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Solar Quality Summit Europe 2024

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23-24 January 2024
Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, Barcelona

09:15 - 09:30

Auditorium

Opening

Auditorium

Opening

09:15 - 09:30

Welcome and Opening Statements

Walburga Hemetsberger, Chief Executive Officer, SolarPower Europe
Markus Elsässer, Chief Executive Officer, Solar Promotion GmbH

Speaker

Markus Elsässer
Chief Executive Officer, Solar Promotion GmbH

Walburga Hemetsberger
Chief Executive Officer, SolarPower Europe

09:30 - 10:30

Auditorium

Session 1: Building a Brighter Future: An Integrated Approach to Lifecycle Quality

Auditorium

Session 1: Building a Brighter Future: An Integrated Approach to Lifecycle Quality

As much as quality assurance is about avoiding expensive mistakes and helping PV plants to run efficiently, it is also about learning key lessons from when things do go wrong. Ensuring a consistent feedback cycle of learning from across project lifecycles is vital to PV growing at the scale needed to avoid a climate disaster. This session will look at the experience of stakeholders present across a project’s lifecycle and discuss best practice for integrating lessons learned and creating a “quality mindset” in the industry.

09:30 - 10:30

Session 1: Building a Brighter Future: An Integrated Approach to Lifecycle Quality

Erik Lohse, Team Leader Quality Management, ENERGPARC AG
Wojtek Swietochowski, ABO Wind
Stefan Veit, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH

Moderator

Benjamin Clarke
Business Analyst, International Cooperation, SolarPower Europe

Speaker

Erik Lohse
Team Leader Quality Management, ENERGPARC AG

Wojtek Swietochowski
ABO Wind
General Manager Solar Technology

Stefan Veit
TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH
Head of Product and Quality Management electrical engineering

10:30 - 11:30

Breakout Room 1

Session 2A: Dynamic Plant Management – The Evolution of O&M

Breakout Room 1

Session 2A: Dynamic Plant Management – The Evolution of O&M

Whereas O&M was once a question of “keeping things ticking over”, the discipline has now evolved into more dynamic plant management, requiring greater flexibility. This demand for greater flexibility is likely to continue as network operators seek to integrate more solar into their grids. This session will focus on how O&M has had to evolve and how the expectations of grid operators are likely to further impact the discipline going forward.

10:30 - 11:30

Session 2A: Panel Discussion: Dynamic Plant Management – The Evolution of O&M

Jörg Althaus, Director Engineering Services, Clean Energy Associates
Dr. Wolfgang Rosenberg, TCO Solar
Viola Hofmann, Above

Moderator

Benjamin Clarke
Business Analyst, International Cooperation, SolarPower Europe

Speaker

Jörg Althaus
Director Engineering Services, Clean Energy Associates

Viola Hofmann
Above

Dr. Wolfgang Rosenberg
TCO Solar
Breakout Room 2

Session 2B: Panel Discussion: Boosting the Financial Performance of your Solar Asset Through Energy Storage

Breakout Room 2

Session 2B: Panel Discussion: Boosting the Financial Performance of your Solar Asset Through Energy Storage

In several European markets, solar assets fall prey to negative pricing and curtailment, particularly when production schedules do not match demand. This session will look at how storage can boost the financial performance of solar assets, and reduce project risk, assessing the advantages and disadvantages of additional investment in battery storage and best practice for BESS quality assurance.

10:30 - 11:30

Session 2B: Boosting the Financial Performance of Your Solar Asset Through Energy Storage

Mariyana Yaneva, Policy & Communications Director, APSTE - the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity
Jörn Carstensen, Managing Partner, greentech

Speaker

Jörn Carstensen
Managing Partner, greentech

Mariyana Yaneva
Policy & Communications Director, APSTE - the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity

11:30 - 12:00

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

11:30 - 12:00

Coffee Break

12:00 - 13:15

Breakout Room 1

Session 3A: Testing and Assessing the Market Readiness of Digital Technologies

Breakout Room 1

Session 3A: Testing and Assessing the Market Readiness of Digital Technologies

A key hurdle for new technologies in Europe is bridging the gap between prototype and market readiness. This workshop will explore key innovations from along the whole solar value chain, revealing the results of their performance in the field and assessing their market readiness. This workshop is organised by the TRUST-PV project, powered by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, that looks to improve the performance a reliability of solar power plants.

12:00 - 13:15

Session 3A: Testing and Assessing the Market Readiness of Digital Technologies

David Moser, Research Group Leader, EURAC Research

Speaker

David Moser
Research Group Leader, EURAC Research
Breakout Room 2

Session 3B: Shaping the EU’s Innovation Strategy on PV Circularity and Reliability

Breakout Room 2

Session 3B: Shaping the EU’s Innovation Strategy on PV Circularity and Reliability

This workshop will explore how the EU’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda can be shaped to find solutions to challenges around quality assurance, improved field performance, the bankability of assets, and issues surrounding warranty and contractual terms of PV, identified in the ETIP PV Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), and look for potential solutions.

12:00 - 13:15

Session 3B: Shaping the EU’s Innovation Strategy on PV Circularity and Reliability

Thomas Garabetian, R&I Manager, SolarPower Europe
Delfina Muñoz, Senior Researcher in Photovoltaics, CEA

Speaker

Thomas Garabetian
R&I Manager, SolarPower Europe

Delfina Muñoz
Senior Researcher in Photovoltaics, CEA

13:15 - 14:45

Lunch Break

Lunch Break

13:15 - 14:45

Lunch Break

14:45 - 15:00

Auditorium

Session 4: Crash Course and Q&A: Europe’s Hottest Markets

Auditorium

Session 4: Crash Course and Q&A: Europe’s Hottest Markets

In 2022 the European solar industry surpassed all previous deployment records, installing almost 42 GW of new capacity throughout the year. During this session, SolarPower Europe will present the findings of their latest European Market Outlook for solar, tracking the progress of the continent’s largest markets and identifying those new markets that are shaking up the established solar order.

14:45 - 15:00

Session 4: Crash Course and Q&A: Europe’s Hottest Markets

Michael Schmela, Executive Advisor and Director of Market Intelligence, SolarPower Europe

Speaker

Michael Schmela
Executive Advisor and Director of Market Intelligence, SolarPower Europe

15:00 - 15:15

Auditorium

Session 5: Crash Course Q&A: The Cost of Doing Solar

Auditorium

Session 5: Crash Course Q&A: The Cost of Doing Solar

Solar PV has one of the lowest levelised costs of electricity (LCOE) of any energy source, but what are the factors that have contributed to this and how has the European market responded to these developments? This presentation will focus on the cost of solar, providing market insights on the cost of raw materials, key components and their effects on solar’s (LCOE), as well as analysing the cost of capital for solar projects in the EU.

15:00 - 15:15

Session 5: Crash Course Q&A: The Cost of Doing Solar

Pol Lezcano, Senior Analyst, BloombergNEF

Speaker

Pol Lezcano
Senior Analyst, BloombergNEF

15:15 - 15:30

Auditorium

Session 6: Crash Course and Q&A: Effective Energy Trading Practices

Auditorium

Session 6: Crash Course and Q&A: Effective Energy Trading Practices

Energy and electricity trading are technically complex and can put less-experienced operators off entering wholesale markets. However, it can provide an important source of revenue for companies and projects. This presentation will focus on the fundamentals of energy trading, including price volatility, hedging, locational marginal pricing, and trading on the wholesale, spot, and day ahead markets.

15:15 - 15:30

Session 6: Crash Course and Q&A: Effective Energy Trading Practices

Jordi Francesch, Global Head Asset Management, Glenmont Partners

Speaker

Jordi Francesch
Global Head Asset Management, Glenmont Partners

15:30 - 15:45

Auditorium

Session 7: Crash Course and Q&A: Deriving Value from M&A

Auditorium

Session 7: Crash Course and Q&A: Deriving Value from M&A

Mergers and acquisitions are an important tool in value creation and can secure crucial financing for planned pipelines of solar projects. Key to realising these benefits is structuring these deals properly. This presentation will give participants key insights on how to create value through the M&A process and an oversight of the tools to enact successful transactions.

15:30 - 15:45

Session 7: Crash Course and Q&A: Deriving Value from M&A

Marta Vizcaino Martín, DLA Piper

Speaker

Marta Vizcaino Martín
DLA Piper

15:45 - 16:15

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

15:45 - 16:15

Coffee Break

16:15 - 17:15

Auditorium

Session 8: When the Curtain Falls – Exploring in End-of-Life Management for Solar

Auditorium

Session 8: When the Curtain Falls – Exploring in End-of-Life Management for Solar

In this session, SolarPower Europe will launch the new Solar PV End-of-Life Best Practice Guidelines. End-of-Life management of PV plants and their components, along with product circularity is becoming an increasing focus of industry and politics. At EU level, there are several directives covering waste electrical and electronic equipment, and this regulatory framework is currently undergoing further development. SolarPower Europe has developed industry first End-of-Life Best Practice Guidelines for solar to help companies comply with and even go beyond existing and upcoming legislation.

16:15 - 17:15

Session 8: When the Curtain Falls – Exploring in End-of-Life Management for Solar

Jan Clyncke, Managing Director, PV Cycle
Kristina Heid, JA Solar
Dr. Guillermo Oviedo Hernández, R&D specialist, BayWa r.e. Operation Services S.r.l.

Moderator

Benjamin Clarke
Business Analyst, International Cooperation, SolarPower Europe

Speaker

Jan Clyncke
Managing Director, PV Cycle

Kristina Heid
JA Solar
Senior Legal Counsel, Head of Legal Team Europe

Dr. Guillermo Oviedo Hernández
R&D specialist, BayWa r.e. Operation Services S.r.l.

18:15 - 19:00

Transfer to Dinner Location

Transfer to Dinner Location

18:15 - 19:00

Bus Shuttle Service

19:00 - 23:00

Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel

Dinner and Networking

Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel

Dinner and Networking

19:00 - 23:00

Dinner and Networking Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel

Add to calendar

09:30 - 10:30

Breakout Room 1

Session 1A: Actions Speak Louder Than Words – Implementing Supply Chain Sustainability Audits into your Procurement Strategy

Breakout Room 1

Session 1A: Actions Speak Louder Than Words – Implementing Supply Chain Sustainability Audits into your Procurement Strategy

The importance of supply chain sustainability cannot be understated and has rightly grown in importance. Led by SolarPower Europe in partnership with Solar Energy UK (SEUK), stakeholders from across the solar value chain have worked to create the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), ensuring industry takes responsibility in leading the charge on this key issue. The Solar Quality Summit falls on the eve of the first supply chain audits to be carried out under the SSI and this session will focus on how you can implement these in your procurement strategy, the standards required, and the opportunity to become an SSI auditor.

09:30 - 10:30

Session 1A: Panel Discussion: Actions Speak Louder Than Words – Implementing Supply Chain Sustainability Audits into your Procurement Strategy

Ozer Ergul, Group Head of Procurement | CPO, Aquila Capital
Pia Alina Lange, Government Relations and Sustainability Manager, Trina Solar
Steven Xuereb, Executive Director, PI Berlin

Moderator

Alexia Ruvoletto
Senior Policy Advisor on Trade, SolarPower Europe

Speaker

Ozer Ergul
Group Head of Procurement | CPO, Aquila Capital

Pia Alina Lange
Government Relations and Sustainability Manager, Trina Solar

Steven Xuereb
Executive Director, PI Berlin
Breakout Room 2

Session 1B: ChatGPT for Solar – The Opportunities for Improving Efficiency Presented by AI

Breakout Room 2

Session 1B: ChatGPT for Solar – The Opportunities for Improving Efficiency Presented by AI

With the advent of ever-more powerful AI tools, it is clear that this technology is here to stay. The key question facing the solar industry is, what are the key opportunities and risks associated with AI? From yield forecasting and predictive maintenance to contractual agreements and analysis of legislation, this panel will look at use cases for AI in the rapidly growing solar industry, identifying ways that it can contribute to more effective quality assurance, and the limitations of what it can do.

09:30 - 10:30

Session 1B: ChatGPT for Solar – The Opportunities for Improving Efficiency Presented by AI

Mousa Sondoqah, EURAC

Moderator

Benjamin Clarke
Business Analyst, International Cooperation, SolarPower Europe

David Moser
Research Group Leader, EURAC Research

Speaker

Mousa Sondoqah
EURAC
Junior Researcher

10:30 - 11:45

Auditorium

Session 2: Workshop: Preventive Mitigation Measures for More Accurate PV Plant Design

Auditorium

Session 2: Workshop: Preventive Mitigation Measures for More Accurate PV Plant Design

10:30 - 11:45

Session 2: Workshop: Preventive Mitigation Measures for More Accurate PV Plant Design

The accuracy of plant design is vital to realising a bankable project that performs to expectations. This workshop will focus on how the risks inherent in power plant design can be mitigated and how quality assurance can be built into the planning phase of a PV project. This workshop is organised by the TRUST-PV project, powered by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, that looks to improve the performance a reliability of solar power plants.

David Moser, Research Group Leader, EURAC Research

Speaker

David Moser
Research Group Leader, EURAC Research

11:45 - 12:15

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

11:45 - 12:15

Coffee Break

12:15 - 13:30

Breakout Room 1

Session 3A: Workshop: Mapping Key Desicions and Workflows Along the PV Value Chain

Breakout Room 1

Session 3A: Workshop: Mapping Key Desicions and Workflows Along the PV Value Chain

The key to understanding the cost of quality is understanding how decisions taken along the value chain can influence workflows within a project. This workshop will aim to map the decisions of each stakeholder. It will build on work done by the IEA PVPS Task 13 working group and the results will be used to calculate the impact of decisions and how the workflow can be changed to improve quality along the value chain.

12:15 - 13:30

Session 3A: Workshop: Mapping Key Desicions and Workflows Along the PV Value Chain

Ulrike Jahn, R&D Project Manager, VDE Renewables

Speaker

Ulrike Jahn
R&D Project Manager, VDE Renewables
Breakout Room 2

Session 3B: Workshop: Maintaining Grid Stability While PV is Growing Exponentially

Breakout Room 2

Session 3B: Workshop: Maintaining Grid Stability While PV is Growing Exponentially

Grid stability and capability of answering to solar PV's exponential growth have become crucial the. The new Requirements for Generators Network Code being approach. Demystify the benefits of grid following and grid forming and what still needs to be developed from the PV industry and grid.

12:15 - 13:30

Session 3B: Workshop: Maintaining Grid Stability While PV is Growing Exponentially

Catarina Augusto, SolarPower Europe

Speaker

Catarina Augusto
SolarPower Europe
Senior Policy Advisor

13:30 - 15:00

Lunch and Closing Address

Lunch and Closing Address

13:30 - 15:00

Lunch and Closing Address

Add to calendar

Subject to change without notice - programme reflects current status (as of September 2023)

ProgramSolar Quality Summit Europe 2024

23-24 January 2024Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, Barcelona

Auditorium

Opening

Auditorium

Opening

Welcome and Opening Statements

Speaker

Auditorium

Session 1: Building a Brighter Future: An Integrated Approach to Lifecycle Quality

Auditorium

Session 1: Building a Brighter Future: An Integrated Approach to Lifecycle Quality

Session 1: Building a Brighter Future: An Integrated Approach to Lifecycle Quality

Moderator

Speaker

Breakout Room 1

Session 2A: Dynamic Plant Management – The Evolution of O&M

Breakout Room 1

Session 2A: Dynamic Plant Management – The Evolution of O&M

Session 2A: Panel Discussion: Dynamic Plant Management – The Evolution of O&M

Moderator

Speaker

Breakout Room 2

Session 2B: Panel Discussion: Boosting the Financial Performance of your Solar Asset Through Energy Storage

Breakout Room 2

Session 2B: Panel Discussion: Boosting the Financial Performance of your Solar Asset Through Energy Storage

Session 2B: Boosting the Financial Performance of Your Solar Asset Through Energy Storage

Speaker

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

Breakout Room 1

Session 3A: Testing and Assessing the Market Readiness of Digital Technologies

Breakout Room 1

Session 3A: Testing and Assessing the Market Readiness of Digital Technologies

Session 3A: Testing and Assessing the Market Readiness of Digital Technologies

Speaker

Breakout Room 2

Session 3B: Shaping the EU’s Innovation Strategy on PV Circularity and Reliability

Breakout Room 2

Session 3B: Shaping the EU’s Innovation Strategy on PV Circularity and Reliability

Session 3B: Shaping the EU’s Innovation Strategy on PV Circularity and Reliability

Speaker

Lunch Break

Lunch Break

Lunch Break

Auditorium

Session 4: Crash Course and Q&A: Europe’s Hottest Markets

Auditorium

Session 4: Crash Course and Q&A: Europe’s Hottest Markets

Session 4: Crash Course and Q&A: Europe’s Hottest Markets

Speaker

Auditorium

Session 5: Crash Course Q&A: The Cost of Doing Solar

Auditorium

Session 5: Crash Course Q&A: The Cost of Doing Solar

Session 5: Crash Course Q&A: The Cost of Doing Solar

Speaker

Auditorium

Session 6: Crash Course and Q&A: Effective Energy Trading Practices

Auditorium

Session 6: Crash Course and Q&A: Effective Energy Trading Practices

Session 6: Crash Course and Q&A: Effective Energy Trading Practices

Speaker

Auditorium

Session 7: Crash Course and Q&A: Deriving Value from M&A

Auditorium

Session 7: Crash Course and Q&A: Deriving Value from M&A

Session 7: Crash Course and Q&A: Deriving Value from M&A

Speaker

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

Auditorium

Session 8: When the Curtain Falls – Exploring in End-of-Life Management for Solar

Auditorium

Session 8: When the Curtain Falls – Exploring in End-of-Life Management for Solar

Session 8: When the Curtain Falls – Exploring in End-of-Life Management for Solar

Moderator

Speaker

Program
Solar Quality Summit Europe 2024

23-24 January 2024
Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, Barcelona