R&D of a spin-off company in the field of closed horticultural greenhouses. Heat pumps, heat buffers, soil storage, cooling and combined heat and power were combined into a system that saves energy and ensures higher production. From 2011 she was unit manager of the unit Built Environment and later Integrated Energy Systems. She has done many assignments as a project manager, including residential areas and business parks. At the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences she started in 2014 as project manager Bachelor Engineering in which she was responsible for setting up an integrated Engineering course.

Speaker

Walburga Hemetsberger, SolarPower Europe

CEO

Belgium

Walburga Hemetsberger is the CEO of SolarPower Europe since 2019. She has over 20 years of professional experience in Brussels, working for a utility, trade association, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Walburga spent most of her career in the energy sector, covering in particular renewable energies and hydrogen.

Speaker

Seb Henbest, HSBC

Group Head of Climate Transition

United Kingdom

Seb Henbest is Group Head of Climate Transition at HSBC, supporting the development, evolution and integration of the bank's climate strategy and working with its most emissions-intensive clients to accelerate their transition to a net-zero future. Prior to this he spent 14 years at BloombergNEF, most recently as Chief Economist. In that role he oversaw the firm's energy economics group and energy transition scenario analysis and was lead author of BNEF's flagship publication, the New Energy Outlook. Before that he was Director of BNEF's Europe, Middle East and Africa division and Head of Research for BNEF in Australia, establishing the firm's Sydney offices in 2009. Seb is a senior spokesperson on the energy transition, speaks regularly at industry conferences and events, and is quoted widely in print media. He has appeared as an expert commentator on ABC TV, Sky News, BBC, Bloomberg TV and ABC Radio. In 2012 he gave evidence to House of Representatives Economics Committee in Australia on the pricing dynamics of linking Australia's Carbon Price Mechanism with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. He is a 2015 Rex J Lipman Fellow and was previously an advisor to the GCC region Clean Energy Business Council. Seb studied physics and theoretical astrophysics at Adelaide University and atmospheric science at Monash University in Australia, before moving to the UK where he read International Relations at Clare Hall, Cambridge, specializing in emissions trading and environmental markets.

Speaker

Diego Hernandez Diaz, McKinsey & Company

Partner

United States of America

Diego is a partner who works with energy solutions, a specialized McKinsey unit focused on harnessing digital and advanced analytics to enable the Energy Transition where he leads development of solutions as well as their delivery to clients. Diego also leads McKinsey's work on green power and heat procurement across EMEA and Asia supporting clients across Steel, Mining, Agriculture, Technology and Telecom in setting strategy, defining the technical and quantitative implementation and supporting on the value capture. He co-leads McKinsey's work in Green Energy Transformation supporting energy consumers in their decarbonization journey. Diego has worked extensively with energy consumers, utilities and OEMs on challenges in operations, maintenance, and strategy across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Examples of his recent client projects include the following: - Led the study and analysis of digital use cases enabling flexibility in the grid as required by the European RES targets and plans culminating in the publication of a co-authored report - Developed an advanced analytics model to understand the pathway for industrial off takers to optimize their green energy procurement considering a vast array of potential instrument including RES, storage, PPAs, GO's to better define the LCOE and cost of decarbonization - Drove the analysis of the Swiss Power Market to support clients in better understand potential stress point in the Swiss National Energy Strategy - Led the total value and digital assessment for a leading Utility across production, and identifying 20-40 M EUR in total opportunity across CAPEX / OPEX and establishing a broad go-forward strategy aligned with the internal transformation and broader market trends helping a utility to develop and implement a customized technology solution for managing asset performance across a portfolio of more than 30 solar construction projects Before joining McKinsey, Diego spent four years with an international banking group as an equity research associate. He speaks five languages.

Speaker

Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann, University of St. Gallen

Professor & Director of the Institute for Mobility

Switzerland

Professor Dr. Andreas Herrmann is Director of the Institute for Mobility at the University of St. Gallen and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics. He previously headed the Institute for Customer Insight, also at this university. For many years, he has worked with companies in the automotive industry on topics related to the automation of vehicles. He is also involved in projects on micromobility, autonomous driving, emissions reduction and urban redesign. Andreas Herrmann has published over 200 scientific papers and written 15 books. The last two books were about autonomous driving and mobility for all.

Speaker

Magnus Herz, TÜV Rheinland Energy GmbH

Project Manager

Germany

Magnus Herz graduated in renewable energies and works as project manager, researcher and developer in the solar team of TÜV Rheinland since 2010. In addition to his consulting work for international PV projects, he is also involved in several R&D projects developing data-driven strategies to improve quality assurance and risk mitigation. As project member of the international expert group IEA PVPS Task 13 and participating in the research project TRUST-PV his focus is on the standardization of failure categories and the evaluation of data analysis techniques.

Speaker

Prof. Dr. Holger Hesse, University of Applied Sciences Kempten

Professor for "Smart Energy Systems"

Germany

Holger Hesse holds a PhD in physics and Postdoctoral researcher in the field of energy management and battery energy storage. He is assistant head of the chair for Electrical Energy Storage Technology at Technical University of Munich. This research group focusses on modelling, optimization and control of battery storage systems for stationary applications. Holger Hesse will be head of the newly fronded Professorship "Smart Energy Systems" at the University of Applied Sciences Kempten, focusing techno-economic modelling and machine learning control of battery assisted energy systems.

Speaker

Dr. George Hilton, S&P Global

Research Manager - Clean Energy Technologies

Spain

Dr. Hilton joined IHS Markit in 2020 and has eight years of experience in the clean energy sector. He leads the global forecast for energy storage and has a particular interest in how energy storage integrates with other industries. He has recently published work on recycling, energy storage for EV charging, vehicle-to-grid technologies, second life batteries and the use of batteries in hydrogen production. He has published articles in multiple well-respected journals, responded to government calls for evidence on energy storage and electric vehicles (EVs), and has been quoted in a range of media outlets. Dr. Hilton holds a first-class Master of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering and a PhD in energy engineering with a focus on energy storage integration with renewable energy and EV infrastructure, both from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom.

Speaker

Dr. Alexander Hirnet, sonnen GmbH

Vice President C&I

Germany

Alexander leads Sonnen's commercial and industrial storage development activities in the position of Vice President C&I since 2019. Prior to sonnen, Alexander helped build the stationary energy storage business unit at VARTA as technical director. He has a diploma and a doctorate in physics.

Speaker

Carina Hock, TenneT TSO GmbH

Advisor Balancing

Germany

Carina Hock received her Master's degree in 'Renewable Energy Engineering and Management' from the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg in 2018. Her work as research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Technology (ISE) was followed by a stay abroad at the Fraunhofer CSET Chile (Santiago). Since end of 2018 she is Advisor for Balancing Services at one of the four German Transmission System Operators TenneT TSO GmbH. Within this framework she is involved in the further development of prequalification conditions as requirement for the participation in balancing markets, the integration of volatile renewable sources and European harmonization.

Speaker

Lennart Hoffmann, Next Kraftwerke GmbH

Project Manager

Germany

Lennart Hoffmann is Project Manager at Next Kraftwerke GmbH, one of the largest Virtual Power Plants globally. He has a MSc from University College London and previously worked in energy consulting at Boston Consulting Group's London office. At Next Kraftwerke he specialises in stationary and mobile battery flexibility. Recently he was the project lead for Vehicle-to-Grid projects with BMW, Hyundai and Honda where, among other things, the first grid prequalification of EV fleets for the FCR and aFRR ancillary services in Germany was obtained.

Speaker

Bärbel Höhn, Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

BMZ Special Representative for Energy in Africa

Germany

Bärbel Höhn is a German politician for Alliance '90/The Greens. Ms. Höhn became State Minister for Environment and Agriculture in North Rhine-Westphalia from 1995 to 2005. In 2005 she was elected to the Bundestag in the 2005 national elections. She first served as chairwoman of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection from 2005 to 2006. Between 2006 and 2013 she was vice chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and as such responsible for the issues of energy, climate, environment, transport, agriculture, nature conservation and construction. From 2014 to 2017 Bärbel Höhn served as chairwoman of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Having participated in various UN Climate Change conferences, she was a regular speaker at international climate and energy conventions. Since November 2017, Bärbel Höhn has been acting as unpaid Special Representative for Energy in Africa for the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. She plays a special role in this regard to promote the Green People's Energy initiative with their many years of political experience and expertise in citizen-based renewable energy.

Speaker

Judith Hufnagel, gravity GmbH

Partner & Managing Director

Germany

Judith Hufnagel is co-founder and managing director of gravity, a Munich-based creative agency working at the intersection of design, foresight, and strategy. For more than fifteen years, she has led countless innovation projects for international clients with a focus on the financial and automotive industries. With her team she explores the possibilities of establishing a futurology practice that creates narratives and images of diverse and desirable futures. Judith started her career in innovation as human factors specialist and project manager at IDEO. She holds a master's degree in Chinese Studies and Economics from Heidelberg University.

Speaker

Juergen Hupe, Omexom GA Süd GmbH

Managing Director

Germany

Juergen Hupe is the Managing Director of Omexom GA Süd GmbH and the Business Area Head of South West Germany for Omexom Distribution. He has joined Omexom as a Division Head in 2021. Omexom is the brand of Vinci Energies for the building and maintenance of energy networks and infrastructures. Before moving to the energy sector, Juergen Hupe worked in the commercial aircraft maintenance industry for 23 years. He studied industrial engineering and business administration at the Technical University of Hamburg.

Speaker

Dr.-Ing. Dominik Husarek, Siemens AG

Research Scientist

Germany

Mr. Husarek is an R&D research scientist and expert at Siemens for e-Mobility, energy systems and data modeling. He has four years of experience in modelling and analyzing of e-Mobility data at Siemens. This includes geodata modelling, optimization techniques and Agent-based modelling for mobility and charging behavior. In his role he supports consulting projects as e-Mobility expert. Selected projects comprise countrywide charging site allocation for a Middle East Utility, E-Mobility integration assessment for a German city with electrical load allocation and distribution grid assessment, and business model analysis for charging stations including power procurement optimization at site. Mr. Husarek is based in Munich, Germany. Mr. Husarek has a Master of Science in electrical engineering and business administration from RWTH Aachen University and successfully defended his Doctoral thesis about the role of the mobility sector in a decarbonized energy system at Technical University of Darmstadt in November 2022.

Speaker

Krzysztof Ignaciuk, EIT InnoEnergy SE

Advisor

The Netherlands

Kris is an independent consultant with 5+ years of experience in the energy sector, spanning work in government, policy and management consulting as well as climate philanthropy. He specialises in energy economics and climate policy analysis.

Speaker

Maria Ikhennicheu, Innosea

Specialist Engineer

France

Maria is an hydrodynamic and mooring engineer with 7 years of experience in the Offshore Renewables industry and the Floating Solar industry. She holds a PhD in experimental hydrodynamics. She then developed extensive experience in floating wind and floating PV panels. Maria joined the Ocean Engineering team of INNOSEA in 2019 and she now works on various renewable energy projects as a project manager. The main focus of her work is floating PV panels, and she is in charge of the FPV team at INNOSEA. She has been involved in all phases of floating PV development, from R&D works through industrial projects, acting as a project engineer and project manager.

Speaker

Ulrike Jahn, VDE e.V

R&D Project Manager

Germany

Ulrike Jahn graduated in physics and leads various R&D projects in the Division Power Plants and Systems of VDE Renewables in Alzenau, Bavaria, Germany. Her work focuses on quality assessment of PV and wind projects. She is project manager of an international expert group, Task 13 of the PVPS programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA), dealing with technical and financial issues of PV performance and quality. She coordinates this network of 60 international experts in 23 countries in their joint efforts to assess and improve the performance, operation and reliability of PV systems over their lifetime. Since 2018, Ulrike is a Member of the Steering Committee of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV).

Speaker

Julian Jansen, Fluence

Senior Director - Strategy, Market Development, Policy

United Kingdom

Julian Jansen is a Senior Director at Fluence. He leads the strategy, market development, marketing, and policy teams in the EMEA region. Julian is responsible for commercial strategy, as well as expansion in the region working with customers and industry stakeholders to enable the growth of energy storage markets. He also leads regional policy and regulatory efforts, early business development activities, as well as partnerships to enable new applications and help shape future market development. Julian has been working in the clean energy sector his entire career. Prior to joining Fluence, he was an Associate Director at IHS Markit leading the group's consulting activities on clean energy technologies, having previously managed IHS Markit's global energy storage team and establishing the energy storage research area at specialist consultancy Delta-ee. Julian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in European management from Lancaster University, United Kingdom, a Bachelor of Science in international management from ESB Business School in Germany, and a Master of Science in ecological economics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Speaker

Magnus Johanessen, DNV

Engineer

Norway

Magnus Johannesen is a Mechanical Engineer with a Master of Science degree from NTNU. He has specialized in fluid mechanics, with a strong focus on numerical analysis and computational fluid dynamics. He is currently leading the DNV JIP on anchoring and mooring of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. This effort is aimed at standardizing the development of FPV systems across the industry. In his role as a technical advisor, Magnus has conducted document reviews and verification processes for numerous floating PV systems. He is proficient in evaluating all aspects of designing a systems response to environmental forces, and he has extensive experience using computational fluid dynamics and motion response software for independent analyses.

Speaker

Felicity Jones, Kaluza

Solutions Lead - Flex

United Kingdom

Felicity works with energy retailers and utilities globally to design and launch innovative EV charging propositions. She brings 13 years experience in clean energy, 7 of which in flex. She previously set up and grew Everoze's energy storage and flex business, now a market leader for technical advisory across Europe. Felicity is a Director of Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE) and Board Member of the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), both organisations promoting social justice and local empowerment in the energy transition. She is a former Chair of the World Energy Council's Energy Storage Working Group. Felicity holds a first class degree from Oxford University, and MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Speaker

Kerstin Jorna, European Commission

Director General DG GROW

Belgium

Kerstin Jorna is a German national and a civil servant at the European Commission where she has held various positions, amongst others as Head of Cabinet of several Commissioners and different Director posts. Mrs. Jorna is the Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Before, Mrs. Jorna was Deputy Director-General for Economic and Financial Affairs. Mrs. Jorna also held positions on the Board of the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund as well as the European Innovation Council Fund.

Speaker

Jennifer Karle, DG GROW, European Commission

Policy Officer

Belgium

Jennifer Karle works in the Unit Green and Circular Economy at the European Commission's Directorate General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SME. Before joining the Commission Jennifer Karle worked as a civil servant in Britain's energy regulator, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. She has a Master of Science from the University College London in Environment, Politics and Society where she researched the adoption of sustainable technological innovation in her dissertation.

Speaker

Noara Kebir, MicroEnergy Consulting

Senior Managing Consultant

Germany

Noara Kebir is Co-Founder and CEO of the MicroEnergy International Group (MEI). Her professional background is in mechanics, energy and process engineering. Noara started her professional career at Siemens Corporation, after which she co-founded the MEI Group in 2001. MEI Group's core mission is conceptualizing, developing and implementing technical and socioeconomic strategies for a Bottom-Up Energy Transformation, through different vehicles: the academic think-tank Microenergy Research Systems is leading the scientific discourse with academic institutions across the world; MicroEnergy Consult consists of a multi- and trans-disciplinary team of experts specialized in assessing market potential, leading feasibility studies and supporting different stakeholders in linking financial inclusion with energy inclusion for the ultimate achievement of SDG 7. In the innovation lab ME SOLdesign, engineers design open source soft- and hardware for a Global Energy Transformation, which are then incubated into business models in the ME Venture Builder. Visit ME SOLshare's website to learn more about how this looks in practice! ME SOLshare was recently awarded UN DESA's Powering the Future We Want Award, Elsevier's Renewable Transformation Challenge, the Start Up Energy Transition Award and the Momentum of Change Award at COP22 in Marakesh. MicroEnergy International and its microfinance partners in Ethiopia recently won the Energy Globe Award Ethiopia and the Best Climate Practice Award. In February 2018, MicroEnergy International received the IKU Innovation Award. Noara is involved in several projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia focusing on the sustainable management of used lead-acid and li-Ion batteries.

Speaker

Mikko Kettunen, Lempäälän Energia

CEO

Finland

Lempäälän Energia is producer of district heating and electricity in Lempäälä area, Finland. Lempäälän Energia owns and operates the LEMENE MicroGrid which is enabling sector integration, demand response. energy consumption forecasting and market optimization. 'We feel being forerunners in the energy field in our size.' Mikko Kettunen is leading the Lempäälän Energia by finding a sustainable and new ways to produce energy by the means of feasibility and efficiency. Demand response, ancillary markets, sector integration, machine learning and optimising are the part of diverse energy production and consumption system. He has experience in energy communities and microgrids where energy is produced and consumed locally and supporting energy networks with excess energy.

Speaker

Thomas König, enspired GmbH

Regulatory Expert

Austria

Thomas contributes to enspireds Growth Team with regulatory expertise on national and international basis, focusing on intraday markets, storage and ancillary services. He surveillances regulatory surroundings, to get the best for enspireds customers and support a vital market, where efficient solutions function as primary tool for affordable and clean energy. He started as a dispatcher and intraday trader but focused soon on supporting in the regulatory field by preserving or exploring new business cases, at the intersection, where regulations meet free markets. This evolved into a deep dive into mechanisms enabling a pan-european coupled power markets while working for the international regulations and market development team for Amprion gaining views on the needs of TSOs and system stability before he joined enspired.

Speaker

Carol Kort, Rabobank

Director Project Finance Renewables

The Netherlands

Carol is a Director within the European Project Finance team of Rabobank, one of the leading banks in project finance globally. The energy transition is one of the core pillars of Rabobank's ambition and the bank has been project financing renewable energy assets for over 20 years with a current global commitment of c. EUR 5bln distributed over 20 countries. Carol is responsible for the origination, structuring and execution of renewable energy transactions (battery storage, offshore wind, solar PV, onshore wind) across Europe, including complex holdco and/or portfolio structures and financing on the basis of corporate PPAs and/or merchant revenues. Most recently, Carol has been involved in financial advisory for offshore wind in the Netherlands and has led the negotiation and execution of the financing for several large-scale solar PV portfolios in the Netherlands, Denmark and Italy. In respect of battery storage specifically, Carol recently closed financings for a stand-alone battery in France and two stand-alone battery portfolios in the UK. Before joining Rabobank, Carol was responsible for debt advisory within Philips Capital and prior to that spent the first years of her career within structured metals and energy finance at ING. Carol holds a Master in Business Computer Science from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Speaker

Mark Kragh, Off-Grid Europe GmbH

Co-Founder & CTO

Germany

Mark Kragh is the founder and CTO of Off-Grid Europe GmbH. He is an expert in renewable energy systems with long-term experience in systems engineering and design, leadership as well as data analytics. Since 2020, OGE is part of the project ASER300 that set the target to electrify at least 300 villages in Senegal. In the course of realizing the project, OGE set up the senegalese subsidiary Off-Grid Africa in order to establish itself long-term in the west-african market. Innovation and constant optimization of technology are an integral part of the company. Apart from Off-Grid Systems, Mark has developed a unique solar boat (SunSailor) as well as a containerised solution to produce solar oxygen (SolarO2). He currently focuses on the development of a BESS (Battery energy storage system) for commercial and industrial users as well as on a solar cooling solution for the agricultural sector.

Speaker

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jochen Kreusel, Hitachi Energy Germany AG

Global Head of Market Innovation

Germany

Jochen Kreusel is Senior Vice President of Hitachi Energy, Zurich, and Global Head of Market Innovation. He studied electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University (Germany), where he was also granted his doctorate. From 1994 to 2020 he worked with ABB, where he held managing positions in marketing and technology. Jochen Kreusel is President of T&D Europe and member of the Supervisory Committee of VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies. He is member of several committees of the European Commission and the German government on aspects of the future development of power systems. Moreover, he is honorary professor at RWTH Aachen University, where he is teaching power economics in liberalized electricity markets.

Speaker

Patrik Krizansky, AVERE - The European Association for Electromobility

Vice President

Belgium

Director, SEVA - Slovak Electric Vehicle Association Vice-president, AVERE - the European Association for Electromobility Patrik has long-term professional experience in electric mobility, renewables, and batteries. In addition to his elected positions, he is the managing partner of Enairgy, a clean tech consultancy, and Espio, a technology startup focused on graphene-based sensors. Patrik is an alumnus of the Executive MBA program at Carlson School of Management, the University of Minnesota, and WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria, and also holds a Master's degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Matej Bel University in Slovakia. In addition, he is a certified trainer for the Battery Academy of the European Battery Alliance and an alumnus of the EIT InnoEnergy's Battery Expert program.

Speaker

Patrik Krizansky, Slovak Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA)

Director

Slovakia

Director, SEVA - Slovak Electric Vehicle Association Vice-president, AVERE - the European Association for Electromobility Patrik has long-term professional experience in electric mobility, renewables, and batteries. In addition to his elected positions, he is the managing partner of Enairgy, a clean tech consultancy, and Espio, a technology startup focused on graphene-based sensors. Patrik is an alumnus of the Executive MBA program at Carlson School of Management, the University of Minnesota, and WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria, and also holds a Master's degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Matej Bel University in Slovakia. In addition, he is a certified trainer for the Battery Academy of the European Battery Alliance and an alumnus of the EIT InnoEnergy's Battery Expert program.

Speaker

Dr. Marek Kubik, Fluence

Managing Director

United Kingdom

Marek is a founding member and managing director of energy storage technology company Fluence. He leads Fluence's Western Europe team where he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of energy storage product and services sales. Marek has over a decade of experience in cleantech, including an instrumental role in delivering Europe's first grid scale commercial battery storage project in 2015. A prominent energy industry influencer and thought leader, Marek is also a cleantech advisor to the UN and in 2017 was also named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree; a list that recognises 'the world's most inspiring young innovators, bright rising stars and the leaders of tomorrow

Speaker

Felix Kuhnert, PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH WPG

Partner Automotive & SMART Mobility Leader

Germany

Felix Kuhnert is a partner at PwC in Munich, Germany, and leads the Automotive practice and Smart Mobility initiative. He has more than 25 years of practical experience in consulting. Felix Kuhnert studied economics at the universities of Freiburg, Bonn, and Berkeley and has a master's degree as economist. His areas of study included International Finance and Development Economics. Felix Kuhnert leads and works on strategy, transaction, and transformation projects, and is a trusted advisor for DAX30 companies, suppliers, and startups in the mobility sector. Additionally, he is a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen and is a member of the advisory board at the Institute for Mobility. In 2022, he led the founding of the "PwC Lab for Smart Mobility" in collaboration with the University of St. Gallen.

Speaker

Charles Lesser, Apricum - The Cleantech Advisory

Partner

Germany

Charles Lesser is a senior corporate financier in the international energy industry. Over 25 years he has led a wealth of successful transactions in public and private capital markets, from asset and corporate M&A to IPOs. His award-winning career includes heading the energy investment banking groups at a number of leading international banks. He has a particular interest in energy storage and heads Apricum's global transaction advisory practice.

Speaker

Marcus Liertz, BMW AG

Head of Charging Quality

Germany

2023: Head of Quality Management Ecosystem Charging 2022: Head of Cluster Ecosystem Charging - Initiation of BigPicture Ecosystem Charging internal and across industry including mapping to the organization - Functional and temporal CCS step model for the gradual further development of the CCS >> Combined Charging System from manual today to automatic tomorrow (internal, CharIN, VDA, NPM, NOW, NLL) - Synchronization of internal and external requirements / effect chains from customer use case charging to specifications in CCS charging standards for HappyCustomer@Charging with focus on interoperability - Active funding project management for charging infrastructure in an intermodal transport system in the context of the energy transition >> FÖP Wirkkette Laden - Initiated Release- and Data Management Ecosystem Charging for the Value Chain Charging - Initiated harmonized Charging Infrastructure Prognoses for the main markets >> Team Charging and friends wherever organized 2016: Project Manager iX 2012: Project Manager Technology Project Hydrogen Fuelcell >> FCEV 5GT 2011: Project Leader Area Development Body and White 2009: Project Manager Realignment Business Field Security Vehicle 2005: Project Manager 7 Series 1999: Group Leader Technology Assembly

Speaker

Johannes Linder, BELECTRIC Holding GmbH

Head of System Design & Innovation

Germany

Johannes Linder is Head of System Design and Innovation at Belectric GmbH. Before he joint Belectric in 2013 as an International Project Manager delivering utility scale projects in Europe, Australia and India, he worked for several start-up-companies and developers in the industrie and was certified PV expert by TÜV Rheinland.

Speaker

Igor Ljubenkovic, Siemens AG

Vertical Development Manager

Germany

Igor Ljubenkovic studied process and chemical engineering and started his career in gas turbine design and retrofit for fluidic stress calculations. Afterwards he continued his works in different positions in optimization of hydrothermal power plant systems before he moved to sales and bid management for network control systems. Since 2007 he is working as a business developer as an area responsible in different regions in network control, substation automation and protection, and consecutively in the microgrids and renewable integration field. There he is working to date as a vertical developer responsible for the regions Europe and Near & Middle East.

Speaker

Erik Lokke-Owre, NorSun AS

CEO

Norway

Joined NorSun in 2022. 4 years of experience as Vice President of Operations at Nel Hydrogen. 5 years of experience as SVP Operations at REC Solar. 2 years as BoD member of REC Silicon. 19 years of experience from different positions in Elkem, incl. Plant Manager and SVP of Silicon Metal and Elkem Solar.

Speaker

Dr. Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia, ABSOLAR - Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica

CEO

Brazil

Co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) at the Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association (ABSOLAR - Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica), the national association representing companies and professionals from all segments of the solar PV value chain with operations in Brazil. Co-founder and member of the board of directors at the Global Solar Council (GSC), the global entity unifying and representing the solar power sector at the international level. Has a Ph.D. with honours in Engineering and Materials Technology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), with international collaboration at the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (Fraunhofer ISE, Germany), M.Sc. with honours in Renewable Energy from the EUREC Master Program, with international collaboration at the ETH Zürich (Switzerland), and B.Sc. with honours in Chemistry from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).

Speaker

Cédric Ludwig, Osborne Clarke

Lawyer

United Kingdom

Cédric Ludwig is a tech lawyer at Osborne Clarke, an international law firm that focusses on digitalisation, decarbonisation and urban dynamics. Cédric advises national and international companies on IT law, copyright law and data protection, especially on legal matters with a strong technical focus. He also advises companies on international roll outs of digital platforms and IoT devices. Cédric worked on different e-mobility projects where he advised EMPs (e-mobility providers) and CPOs (charge point operators) on contract law.

Speaker

James MacDonald, Laborelec

Agrivoltaics Innovation

Since 2021, James coordinates global agrivoltaics innovation and projects for the Engie group via their innovation center Laborelec,, interacting with project developers, engineers, manufacturers, farmers, public authorities, civil associations, university researchers, and other stakeholders. James has worked in the PV industry since 2005 on 3 continents, and has completed postgrad studies in renewables grid integration, controlled environment agriculture, and regional management. He has a graduate diploma in linguistics.

Speaker

Ifeoma Malo, Clean Technology Hub

CEO

Nigeria

Ifeoma Malo is an organizational management expert with over 23 years' experience, building and directing organizational policy and strategy in energy and large scale utility markets, public health, bio technology, leadership, change management and infrastructure finance. She is the Co-Founder/ CEO, Clean Technology Hub Nigeria. Ifeoma Malo was previously the Country Director for Power 4 All where she drove the market and community development campaign for decentralized renewable energy in Nigeria through the initiation of participatory in-country regional programs and activities. She was also the Senior Technical adviser to the Honorable Minister of Power and provided senior strategy advisory to advance electricity access, built communities and livelihoods and provided a more stable, sustainable and secure energy future across Nigeria. Ms. Ifeoma is a Caux Scholar, African Leadership PIA Fellow, Desmond Tutu Fellow, Crans Montana New Leader Fellow, Acumen West Africa Fellow and also the Global Leadership Academy-We Africa Network. She is a Commonwealth Leaders Scholar-CSC Leaders. She is also a member of boards that include:GreenPeace International, Access to Energy Institute (AE21), Extractive 360 and Norrenberger Financial Service. Clean Technology Hub Nigeria is a pioneering hybrid hub for the research, development, demonstration and incubation of clean and green ideas and technologies in Africa, and their validation for commercial-stage development. The Hub was founded in 2016 and is located in Abuja, with virtual hubs spread across the country.

Speaker

Christiane Mann, T&D Europe

Chair of the WG Grid Digitalisation

Belgium

Christiane Mann is a global Strategy and Marketing Leader in the Clean Energy Transition and Smart Buildings space. As Head of Industry Affairs Smart Infrastructure at Siemens AG she is actively shaping a sustainable future in the intersection of strategy, technology, and policy. Siemens Smart Infrastructure combines the real and digital worlds across energy systems, buildings, and industries, enhancing the way people live and work and significantly improving efficiency and sustainability. Siemens' electrification products, systems, solutions, and services improve energy and resource efficiency, facilitate the transition towards renewables and decentralized power generation while ensuring a resilient and reliable power supply. Christiane has held several strategy and marketing leadership roles in the energy and the smart buildings sector. She was global Corporate Vice President Industry Affairs for the Energy Management business of Schneider Electric, and prior to that Director of Strategy and Marketing within Siemens Building Technologies. At T&D Europe, the European association of grid technology manufacturers, she is the current Chair of the Working Group Grid Digitalization. Previously, she was Chairman of smartEn, the European business association for digital and decentralized, smart, energy solutions in Brussels.

Speaker

Matthias Mantel, Lapmaster Wolters GmbH

CEO

Germany

Born on 12. July 1966 in Aschaffenburg, Germany, married, 1 daughter (9). Completed his Me-chanical Eng. studies in Germany and USA. Lived and worked 22 years in Asia, USA, and other European countries, in various Techno-Commercial Management functions for his em-ployers, 15 years of which in Asia with significant time spent in China (7 years) / Hong Kong (8 years). Practices an international management style of Agile (US) and Japanese Lean in which the em-ployee takes centerstage. Since 2018 nominated to the Foreign Trade Council at the Industrial and Trade Association in Aschaffenburg. Interested in Precision Technology, Physics as well as Arts, Architecture, and Gardening.

Speaker

Dr. Emanuele Marini, ZSW (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research)

Postdoctoral Researcher

Germany

Dr. Emanuele Marini is a distinguished Post-Doc researcher at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg, in the Department of Fuel Cell Fundamentals. He completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Materials Science at ETH Zurich, where his master's thesis focused on microrobotics at IBM Rüschlikon. During his doctoral studies, he shifted his research focus to advanced energy storage systems. He specializes in rechargeable alkaline batteries, including Zn-Air, Zn-Ni, and Zn-MnO2, with the aim of enhancing their durability, performance, and sustainability. Dr. Marini has published numerous articles in renowned scientific journals and recently filed a patent application for his innovative work on rechargeable alkaline batteries.

Speaker

Pierre-Emmanuel Martin, CARBON- Photovoltaics made in France

CEO

France

Pierre-Emmanuel Martin, co-founder and chairman of CARBON and its board of directors Pierre-Emmanuel Martin has 30 years of experience and entrepreneurship in the energy sector. As former CEO of ENEL Green Power France and a multi-entrepreneur in the energy sector, he brings to CARBON his extensive knowledge of the sector, his experience in the European energy market and energy infrastructure, as well as his expertise in project and company development and financing. As a specialist in photovoltaic energy, he is founder and president of the solar power plant developer and photovoltaic electricity producer Terre et Lac as well as serving as president of My Energy Manager, a start-up offering digital solutions to reduce energy consumption and bills.

Speaker

Guillermo Martínez González, Suncycle Iberia

CEO

Spain

Is the CEO of Suncycle's branch in Spain, based in Madrid, providing advanced quality and aftersales services for the solar industry. Guillermo began his career in the photovoltaic industry in 1996, at BP Solar, assuming various functions related to the design and manufacture of PV modules and cells globally. After holding various management positions in leading companies in the sector, in 2013, he began providing independent consulting services, mainly to Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers, covering areas such as automation, quality, supply chain management and technology auditing. An outstanding achievement was the deployment of 1GW bifacial cells and modules factory in the north of China, finished in 2019. Guillermo holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and a Degree in Geology from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is a prolific writer and photographer in a variety of specialized magazines.

Speaker

Gaëtan Masson, Becquerel Institute

Founder & Managing Director

Belgium

Gaëtan Masson is an entrepreneur with a passion for solar PV and the energy transition: an engineer, he also has degrees in management, political science and environmental management. He is the founder and Managing Director of the Becquerel Institute since 2014. After a decade in finance and IT, he icommitted to the climate and developed Business Intelligence for SolarPower Europe (formerly EPIA). He coordinates the Task 1, "Expertise and Awareness" of the International Energy Agency PV Programme (IEA PVPS). He led the PV Industry Working Group of the European PV Technology and Innovation Platform (ETIP-PV) of which he was co-chair from 2014 to 2019, and resulted in the creation of the European Solar Manufacturing Council, of which he is co-chair since its foundation in 2019. He is administrator of the CARBON project in France. He participates on the scientific committee of the EU-PVSEC and WCPEC conferences. In Belgium, he is an adminstrator of EDORA, the French-speaking association of renewable energy professionals. In 2020 he received the Daejoo Award for his contribution to the development of photovoltaics.

Speaker

Mariska Matadin, Bridgestone Mobility Solutions

Manager Business Development EV

The Netherlands

Mariska has the mindset of an entrepreneur, experienced across multiple EV disciplines in public and private companies, and she has a prominent voice advocating for more female leadership and a diverse and inclusive environment in the mobility industry. With her personal interest in automotive, she has built her network and executed a global presence. Mariska has been awarded sustainable prizes and published a list of articles about DEI in the mobility industry. Also, awarded as the Top Women in EV 2023. She is working for Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, a family member of the Bridgestone brand - one of the largest and leading tire businesses in the world.

Speaker

Florian Mayr, Apricum - The Cleantech Advisory

Partner

Germany

Florian Mayr is an expert for strategy, business development and transaction advisory in the global renewable energy markets, including energy storage. Mr. Mayr leads Apricum's energy storage practice and is responsible for the company's international activities in this field. In particular, Mr. Mayr supports Apricum's clients in successfully accessing new markets and seizing attractive business opportunities. He is also active in advising cleantech companies on corporate and project financing, including M&A, fund raising and due diligence. Furthermore, he is a regular contributor to external publications and a frequently booked speaker on the topic of energy storage. Prior to Apricum, he spent a decade in senior positions at McKinsey & Company and RWE, where he was mainly involved in strategy development projects both in the conventional and renewable energy sectors. Mr. Mayr holds a master's degree in engineering from the Technical University of Berlin, and an MBA from the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Mannheim.

Speaker

Juan-Carlos Mejia, Enerox GmbH

Director Sales C&I Microgrid Solutions - Cellcube

Germany

Juan Carlos had a degree in environmental engineering and energy economics. He has spent the last 15 years in senior management positions at fossil generators, renewable energy, and battery energy storage manufacturing companies. Before joining CellCube, he led the regional sales of Rolls-Royce PS for gas and hybrid power systems in Latin America and Europe, and at MAN ES the hybrid and automation product and solutions development for the decarbonization of fossil fuel generation. In the last few years, he has focused on BESS projects in the industrial and utility sectors. As a Director Sales Microgrid Solutions with Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries for the industrial sector, he dedicates his time to the market, solution portfolio, innovation development and sales growth of CellCube.

Speaker

Marc Mennekes, ACCURE Battery Intelligence GmbH

Customer Success Manager

Germany

Marc Mennekes is a Senior Battery Expert and part of the customer success team at ACCURE Battery Intelligence. He earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at RWTH Aachen with energy storage systems and aging analyses of lithium-ion batteries at the heart of his studies. Previously, Marc was a Graduate Research Student at the Chair for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Technologies (ISEA) and he worked for BMW Group both in Europe and the U.S. gaining experience analyzing battery field data with a focus on safety, reliability, and sustainability. Since 2020 he has been translating ACCURE's customers' needs into innovative battery analytics and monitoring solutions, helping to improve their battery business in terms of safety, lifetime, and performance.

Speaker

Jenya Meydbray, Nevados

COO

United States of America

Jenya Meydbray is a solar industry veteran with more than fifteen years of experience. Prior to joining Nevados in 2023, he served as CEO of PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), an independent solar testing laboratory that he co-founded in 2010.

Speaker

Timo Moeller, NovaSource Power Services

Chief Growth Officer

USA

Mr. Timo Moeller is the Chief Growth Officer of NovaSource Power Services, responsible for Sales and Marketing, Product Development, Product Management, as well as M&A globally. Prior to joining NovaSource, Mr. Moeller served as Head of Commercial and Revenue of First Solar's Energy Services division, where he had the mandate to grow the market leadership position in the solar O&M space in North America. Mr. Moeller started his renewable energy career in 2006 when he joined First Solar in Germany. He moved to the United States in 2011 to establish a global post-sales service organization for First Solar. In 2021, Mr. Moeller, his wife and two daughters relocated to Lyon, France. Mr. Moeller has an Electrical Engineering degree from the Technical College Worms, Germany and a Business Management degree (MBA equivalent) with specialization in Information Management from the Academy of Administration and Business Management Mannheim, Germany.

Speaker

Deepak Mohapatra, Alliance for Rural Electrification

Senior Officer - Business & Market Development

Belgium

Deepak Mohapatra works as the Senior Officer - Business & Market Development at the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), a leading global business association representing the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector for provision of energy access in developing and emerging countries. He works closely together with more than 200 ARE Members, as well as international and local partners to improve market conditions, facilitate capacity building, and establish favourable environment enabling business for private sector companies in DRE space across the globe. Previously Deepak worked at a German NGO called 'Lernen - Helfen - Leben e.V. as a Project Coordinator. He holds MSc. in Renewable Energy Management from Technical University of Cologne (TH Köln), Germany and B.Tech. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), India.

Speaker

Juan Monge, Wood Mackenzie

Principal Analyst, Distributed Solar, Europe

United Kingdom

Juan is a principal analyst on Wood Mackenzie's Power and Renewables team covering distributed solar market developments across Europe. Prior to his current role, Juan was a senior conference content manager, leading content development for Wood Mackenzie/Greentech Media's energy transition conference portfolio in collaboration with our global research practice heads. He has also published research on renewables and green hydrogen development in the Middle East and Africa. Juan holds a master's in media and communications from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid.

Speaker

David Moser, EURAC Research Institute

Head of Research Group

Italy

David Moser coordinates the activities of the Research Group Photovoltaic Systems of the Institute for Renewable Energy, EURAC, Bolzano, Italy. His work focuses on reliable, bankable, sustainable solar PV modules and systems. He is also active in PV potential studies on a regional scale, member of ETIP-PV Steering Committee, Subtask Leader of the IEA PVPS Task 13 in 'Performance and reliability of PV modules and systems, and member of the Lifecycle Workstream of Solarpower Europe.

Speaker

Dr. Massimo Moser, TransnetBW GmbH

Project Manager Energy System 2050 Study, Strategic Grid Planning

Germany

Massimo Moser works since Oct. 2020 for TransnetBW, Dept. of Strategic Network Planning. He leads strategic studies on climate-neutral energy systems and long-term power system adequacy. His activities also include the evaluation of model-based scenarios for electricity, gas and hydrogen sectors within the framework of European grid infrastructure planning processes. He holds a Ph.D. in energy engineering from the University of Stuttgart and a M.Sc. Double Degree in Environmental Engineering between the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and Trento, Italy.

Speaker

Frank Müller, German Federal Association for eMobility

Head of Capital Office, International Affairs and Founding Member

Germany

As a founding member of BEM, Frank Müller has been actively involved in eMobility as a consultant, developer and strategy planner since 2009. He gained his extensive expertise and network in eMobility through practical implementations with light electric vehicles in funding projects and in fleet management of eVehicles. In the past, Frank Müller was able to advance the development of eMobility competence on the part of energy suppliers in many projects - among others as a consultant for EnBW, Trianel and E.ON. Mr. Müller's areas of expertise include logistics, light vehicles and eBikes. With his training as an advertising specialist and director, he can be used as a specialist in the areas of marketing and communication.

Speaker

Stefan Müller, Enerparc AG

COO

Germany

Mr. Stefan Müller is Co-founder, shareholder of Enerparc AG and since end of 2008 as a board member responsible for the international and operational business. After his diploma theses in 1992 in Solar Energy he gained international experiences in difference roles and various countries. He worked nearly 10 years for BP Solar in Europe and Asia and was 5 years in the role of the MD of Conergy Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Enerparc is an international specialist in the whole value chain of large-scale photovoltaic power plants. The company was founded in 2008 and have 450 internationally experienced employees with offices in Hamburg, India, Australia, France, Spain and a number of registered partner. The service ranges from the technical design (EPCm) to the turn-key delivery (EPC) and finally to the operation (O&M) of the power plant. In the last years the Enerparc Group successfully connected globally more than 4.500 MW to the grid and it meanwhile operates 3.000 MW of own PV power plants. Based on the IHS research, Enerparc is in the Top 10 in global ranking of EPC companies and number 1 in Germany. In addition to this the Enerparc Group is ranked No. 1 as IPP Player in Europe based on Solarplaza's research 2022. Enerparc AG as one of the major investor and leading service provider knows how to combine the different needs and expectations competently, always aiming for a sustainable and successful integration of photovoltaic power plants into the global future energy supply. Stefan Müller is voluntarily active in various organizations, like the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the VDI (German Association of Engineers).

Speaker

Paulus Mulunga, Renewable Energy Industry Association

Secretary

Namibia

Paulus Mulunga is the Secretary of the Renewable Industry Association of Namibia (REIAoN). REIAoN advocates for the growth of Renewable Energy in Namibia by securing technical and ethical standards within the sector to the benefit of the Namibian consumer. REIAoN is a platform for collaboration, consultation, creating awareness within the industry. Paulus is also a Founder and Managing Director of a Renewable Technology Company called Lights Systems Namibia (LSN). LSN is focused on providing Sustainable Renewable Energy Photovoltaic (PV) Solutions in Namibia. These Solutions include the latest technologies supported by the latest in information systems to raise efficiencies and lower costs. Paulus has a Master's Degree in Computer Science, a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Computer Science and Economics and a certificate for a programmer in soar energy for Master Trainers from ISA. He has a number of Diplomas and certificates.

Speaker

Felipe Narbona, ABO Wind AG

Team Leader Hybrid Energy and Storage

Germany

Felipe Narbona is a seasoned engineer with over 13 years of experience in business development, energy markets analysis, and project management of renewable energy projects. He graduated as a Civil-Industrial Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica in Chile, and later pursued a Master's degree in New Energy Technologies from Technische Universität Berlin. He started his career as an entrepreneur before moving to the LNG industry in Chile. Felipe then transitioned to the renewable energy industry in Germany, convinced of the necessity of achieving more greener ways of meeting our energy demand. In 2018, Felipe joined a PV-EPC company based in Berlin for 3 years, before joining ABO Wind in 2020 to develop and install one of the first Hybrid PV+BESS projects in Germany. As a Team Leader of the Hybrid Energy and Storage department in ABO wind, Felipe leads the technical and economic development of hybrid PV-Wind power plants, also combining renewable technologies with Storage. Throughout his career, Felipe has worked on a number of topics including: technical-economic project evaluation; planning, procurement, and construction of PV-Storage projects; financial simulations; energy market analysis; and international team management.

Speaker

Tobias Neidl, SMA Solar Technology AG

Solution Owner e-Mobility

Deutschland

As Solution Owner e-mobility Tobias is responsible for SMAs commercial EV-Charging business - combining and managing energy flows between renewable energy generation, storage and electric vehicles. He has more than 10 years of experience in e-mobility. He was managing the definition and development of charging equipment for B2B and B2C customers and contributed to the creation of a holistic charging experience, taking the energy market into account.

Speaker

Clara Neyrand, Reiner Lemoine Institut gGmbH

Researcher

Germany

Clara Neyrand holds a master's degree in Geographical Development Research from Freie Universität Berlin. She is working as a researcher at Reiner Lemoine Institut in Berlin, Germany since 2017. Her research focus is on socio-economic aspects of electricity access by applying quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She is currently coordinating two research and development projects in Nigeria that aim to contribute to off-grid electrification in non-urban communities.

Speaker

Anne Nysaether, Elvia AS

CEO

Norway

Anne Nysaether (47) is the CEO of Elvia, the largest DSO in Norway. Anne has 16 years of experience from the electricity grid sector, both from the Norwegian TSO and from DSOs. She has experience from various areas both as a subject expert and as a leader. Her main areas of experience being corporate strategy, electricity market development, grid planning strategy, smart grid development and customer interaction. Anne has a master's degree in Industrial Economics and Technology Management from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology 1998. She is also an experienced board member from the electricity sector.

Speaker

Gregorio Ogliaro, Accenture

Managing Director, Global Utilities T&D Lead

Italy

Gregorio Ogliaro is the Global Transmission and Distribution Lead for Accenture's Utilities business. He helps network operators transform to use the opportunities arising from the Energy Transition, Digitization, and Sustainability. Gregorio joined Accenture in 1996 and became Managing Director in 2011. Gregorio holds a degree in Engineering from Politecnico of Turin and a postgraduate education in Business Administration at SDA Bocconi University of Milan.

Speaker

Yuliana Onishchuk, Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation

Founder, CEO

Ukraine

Yuliana Onishchuk is the Founder and CEO of Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in response to the War in Ukraine. The Foundation's primary objective is to secure the energy independence of Ukraine's social and critical infrastructure through the implementation of renewable energy sources. Ms. Yuliana Onishchuk brings with her a wealth of expertise in the energy sector, boasting 7 years of experience in various areas including gas, renewables, and electricity distribution. She has also demonstrated exceptional proficiency in managing energy infrastructure projects. In addition to her role as an energy expert, Yuliana is a dedicated social activist in Ukraine committed to making a positive impact in green energy reconstruction of Ukraine.

Speaker

Kwaku Osei-Sarpong, RIFE International

Country Manager - West Africa

Ghana

Kwaku Osei-Sarpong is a distinguished expert in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy infrastructure, with an exceptional track record of achievements. He completed his education in Finance and Banking at Central University, and further enhanced his expertise through specialized programs in clean energy finance and infrastructure funds at the Frankfort School of Finance and Management and Harvard University. Currently serving as the Country Manager - West Africa at RIFE International, a prominent clean energy company, Kwaku Osei-Sarpong focuses on driving the progress of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, and electric mobility infrastructure. His unwavering dedication centers around catalyzing the expansion of distributed clean energy markets in Africa, aiming to decentralize energy access and reduce carbon emissions, while also securing the necessary funding to realize these transformative opportunities. Additionally, he holds the position of Vice Chairperson for the Association of Ghana Industries' (AGI) Working Group of Renewable/Solar companies, leading the charge in the adoption of renewable energy technologies within Ghana's Cocoa sector value chain. Kwaku Osei-Sarpong's leadership within the clean energy industry is characterized by his dynamic approach and visionary mindset, resulting in numerous accolades and recognition. Notable among his honors are the West Africa Nobles award for Business Excellence and Integrity in 2022, the Forty under 40 Awards for Environmental & Climate Sustainability in 2022, and the Enactus Global Leadership award in 2018.

Speaker

Florian Otto, NIO GmbH

Director Communications Nio Europe

Germany

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Speaker

Diego Pavia, EIT InnoEnergy SE

CEO

The Netherlands

Diego Pavia has been CEO of EIT InnoEnergy since 2010. As a serial entrepreneur, he has created several companies during his career. In 1988, Diego co-founded and was CEO of a start-up called Knowledge Engineering, which dealt with industrial controls systems using artificial intelligence and neural networks. Three years later he joined Sema Group (acquired by Schlumberger in 1998) and started a long career with private companies. At SchlumbergerSema, Diego headed multicultural working groups all over the world in the field of energy with revenues of $650M. Between 2002 and 2010, Diego was the CEO of Atos Origin, a leading international IT service provider, where he was responsible for Spain and South America with 9,000 employees and an annual turnover of €450M. Since 2010 and under his leadership, EIT InnoEnergy has become the largest global organisation supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in sustainable energy. The 180+ portfolio companies supported by the company are on track to generate €72.8 billion in revenue and save 1.1G tons of CO2e annually by 2030. Collectively, these companies have raised €8 billion in investment to date. Diego is an electrical engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, with a major in electronics and automation.

Speaker

Dr. Bertrand Paviet-Salomon, CSEM SA

Switzerland

Dr. Bertrand Paviet-Salomon received the M.Sc. degree in 2009 and the Engineer Diploma degree in theoretical and applied optics from the Institut d'Optique, Paris, France. From 2009 to 2012, he was pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the French National Institute for Solar Energy, Le-Bourget-du-Lac, France, working on laser processes for crystalline silicon solar cells. He received the Ph.D. degree in electronics and photonics from the University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, in 2012. From 2012 to 2014, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, working on high-efficiency back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells. In 2014, he joined the PV-Center, Centre Suisse d' Électronique et de Microtechnique, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and is since 2021 the group leader of the crystalline silicon solar cells activities there.

Speaker

Diederik Peereboom, T&D Europe

Secretary General

Belgium

Diederik Peereboom is Secretary General of T&D Europe, the association representing the grid technology providers, where he is working with policy-makers, regulators, network operators and grid users to future-proof the European electricity network. T&D Europe's members enable the energy transition to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. Over 200,000 people in our industry manufacture, innovate and supply smart systems for the efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. Our technologies and services future-proof the grid and make clean electricity accessible to all Europeans. We put our collective expertise to work to craft a brighter, electric future. Ready for the Green Deal.

Speaker

Mirjam Penders, Sympower

Head of Commercial

The Netherlands

Mirjam Penders is heading Sympower's Sales, Expansion and Marketing activities as Head of Commercial. She has been working in the energy sector for the last 15 years. Formerly with GE Renewable Energy and Hitachi in various senior roles. Prior Partner at Been Management Consulting leading the Energy Practice. Mirjam personal ambition is to enable affordable energy and clean energy for everyone. Passionate surfer, mountaineer, and nature lover.

Speaker

Dr. Simon Philipps, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

Head of R&D Strategy

Germany

Dr. Simon Philipps holds a diploma and PhD degree in Physics, as well as a diploma degree in Business Administration. He joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in 2005 through his work on the numerical modeling of fuel cells and, later, on III-V multi-junction solar cells. Since 2010 he works closely with the institute directors in different roles. In 2017 Dr. Philipps became Head of R&D Strategy and is responsible for the strategy development of Fraunhofer ISE. He is also responsible for EU research funding and related networks and associations related to Photovoltaics, e.g. as Coordinator of the Joint Programme on Photovoltaic Solar Energy within the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and as member of the steering committee of the European Technology & Innovation Platform PV (ETIP PV). Dr. Philipps is also Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance and represents the activities in Energy Research of 20 member institutes. His specialties include the analysis of technologies, markets and strategies. Educated in both science and business, his expertise also encompasses economics and business administration, including innovation management and organizational change.

Speaker

Nicolas Pigeon, Enedis

Head of Smart Metering Services Division

France

Graduated from the 'École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs Electriciens' (ENSIEG) from Grenoble in 1999, Nicolas Pigeon specialized in electrical signal processing. Therefore, he quite naturally focused his career on smart metering systems. Nicolas Pigeon started his career at Sagemcom, a French group specializing in the production of smart terminals. He joined a project on behalf of EDF in Tunisia. Four years later, he took part in a project to develop smart meters in the Shenzhen region in China. In 2013, he took charge of the development of several smart metering systems projects and designed programs adapted to the specific needs of clients. In 2014, Nicolas Pigeon joined Enedis, EDF's Distribution Division. The global deployment of the Linky project had just been launched: 5 years to install 35 million meters for all individual customers in France. Having worked for one of the meter manufacturers, Nicolas Pigeon knew the technology perfectly. He led the teams dedicated to the project where he supervised testing activities, ensuring the meters' quality and reliability before their integration. After a few years of coordinating the development of the Linky system and improving the industrial process of operating the smart meter network, he has been in charge of the Smart Metering Services department since 2022, aiming to make the Linky technology available for other DSOs, as well as to develop high value-added systems using the data from the Smart Meters.

Speaker

Vincent Pinchou, Ciel & Terre International

Head of Project EMEA

France

Vincent graduated from HEI Lille engineering school and from the Polytechnic School of Montreal. Before joining Ciel & Terre in 2016, he worked for 1 year and a half in international cooperation in Haiti as a construction engineer. Starting as a project manager at Ciel & Terre, he is now in charge of managing the EMEA project implementation team and driving the different scopes offered to customers.

Speaker

Dr. Ralf Plieninger, sonnen GmbH

Chief Technology Officer

Germany

Ralf Plieninger has been sonnen GmbH's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) since May 2022, heading up the company's research and development as well as the global service. Before that, he was Managing Director and COO/CTO at Torqeedo, an innovative specialist for electric boat drives, building up the company for almost 10 years. Prior to that, he held various top management positions in engineering and supply chain management at the photovoltaic manufacturer Q-Cells. During the first ten years of this career, he worked in different locations at Infineon Technologies in the areas of production planning, product and process engineering and package development. He holds a PhD in semiconductor physics with a thesis on thin silicon solar cells.

Speaker

Christoph Podewils, Meyer Burger Technology AG

Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications

Switzerland

Christoph Podewils has been working in the PV and renewable energy sector since 2005. After working as science editor for the national daily Berliner Zeitung, he joined the Agency for Renewable Energies. From 2007 to 2012, as deputy editor-in-chief of the solar power magazine Photon, he reported on the international and German solar industry and observed energy policy in Germany and the EU. Since 2013, as Head of Communications, he has been involved in setting up the think tank Agora Energiewende, which in recent years has put forward many well-founded proposals for the further development of the energy transition in Germany. Subsequently, Christoph Podewils was in charge of communications for the Global Solutions Initiative, a network of think tanks that brings solutions to global problems to decision-makers in the G20 and G7 and makes research-based recommendations. Christoph Podewils joined Meyer Burger in 2023 as Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. Christoph Podewils holds a degree in geography from the University of Münster and is the author of "Deutschland unter Strom", a book that describes Germany's transition to green energy for a broad audience.

Speaker

Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, National Solar Energy Federation of India: NSEFI

CEO

India

Subrahmanyam Pulipaka is the youngest Chief Executive Officer of National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI). NSEFI is India's largest umbrella body for Solar energy ecosystem which works in a complementary manner to realize India's ambitious Solar goals and represent the Indian Solar industry. He is also the Chair of Renewables in Agriculture Working Group at IRENA Coalition for Action and has also been appointed to UNDP Energy Governance External Advisory Group Member. Recipient of BRICS young scientist Award 2018, Subrahmanyam also specializes in Solar module reliability and has published scientific articles across various internationally acclaimed journals.

Speaker

Lori Qin, BlackRock Climate Infrastructure

Vice President

United Kingdom

Lori joined BlackRock in 2015 and is a member of the Climate Infrastructure investment team which currently manages over $9bn in capital commitments. Lori is responsible for sourcing, executing and managing climate infrastructure assets in Europe, and has recently led transactions in the transmission and energy storage sectors in the UK. Lori earned a MA degree in Mathematics from St Edmund Hall, Oxford University.

Speaker

Luca Ribolla-Irico, Accenture

Principal Director, Network of the Future Lead for Europe

Italy

More than 22 years of experience in the Transmission and Distribution Industry, leading complex transformation initiatives and supporting clients in their digitalization journey. Luca is Europe Lead for Accenture's "Network of the Future" offering, which focuses on the evolution of the capabilities for Grid Operators in the Energy Transition.

Speaker

Dr. Roland Roesch, IRENA International Renewable Energy Agency

Acting Director - IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre

Germany

Dr. Roland Roesch has been Acting Director at the Innovation and Technology Center (IITC) in the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) since November 2022. In this role, he oversees the agency's work on advising member countries on energy scenarios and planning, power sector transformation, renewable generation, cost and markets, technology status and innovation outlooks, and project development guidelines. Before becoming Acting Director, he served as IITC Deputy Director from 2018. Roland joined IRENA in 2012 and has worked in multiple work programs since. For two years prior to joining IRENA, Roland had been Professor for Energy Economics at the University of Applied Science in Damstadt. Previously, he worked for 15 years in the oil and gas and utilities industries for Shell and E.ON, latterly as General Manager Power with Shell and as Head of Division, Project Leader, Project Executive and Technical Project Developer with E.ON. Previously, he worked as an Energy Market Consultant for Lahmeyer International and as a researcher in renewable energy. Roland has solid business experience in energy markets, energy economics and strategies, renewable integration management, energy project development and project financing.

Speaker

Luis Roever, Sixt SE

Executive Director eMobility

Germany

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Speaker

Dr. Sönke Rogalla, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

Head of Department Power Electronics and Grid Integration

Germany

Soenke Rogalla has been working at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg since 2006. Since 2022, he has headed the Department of Power Electronics and Grid Integration at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg. Previously, he held various management positions responsible for PV inverter development, high-performance electronics, inverter testing, PV system concepts, grid interaction of inverters and grid-forming inverters. Soenke Rogalla graduated from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in 2006 with a degree in electrical engineering and information technology with a focus on renewable energies. In 2020, he received his PhD in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig on the topic of grid interactions of inverters.

Speaker

Dr Stephan Rohr, TWAICE

Founder & Co-CEO

Germany

Dr. Stephan Rohr is Co-CEO at TWAICE. TWAICE supports enterprises across industries with predictive battery analytics software based on digital twins. Customers are empowered to develop and use battery systems more efficiently and sustainably while making them more reliable and durable. Before founding TWAICE with Dr. Michael Baumann, Stephan completed his Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich after working in start-ups, PE, and in consulting. Stephan's battery specific domain expertise derives from over 6 years of academic research into Li-ion batteries with a particular focus on the economic implications.

Speaker

Giacomo Rossi, Frost & Sullivan

Principal Consultant - Mobility Europe

U.K.

Giacomo Rossi is Principal Consultant at Sullivan & Frost, a global management consulting and market intelligence company, with extensive international work experience in the automotive industry at a cross-functional level, covering roles in product marketing, sales, corporate finance and strategy. He is in charge of the design, development and execution of strategy and growth consulting projects for C-level executives at international leading blue-chip companies, government bodies and representative institutions, having delivered more than 30 projects for clients in Europe, China, North America, Japan, Middle East. His specific expertise focuses on strategy definition and implementation, especially in the premium automotive segment and EV market, scenario forecasting, go-to market strategies, commercial due diligence, competitive benchmarking, evaluation of M&A options and supply chain assessment.

Speaker

Raffaele Rossi, SolarPower Europe

Head of Market Intelligence

Belgium

A MSc graduate at the IIIEE Institute at Lund University, passionate about climate and renewable energy policy. Currently employed as Head of Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe, striving to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon EU energy system through effective policymaking and enabling regulatory frameworks. Key areas of expertise Renewable Energy Policy Solar PV, Battery Storage and electricity markets & technologies Sustainability and Climate Change Corporate Social Responsibility and SDGs International experience Fluency in 3 languages

Speaker

Roberto Russo, LUCID Motors

Senior Country Manager DACH-Region

United States of America

Roberto Russo has been working in the automotive industry since 2008 and has been an electric mobility pioneer since 2011. He was one of Tesla's first employees in Germany and later founded his own consultancy "Future Mobility Consulting", with which he has advised several OEMs on the launch and distribution of various new electric cars in Germany. In addition, he was also involved in the success and development of "Power2Drive". For more than two years Roberto Russo has been working in the management of Lucid Motors in Europe and is responsible for the countries Germany, Switzerland and Austria as Country Manager. Thanks to his many years of experience in electromobility and his successful consulting activities, he has made a name for himself as an expert in the industry.

Speaker

Eliano Russo, 3SUN Enel Green Power

CEO

Italy

Eliano has got 25 years' experience in the utility area with a strong focus on renewables, business development and strategy. Since March 2022 he is Head of the 3SUN, a company of the Enel Group active in the manufacturing of both solar cells and panels aiming to commission the biggest European factory in July 2024. Eliano joined the Enel Group in 2017 as Head of e-Industries in ENEL X where he was responsible for managing the B2B solutions on a global scale, as well as growing the customer base both in existing and new countries. Before joining ENEL, Eliano has been working 8 years in E.ON where starting from 2014 he was Vice President Energy Storage, being responsible for the development of Energy Storage solutions globally. Between 2012 and 2014 Eliano was also Director for Renewables in the MPX-E.ON Participacoes S.A., the Joint Venture established in April 2012 by E.ON and MPX to develop power generation projects in Latin America and before moving to Brazil - between 2011 and 2012 - he was Director of Business Development & Business Affairs in E.ON Climate & Renewables GmbH and Director of E.ON Carbon Sourcing GmbH. He was also Board Member of EMIC (E.ON-MASDAR INTEGRATED CARBON Limited), the Joint Venture established by E.ON and MASDAR to develop energy efficiency projects in the Middle East and in South East Asia. Before joining the E.ON Group - between January 2009 and April 2004 - Eliano Russo was Head of Carbon Strategy for the Enel Group. Between 2008 and 2004 he also worked in China for the Sino Italian Cooperation Program where he supported both Enel and the Italian Ministry for Environment and Territory to identify, promote and develop CDM projects. In 2004 he was hired by World Bank as a short-term consultant. Before that he joined the Consulting Division of Ernst & Young in Rome where he acted as an independent evaluator of projects co-financed by the Italian Government and the European Commission. He was also a member of the Italian delegation that negotiated the Kyoto Protocol and focused mainly on the flexible mechanisms (Emissions Trading, Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism).

Speaker

Prof. Ricardo Rüther, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Full Professor

Brasil

Ricardo Rüther is a Full Professor at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianopolis-Brazil, in the field of solar photovoltaics, solar irradiation resource assessment, electrochemical storage, electromobility, and green hydrogen. He completed a BE with honours (1989) and a M.Sc. (1991) degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia at the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering in 1995. He was an Alexander von Humboldt post-doctoral research fellow at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany (1995-1996), and was tenured at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in 2000. Prof. Rüther is also a guest lecturer at the Master of Science Solar Energy Engineering course at the University of Freiburg - Germany, and a Board of Directors member at the International Solar Energy Society - ISES.

Speaker

Sebastian Sahlender, Siemens AG

Germany

Sebastian Sahlender has held various positions at Siemens since 2016. As an grid engineer, a sustainable and economical operation of energy plants in the municipal environment is very important to him. Before joining Siemens AG, Sebastian Sahlender acquired a broad knowledge at a municipal energy supplier - always balancing technically possible and regulatory measures. Sebastian Sahlender is responsible for the Flexibility Service Portfolio at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. In this role, he works together with energy suppliers and industrial companies on future-oriented supply concepts.

Speaker

Dr. Muhammad Kabir Salihu, Rural Electrification Agency

Senior Advisor

Nigeria

Muhammad Kabir is enthusiastic about enabling transformational changes in both public and private sectors, specifically in the area of sustainable development and economic policy and planning. He had his PhD at the Lancaster University, United Kingdom in the field of Economics, and lectures with the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Nigeria. Dr Kabir has acted as a strategic advisor to key government ministries, departments, and agencies in Nigeria. He is presently a senior advisor in the office of the Executive Director Rural Electrification Fund with key responsibility of providing technical advisory on activities bordering on the successful implementation of the Rural Electrification Agency core mandate of expanding electricity access and stimulating rural development.

Speaker

Christian Salzeder, Schletter Solar GmbH

CSO Projects

Germany

Christian is a Renewable Energy Specialist with a broad experience in utility scale solar plants worldwide. He was responsible to implement the international strategy for different companies in the solar industry. He has more than 13 years of experience in expanding regional networks to global networks and he established local subsidiaries in Turkey, South Africa and US. He successfully developed companies from local players to internationally leading companies. 'The solar industry is a gift for our society and also for me personally. It shows us, how fast we solve one of the most important challenges of our modern world, by working together globally and by learning from each other´s experience. I am glad that I can contribute to this success-story.' Christian works as CSO for the Schletter Group to implement utility scale solar projects worldwide. CSO Projects since 2019 13 years of experience in management positions in the solar sector in Europe and US. Multiple GW Track record in the implementation of milestone solar projects globally. Focus on global utility scale solar.

Speaker

Javier Sanz, EIT InnoEnergy SE

Thematic Leader Renewable Energies

The Netherlands

Javier Sanz is an executive manager with extensive experience in product development, with a particular focus on new technology developments and applications. He is a specialist in renewable energies, and he is particularly interested in their applications in distributed generation schemes. Javier has been working with renewable energy for more than 20 years and he has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, a Master's Degree in Renewable Energies, and an MBA. Javier is currently the Thematic Leader for Renewable Energies at EIT InnoEnergy and also the Leader of the European Solar PV Industry Alliance. In his role at EIT InnoEnergy, Javier builds and manages an active ecosystem of relevant players across the various value chains of renewable energy, including wind energy, biomass energy, photovoltaics, solar thermal, and bioclimatic architecture.

Speaker

Dr. Ronald Sastrawan, Munich RE

Director, Green Tech Solutions

Germany

Ronald is Director at Green Tech Solutions at Munich Re developing and implementing long-term insurance products in the clean tech space. He worked on developing Munich Re's PV Warranty Partner program (www.munichre.com/PVWarrantyPartner), now being recognized as the industry standard in insuring the warranty risk of solar. It won the APVIA Award 2019 for the best banking and financing initiative for providing more than EUR 100 million of insurance capacity in support of roughly EUR 1 billion of solar investments within the first year of its roll-out. Ronald has more than 20 years of experience in renewables. After his PhD in physics at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, he set up factories for solar cell production in Asia and USA. Prior to joining the Munich Re Group, he headed a process integration team in the solar production equipment industry.

Speaker

Usuf Schermo, Volta Trucks

Sales Manager DACH

Sweden

Usuf Schermo is Sales Manager at Volta Trucks. He is responsible for all commercial topics in Germany & Austria. With over 10 years' experience in commercial vehicle industry, he has strong Logistics background and a clear understanding about the challenges to implement new technologies within Logistic Industry.

Speaker

Stephan Schindele, BayWa r.e. Solar Projects GmbH

Head of Product Management Agri-PV

Germany

An internship in a solar association in 2009 was the starting point of his professional career in the field of renewable energies. During his studies Stephan Schindele worked several times for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). After completing his MBA program at the California State University East Bay (2011) he was employed as a PhD candidate and project manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. There he built up the new business field of agri-photovoltaics, wrote numerous publications on the topic of Agri-PV and received several awards for his work (2012-2020). Between 2015 and 2020 he taught energy policy at Reutlingen University. Stephan is also co-chairing in Land-Use and Permitting workstream SolarPower Europe In 2020 Stephan Schindele joined the BayWa r.e. Solar Projects family as Head of Agri-PV. He supports the global Agri-PV market development and successfully leverages the synergies of the agricultural and energy industry.

Speaker

Mandy Schipke, NOVUM engineering GmbH

CEO

Germany

Mandy Schipke is Co-Founder and CEO of the AI-Company NOVUM since nine years. Additionally, she is head of management board of the Energy Cluster of Saxony, where she is responsible for all topics related to batteries. Together with her two teams she works on making batteries more sustainable, secure and predictable and has therefore been awarded multiple times, e.g. with the digital energy award from innogy and google or the future mobility award from Volkswagen.

Speaker

Prof. Dr. Rutger Schlatmann, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH

Head of the Division Solar Energy

Germany

Since 2008, Rutger Schlatmann is director of the institute PVcomB at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. He is also full professor for solar photovoltaics technology at the Hochschule fuer Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (since 2012). He focuses multijunctions based on perovskite on SHJ Si or CIGS bottom cells. His interests range from cells and modules to production technologies and outdoor systems, especially building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) as well integrated PV/Electrolysis systems to produce ´solar fuels´.

Speaker

Michael Schmela, SolarPower Europe

Executive Advisor

Belgium

Michael is Executive Advisor to the CEO and a member of the leadership team. Alongside his business development work, Michael heads SolarPower Europe's award-winning market intelligence team. He is lead author of the annually published Global Market Outlook and EU Market Outlook, and works closely with Policy Analyst Raffaele operating the Solar & Storage workstream. Michael has been working in solar for over 20 years. After co-founding Photon-Magazine in 1996, he served in various positions within the Photon group, primarily as Editor-in-Chief of Photon International. In 2014, Michael started MISCHCO, a company offering strategy consulting and communication services to solar companies. In 2016, TaiyangNews, a digital news platform for the solar industry that Michael founded, went online. Michael studied Geology/Palaeontology at Bonn University, Geology at RWTH Aachen, and Mineralogy at Frankfurt University. He speaks German and English.

Speaker

Niko Schmuck, Stromnetz Hamburg GmbH

Software Architect

Germany

Niko works as a freelance software architect and developer located in Hamburg, Germany. He holds a Diploma in Physics from Julius-Maximlians-University of Würzburg and started to work as a software professional in 1999. He is enjoying to work on the intersection between business and IT figuring out how software solutions can help solving relevant problems to the field. Several years ago he started consulting companies in the energy sector specifically to understand their data better by building analysis tools. By bringing data into context of the customers he was able to bring insights to decision makers and improve existing solutions step by step successfully.

Speaker

Alex Schoch, Octopus Energy

Global Head of Flexibility

UK

Alex Schoch has over 15 years worth of experience in growing and scaling transformative sustainable businesses. Most notably having held various leadership roles at Tesla across both the automotive and energy businesses. From leading expansion of the European business in preparation for the introduction of the Model S across 10 markets, established the EMEA Energy business, and leading Global Business Operations of the Energy business. At Octopus Energy, he leads the Global Flexibility and Low Carbon Tech Programmes teams focused on developing and bringing to market the next generation products and underlying technologies spanning from utility scale generation and to consumer demand. As transport and heat continue to rapidly decarbonise, helping shape consumer electricity demand to match variable renewable electricity will be a critical factor in ensuring the success of the transition.

Speaker

Roman Scholdan, umlaut energy GmbH

Senior Consultant

Germany

Roman Scholdan is a Senior Charging Infrastructure Consultant at umlaut energy GmbH (part of Accenture Industry X) with more than five years of experience in the field of e-mobility. He advises grid operators, energy utilities and charging park operators. He conducted research on the technological and economic potential of bidirectional charging applications for EVs, developed optimization models as well as cost tools for charging parks and oversaw the rollout of charging infrastructure for over 130 sites as a program manager. Roman holds a master's degree in engineering and management with focus on electrical engineering from RWTH Aachen.

Speaker

Rebekka Schuster, EDF Renewables Storage Deutschland GmbH

Chief Commercial Officer

Germany

Rebekka Schuster is the CCO of EDF Renewables Storage Deutschland, a startup founded in 2018 in Berlin with the support of EDF Renewables. The company's goal is to help the German industry build energy resilience through storage and solar energy projects. The company has successfully grown and is now one of the leading providers of storage as a service for the German industry. Rebekka brings more than a decade of experience in the renewable energy industry. Her focus has been developing PV plants and market access strategies throughout Europe for international companies such as Hanergy and First Solar. She joined the EDF group in 2018 with the focus on battery storage, integration of renewable energies and service concepts for the industry. New business models and strategies to develop the renewable energies market have been her constant driver.

Speaker

Subeida Seifi, umlaut energy GmbH

Charging Infrastructure Consultant

Germany

Subeida Seifi holds a master's degree in Management & Technology with focus on power engineering, entrepreneurship & innovation from the Technical University of Munich. As a charging infrastructure consultant at umlaut energy Gmbh part of Accenture Industry X she advises automotive, charging infrastructure and public institutional companies. She has a strong focus on strategy and rollout management topics.

Speaker

Dr. Robert Seiler, The Mobility House GmbH

Director Corporate Strategy

Germany

Since his doctoral thesis in physics Dr. Robert Seiler is active in the energy industry. After several years as strategy consultant he set up and led a new business unit on carbon emission reduction for AXPO, Switzerland's largest power producer. Today, he creates the interface between the automotive and energy industries as Director Corporate Strategy at The Mobility House with the vision to offer zero-emission and zero-cost charging for all.

Speaker

Heiko Seitz, PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH WPG

eMobility Leader

Germany

Heiko Seitz is the Global EV Charging Leader of PwC and eMobility Leader of PwC Germany. With more than 18 years of hands-on experience in the mobility, infrastructure and energy sectors, he is a trusted advisor for governmental decision makers and industry c-suites, to shape and execute successful transformations towards sustainable and profitable eMobility ecosystems.

Speaker

Jason Sheridan, S&P Global

Senior Research Analyst

Spain

Jason Sheridan is a senior research analyst with the Clean Energy Technology team at S&P Global Commodity Insights. His research covers across clean energy technologies, with a focus on delivering solar PV supply chain and market insights to S&P Global clients. Prior to joining the Clean Energy Technology team in 2021, he gained multiple years' experience within the public and private energy sector. He has worked on topics ranging from residential solar energy and storage development, electricity network distribution policy and wholesale energy market abuse investigations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental science and health from Dublin City University and a Master of Science in sustainable energy and green technology from University College Dublin.

Speaker

Daniel Sherlock-Burke, Gore Street Capital Limited

Head of Asset Performance

United Kingdom

Daniel Sherlock-Burke is Head of Asset Performance at Gore Street Capital, where he manages the Gore Street Energy Storage Fund's operational portfolio. He is primarily responsible for interfacing with operations and maintenance teams to ensure fleet availability, whilst working closely with route-to-market providers to optimise each project's revenue structure. Dan feeds this experience up to a fleet level, utilising lessons learned to set minimum criteria for the pipeline whilst enacting policies for improving the existing assets. This has extended to another 400MW of projects currently under construction as well as a significant pipeline beyond that. He is particularly passionate about safety improvements for BESS-supporting and chairing various industry groups in the UK-and the opportunities of data-led methods of improving fleet performance.

Speaker

Dan Shugar, Nextracker

Founder, CEO

Spain

For over 30 years, Dan Shugar has led world-class solar companies to successful outcomes and advanced solar technologies in the U.S. and around the globe. As founder and CEO of Nextracker, Dan brings together solar expertise and technology innovation in a way few cleantech leaders have. In its tenth year, Dan Shugar together with the Company's original founding members, brought Nextracker to a successful IPO on February 10, 2023. With a $4.6Bn market cap, Dan Shugar is responsible for leading with fiscal responsibility, market technology foresight, and a thriving and diverse global staff in the clean economy sector. Having pioneered and commercialized the first solar tracker in the mid-1990s, Dan Shugar has devoted his career to advancing solar technologies for C&I and utility-scale applications. Since founding Nextracker, the Company has held global market share leadership for seven consecutive years and has shipped over 70 gigawatts of smart solar trackers to five continents under his management. Prior to Nextracker, he grew Solaria Corporation's annual revenue five times over a three-year period as the company's president. Well-known for his leadership as president of SunPower Corporation and president of PowerLight, he surrounds himself with passionate, tech-savvy, clean energy-driven executive teams who share his mission to make solar a mainstream power source around the world. Mr. Shugar earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Golden Gate University. He currently sits on the boards of the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) and on numerous cleantech advisory boards. He holds multiple U.S. patents and has published over 50 technical papers.

Speaker

Dr. Lioudmila Simon, E.ON Group Innovation GmbH

Head of eMobility Innovation, Procurator

Germany

Dr. Lioudmila Simon Lioudmila Simon is a senior leader with over 15 years experience in energy business covering Strategy, Business Development/M&A and Innovation. At E.ON Innovation Lioudmila is leading the eMobility Innovation that is driving Innovations for E-Mobility charging solutions along the whole value chain.

Speaker

Lars Stephan, Fluence

Senior Manager Policy & Market Development

United Kingdom

Lars is a part of Fluence's Commercial, Market Development, Marketing and Policy Team in the EMEA region. He is responsible for policy and regulatory efforts on the EU level and throughout the EMEA region and supports the market and business development in Central Europe. Lars also leads the policy and market development for the TSO segment in the EMEA region, working with grid operators, regulators, and policy makers to establish energy storage as grid assets to improve utilisation and increase the operational reliability of power grids. Before joining Fluence, Lars worked for 8 years at Aggreko and Younicos (acquisition in 2017) on storage policy and market development globally, with a specific focus on storage-renewable hybrid assets. During this time, he participated in setting a 1GW storage target within Aggreko's company strategy. Before joining the clean energy sector, Lars worked at the political communication think tank ProDialog, and as a communication specialist for the European Parliament.

Speaker

Robert Stocker, Charles River Associates (CRA)

Consulting Associate

United Kingdom

Robert Stocker is a Consulting Associate at Charles River Associates (CRA), a leading global consulting firm offering investigative, economic, and strategic expertise to major law firms, corporations, financial institutions, and governments around the world. Based out of London, Robert works within CRA's Energy practice focusing on eMobility where he has lead engagements on a broad range of issues including M&A strategy / due diligence / post-transaction integration, new business development / go-to-market strategies, operational performance improvement, and organizational transformation / restructuring / change management. He is also an Engineer by background having graduated from the University of Cambridge, specialising in industrial systems. Robert has worked extensively within the eMobility sector including being a lead author on a recent publication from the European Commission that explored the state of competition within the public EV charging infrastructure market. Robert has also authored various whitepapers on mobility topics including investment considerations within the EV ecosystem, vehicle to grid (V2G), and fleet impacts on energy systems.

Speaker

Marco Storsberg, SBD Automotive Germany GmbH

Research Analyst Automotive

Germany

Marco is a seasoned professional in the field of electric mobility, with extensive experience in charging infrastructure and EV user experience (UX) testing. He holds a Master Professional degree in Technical Management which culminated in a master's thesis on charging infrastructure. In his role as an Automotive Research Analyst at the automotive market research and consulting firm SBD Automotive, he helps the automotive industry improve the EV user experience, drive innovation, and navigate the rapidly evolving e-mobility landscape. Before Marco joined SBD in 2019, he worked for several years at BMW, where he focused on diagnostics and gained hands-on experience with EV technology, igniting his passion for the topic.

Speaker

Hariram Subramanian, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

CTO Smart PV and Head of PV Competence Center - Germany

China

Hariram Subramanian is CTO of the Huawei FusionSolar Smart PV Solution - Europe and is also responsible for large utility scale power plant design and grid integration. He is also the head of PV competence and test center in Nuremberg, Germany. He holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA degree in International business and strategy. Before being named to his current role at Huawei, he has held R&D, Product Management and senior technical solution sales positions at PV inverter manufacturing companies. He has worked extensively in the Energy conversion technology field as a senior R&D engineer, especially in the field of control engineering for power electronics and PV Grid Integration. He then moved into techno-commercial and product management roles in the solar inverter industry focusing on utility scale PV projects. He has in total 18 years of experience in the energy conversion business. His interests are Grid integration of Renewables, New PV system Architectures, Applications with innovative power electronics systems like EV and Data Center Power Delivery.

Speaker

Marian Süße, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU

Head of Department Factory Systems Design and Production Planning

Germany

Marian Süße studied industrial engineering at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau (Diplom FH) and the Technical University of Chemnitz (Master of Science). The focus of his education here was on automotive engineering as well as factory and production planning. After internships at OEMs in the automotive sector, he started as an research scientist at Fraunhofer IWU during the master's degree and has the position as a research assistant after the master's degree in 2017. In 2019 and 2020 he was responsible for the group "Factory Design and Simulation" and since 2021 he is head of the department Factory System Design and Production Planning. The department combines aspects of factory and production planning with issues of sustainability and sustainable energy supply. In both areas, there is a focus on the use of various simulation tools.

Speaker

Devon Swezey, Google

Senior Lead, Global Energy Markets and Policy

United States of America

Devon Swezey is Senior Lead for Global Energy Markets and Policy at Google, where he supports Google's efforts to operate on 24/7 Carbon-free energy across the globe. He was lead author of Google's recently published Policy Roadmap for 24/7 Carbon-free Energy. Prior to joining Google, Devon developed utility scale solar PV projects at First Solar. Devon began his career at the Breakthrough Institute, a climate and energy policy think tank, where he led research on economic and energy policy topics. Devon earned his masters degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a bachelor's degree in international relations from Stanford University.

Speaker

Michele Tagliapietra, BayWa r.e.

Head of Product Management Floating-PV

Italy

After a BSc in Energy Engineering at University of Bologna and a MSc in Sustainable Energy Technology at TU Delft, specializing on Solar PV & Energy Storage, Michele worked first as a Technical Consultant and Project Manager at DNV, leading technical advisory and certification firm in the Energy space, and since September 2022 as Head of Product Management Floating-PV at BayWa r.e., international developer and IPP with a strong leading position and the highest track record in Europe (250 MWp) for Floating-PV projects. Michele has been working for more than 5 years in the interesting and booming industry segment of Floating-PV, covering key responsibility roles and pushing the international agenda in the field, including managing international projects towards standardization. He is now responsible of supporting BayWa´s strategy, development and expansion in the Floating-PV space.

Speaker

Sofia Tavares, EDP Comercial

B2B Product Marketing Director

Portugal

Sofia Tavares leads the Product Marketing for the B2B segment in EDP's European Retail Business. Before, she was responsible for the EU business unit of Energy Services B2B, having worked in energy efficiency since she joined EDP in 2002. She began her career at the Portuguese Energy Agency - ADENE in 1997 as a Consultant in Energy Efficiency and Rational Use of Energy, where she was responsible for managing, coordinating, and developing national and EU projects in rational use of Energy and Demand Side Management. She holds a degree in Energy Engineering and an Executive MBA.

Speaker

Michael Taylor, IRENA International Renewable Energy Agency

Senior Analyst

Germany

Michael Taylor has 30 years' experience in energy modeling, the economic analysis of energy sector issues and energy policy development. He is responsible for IRENA's analysis of renewable technologies cost and performance. Michael's recent publications include IRENA's Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2021, which draws on IRENA's database of 20 000 utility projects and 12 000 auction/tender results, Renewable Technology Innovation Indicators: Mapping progress in costs, patents and standards, The Cost of Financing for Renewable Power and Low-cost finance for the energy transition (a G20 paper). Michael has contributed to numerous other publications that focus on the energy sector and the economic and environmental challenges it faces. Prior to IRENA Michael has worked for the New Zealand and UK governments, as well as a consultant and at the IEA on the World Energy Outlook (WEO) and as one of the lead authors of the IEA's groundbreaking series Energy Technology Perspectives: Scenarios and Strategies to 2050.

Speaker

Benedikt Tepe, TUM - Technical University Munich

Research Associate

Germany

Benedikt Tepe studied electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University with a focus on energy technology. After bachelor and master theses in the field of battery storage technology and electric vehicles, he started his PhD at the Chair of Electrical Energy Storage Technology at the Technical University of Munich in 2019. His PhD focuses on the areas of stationary and mobile storage applications and in particular on the topic of vehicle-to-grid (V2G). His scientific publications include storage load profiles of battery storage systems in various stationary applications on the one hand and on optimized commercial EV pools for the provision of frequency containment reserve and arbitrage trading on the other hand.

Speaker

Thomas Thierschmidt, SMA Solar Technology AG

Solutions Management

Deutschland

Thomas Thierschmidt is solution manager in the business segment home at SMA Solar Technology AG He is responsible for the customer solutions to generate, store and use PV Power flexible (inverter, batteries, energy management). In the last 13 years as product and platform manager in the residential PV sector he was responsible for PV-, Hybrid, Battery inverters and energy management for EMEA and Australia. He gaining experience how to design and set up systems for residential households to reduce energy costs and becoming energy independent. Thomas holds an Bachelor of engineering from University of Applied Sciences Schmalkalden.

Speaker

George Touloupas, Clean Energy Associates (CEA)

Senior Director of Technology and Quality

USA

George Touloupas is a PV, storage and hydrogen expert with 11+ years of experience in manufacturing and consulting in the sector. George has been leading CEA's technology, quality, and intelligence teams since 2015.

Speaker

Fredrik Troost, Eneco Energy Trade B.V.

Senior Structurer

The Netherlands

Fredrik Troost is a senior structurer within the trade floor of Eneco. He is responsible for the procurement of flexibility for Eneco's electricity portfolios in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom. He has 15-year experience in the operation, optimization & hedging strategies, and commercial structuring of flex assets, which ranges from grid scale gas-fired generation, renewables, and storage to distributed storage like home storage and EV's. Since 2015 he is involved in the development and contracting of the batteries owned or under contract by Eneco in Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. Today, Eneco optimizes seven batteries across various ancillary services and wholesale markets.

Speaker

Zygimantas Vaiciunas, European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC)

Policy Director

Belgium

Žygimantas Vaičiūnas has almost 20 years of experience in energy field, including from 2016 to 2020 as the Minister of Energy of Lithuania. His political leadership made strong impact to regional energy policy developments meanwhile his initiatives on renewables determined clear direction for green, decentralized and prosumers-oriented energy system. From April 2021 he is the Policy Director at the European Solar Manufacturing Council, the association entitled to create competitive ecosystem for European PV manufacturing. From January 2022 he is also a Board Member of BOD Group, being responsible for the integrated PV solutions, including Agro-PV and Photovoltaic Noise Barriers.

Speaker

Luís Vale Cunha, E-REDES

Director of European Policies and Projects

Portugal

With relevant experience in the electricity sector, he has dedicated much of its activity to innovation, business development, technology and transformation, while actively contributing to the development of European energy policies and their practical translation into digital and smart grids and their contribution to a consumer and community-centred energy transition. He is currently Director of European Policies and Projects at E-REDES, the DSO in mainland Portugal, responsible for the coordination of European activities and funded projects. He is a board member of the EU DSO Entity, Vice-Chair of ETIP SNET, and an active member, since its foundation, of E.DSO (formerly EDSO for Smart Grids). He also actively participates in European forums and platforms related to the energy sector.

Speaker

Luís Vale Cunha, E.DSO

Belgium

With relevant experience in the electricity sector, he has dedicated much of its activity to innovation, business development, technology and transformation, while actively contributing to the development of European energy policies and their practical translation into digital and smart grids and their contribution to a consumer and community-centred energy transition. He is currently Director of European Policies and Projects at E-REDES, the DSO in mainland Portugal, responsible for the coordination of European activities and funded projects. He is a board member of the EU DSO Entity, Vice-Chair of ETIP SNET, and an active member, since its foundation, of E.DSO (formerly EDSO for Smart Grids). He also actively participates in European forums and platforms related to the energy sector.

Speaker

Tim van Amstel, E.ON One

CEO

Germany

Tim van Amstel holds a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Eindhoven and is specialised in thermal fluid technology. He has more than ten years of experience in various areas along the value chain of the energy industry. Mr van Amstel has held several positions at Powerhouse, RWE AG and Innogy, among others. He is experienced in building scalable digital SaaS energy strategies and has held various strategic, financial and operational roles as a digital director and board member. Since 2022, he brings this expertise to E.ON One GmbH as Chief Executive Officer. Following the launch of E.ON One, Mr van Amstel is now in charge of developing the organization and defining its growth strategy. E.ON One bundles E.ON's own products with solutions from innovative start-ups in one ecosystem and makes them available to businesses, communities and individuals. Its mission is to provide and sell technologies that support the energy transition.

Speaker

Inès van Oldeneel, Alliance for Rural Electrification

Business & Market Development Officer

Belgium

Inès van Oldeneel has a background in Political Sciences and International Development from the University of Bristol. She worked for a development consulting company and Stakeholder management company in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania before joining the Alliance for Rural Electrification in Brussels. Inès van Oldeneel is Officer for the market and Business Development at the Alliance for Rural Electrification where she is involved in projects and publications related to decentralised renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. ARE is a business association that brings together more than 200 companies working across the decentralised renewable energy value chain mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and enables the business environment for those companies.

Speaker

Prof. Dr. Wilfried van Sark, University Utrecht

Professor

The Netherlands

Wilfried van Sark is full professor 'Integration of Photovoltaics' at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. He is a experimental physicist by training (MSc/PhD), and has 40 year experience in the field of photovoltaics. He worked on various material systems such as crystalline and thin film silicon and III-V solar cells, both experimentally and theoretically. His current activities focus on employing spectrum conversion to increase solar cell conversion efficiency for next-generation photovoltaic energy converters such as luminescent solar concentrators as well as performance analysis of building-integrated and standard PV systems in the field. This in particular links to the integration of PV systems in smart grids in the built environment, in which Electrical Vehicles, demand response and self-consumption and self-sufficiency play a major role. He is the author of some 250 publications, cited more than 12,000 times, and various (text)books on Photovoltaics. He is associate editor of Solar Energy and Frontiers in Energy Research, and member of the editorial boards of Renewable Energy, Energies, and Materials. He is member of the International Solar Energy Society and senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and is member of scientific committees of various EU and IEEE PV conferences. He presently is national representative in the International Energy Agency (IEA) PVPS Task 13 (PV Performance, Operation and Reliability of Photovoltaic Systems) and Task 16 (Solar Resource for High Penetration and Large Scale Applications).

Speaker

Eva Vandest, Amarenco

Head of Public Affairs

Austria

As Group Head of Public Affairs, Eva Vandest elaborates and operates an influence strategy to highlight and to allow the implementation of Amarenco's unique vision associating regeneration of ecosystems to solar-power infrastructures to all its markets. She also chairs the European Agrisolar workstream of Solar Power Europe.

Speaker

Patrick Vasile, Netze BW

Ingenieur & Project Manager E-Mobility Power System Integration

Germany

Patrick Vasile studied renewable energy management at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences in Freising. Since graduating with a bachelor's degree, he has held various positions at Netze BW GmbH. Patrick Vasile made his career start in 2015 as an engineer for decentralized power grid planning at Netze BW GmbH's Kirchheim unter Teck site. In 2017, he was initially given a partial secondment to work on the TOP company project "Grid Integration Electromobility", within which he initially formed the interface between the specialist departments of decentralized grid planning and the project team as an expert. Since 2018, he has been working on a full-time secondment for the project - his responsibilities included project management of the NETZlabor "E-Mobility-Chaussee", in which the effects of electromobility specifically on rural network topology were investigated under real conditions during an 18-month practical test phase and which technical solution approaches distribution network operators can use to meet this particular challenge.

Speaker

Dr.-Ing. Matthias Vetter, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

Head of Department Electrical Energy Storage

Germany

- Electrical Engineer, 25 years of experience at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE - PhD thesis in the field of modeling and development of control strategies for fuel cell systems - From 2005 to 2010 Head of Group 'Off-Grid Power Supply' - From 2011 to 2016 Head of Department 'PV Off-Grid Solutions and Battery System Technology' - Since 2017 Head of Department "Electrical Energy Storage" and Coordinator of Business Unit 'Electrical Energy Storage' - Contact Person for Stationary Battery Storage at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE - Contact Person for Battery Systems at Fraunhofer Battery Alliance - Spokesman of R&D Advisory Board of German Energy Storage Systems Association (BVES) - Technical Advisor of Working Group 'Stationary Applications and Integration' of Batteries European Partnership Association / Batteries Europe - Member of Steering Committee of Batteries European Partnership Association / Batteries Europe

Speaker

Michael Villa, smartEn

Executive Director

Belgium

Michael Villa is Executive Director of smartEn - Smart Energy Europe, the European business association integrating the decentralized solutions of the clean energy transition. He joined smartEn in 2018 when he led the advocacy efforts as Head of Policy. Before joining smartEn, he worked as Senior Consultant to provide specific advocacy support to clients both in the EU and Middle East in the energy sector. Among others, he led the Secretariat of a cross-sectorial business organisation, the European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE), and supported Knauf Insulation as Public Affairs Adviser in Italy. Michael worked also in the European Parliament for a Cypriot MEP and at the Embassy of Italy in Copenhagen during the UN Climate Change Conference COP15. Michael has a Master at the Institute for European Studies in Brussels and a bachelor degree from the Catholic University of Milan.

Speaker

Chris Voet, SolarEdge

Sales Director

Israel

Chris Voet, born in Belgium, is a renewable energy expert, working for more as 15 Y in Solar and Wind Energy Business. The last 4 years Chris is leading SolarEdge's Commercial Department, supporting global enterprises in achieving net-zero emissions targets, by organizing VPPA ´s and on-site PPA´s. Due to his knowledge and broad range of renewable energy experience, combined with financial background, his focus is primarily on tailormade practicable solutions that turns building 'Energy-Design' into reality. Offering a long-term sustainable solution, multinationals, as also small and medium enterprises are relying on his support.

Speaker

Vegard Vollset, Rystad Energy

VP- Head of EMEA Renewable

Norway

Vegard Vollset is Vice President and is leading the EMEA part of Rystad Energy's Renewable Energy Research team, with more than a decade of experience working within the energy industry. He has broad experience in energy modeling, M&A, and strategy work, and has worked closely with clients spanning the entire energy sector, from renewable energy companies and service companies to governmental organizations, investors, and NGOs. Prior to joining Rystad Energy, Vegard worked in Engie, Total Energies, and Equinor. He holds an MSc degree from the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim and an MSc degree from the University of Stavanger.

Speaker

Francisco Vozza, SolarDuck AS

CCO

Norway

Mr. Vozza is an economist with an MBA from BI Norwegian School of Management. He is a seasoned business development and strategy leader with 2 decades of international experience from top tier global energy companies and consultancy. He is an accomplished and dynamic professional with a passion for renewable energy and sustainable technologies. As Chief Commercial Officer for SolarDuck, his mission is to electrify the world with offshore floating solar.

Speaker

Jos Warmerdam, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Lecturer, Researcher

The Netherlands

Since August 2015 Jos Warmerdam is working at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences as a lecturer-researcher. He works in the field of electrical and sustainable energy systems. Some projects are on LEVVs (light electric vehicle) and on V2X developments in the Seev4-City project. Before this he worked for Ecofys, a consultancy and research company, on the development of innovative energy systems. He has a master in physics.

Speaker

David Wedepohl, BSW - German Solar Association

Managing Director International Affairs

Germany

David Wedepohl, Managing Director International Affairs David Wedepohl is a radio journalist by training who studied and worked on both sides of the Atlantic. He holds a master's degree in Journalism and Public Affairs which he achieved as a Fulbright scholar. His professional experience included working for the German embassy in Washington, DC as a senior press and public diplomacy officer. He first came in touch with the solar industry while working for an American consulting company before taking up his job as director communications and markets at the German Solar Association, also serving as the organization's spokesperson. He now holds the position of managing director international affairs and is responsible for the association's international activities. Among those are projects in North, West and Southern Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia and the US.

Speaker

Klemens Wegehaupt, Siemens AG

Solution Manager

Germany

Klemens Wegehaupt - enthusiastic engineer, from energy enthusiast to energy expert, working for over 10 years in the field of microgrids & renewable energy. According to Einstein's principle "If you can't explain something simply, you haven't understood it." he tries to inspire and sensitize people for this topic. (He moved from the conservative business of general planning for large power plants, where he was responsible for the design, calculation, and planning of primary and secondary components, to innovation in the field of microgrids & renewables. In this field he is working since 2011 as project engineer & solution architect and takes care of the creation of practical concepts for sustainable energy supply.)

Speaker

Dr. Weiwu Wu, SUNGROW FPV SCI. & TECH.CO. LTD.

CTO

China

Dr. Wu Weiwu, currently the CTO of Sungrow FPV is mainly engaged in the planning, development, and listing of FPV products. He also responsible for research and development of FPV system solutions. Formulate and evaluate more than 30 patents; have full experience in FPV system development and marketing management

Speaker

Maria Yetano Roche, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy

Researcher

Germany

Maria is a researcher at Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. She has twenty years' experience in sustainable energy and climate policy, of which five in Nigeria, with active involvement in the country's NDC, renewable energy, industrial decarbonisation, and clean cooking policy spaces. Maria also collaborates with the WISIONS of Sustainability programme, a long-term initiative of the Wuppertal Institute which empowers people and communities in the global South to be the drivers of the energy transition. Other fields of research include just transition in coal- and carbon-intensive regions, and circular business models and policy for the solar off-grid sector. María is a member of the Division 'Future Energy and Industry Systems' of the Wuppertal Institute. She holds a BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and a Master of Science in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Speaker

Tobias Zwirner, Phaesun GmbH

Founder & Managing Director

Germany

Tobias Zwirner is the founder and managing director of Phaesun GmbH, a specialist wholesaler and system integrator focusing in Off-Grid power supplies based on renewable energies. Since its foundation in 2001, Phaesun has focused on rural electrification, productive use solutions, solar-powered water pumping systems for drinking water production, water treatment and irrigation of fields, Off-Grid system solutions for industrial applications, the caravan & camping sector, as well as other innovative off-grid power supply solutions. The main target regions are Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Phaesun works closely with international NGOs and GOs as well as with local partner companies in the target countries to deliver and permanently establish energy in non-electrified areas.

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