Europe 2021

June 9 & 10, 2021

This event has ended, but the videos are available below.  You can also still check out the agenda and our expert speakers‘ line-up, as well as the photo gallery of the event!

Throughout the event, our editors were reporting on our live blogs in English, German, French and Spanish, check it out!

Cornerstones for the solar energy revolution

With the deployment of solar in the markets of Europe hitting an inflection point, now is the time to ensure that the industry is built on sound foundations. pv magazine’s 2021 Roundtables Europe’s program addressed four cornerstone issues that will define the industry as it cements itself as a key pillar of the continent’s energy transition.

The next decade will see a transformation of Europe’s energy mix, with solar and wind to be the primary sources of electricity generation. Europe’s energy sector, by extension, will also be reimagined in this time – delivering opportunities for solar, but also the responsibility that PV delivers in terms of security of supply, sustainability objectives, and job creation.

These cornerstones comprise the streams of the Roundtables’ conference program: Quality, Asset Management, Sustainability and Made in Europe, as well as Innovation Hub: hydrogen, battery storage, and electromobility.

Agenda | Day 1 | June 9

Cornerstone 1:

Maintaining quality alongside rapid technological development

10am–12pm | CEST

Cornerstone 2:

Due diligence: Financial, contractual and technical perspectives of an evolving industry

2–4pm | CEST

Are solar projects always a sustainable investment class? How can buyers be certain an asset is a lucrative investment? And how can project developers fulfill the requirements set by asset managers? This year’s Asset Management Roundtable will bring together stakeholders that deal with PV projects from a financial, legal, and technical perspective.

The discussion will include existing arrays, best practices, and standards for technical assessments of solar sites before assets are sold. Repairs and the revamping of utility-scale PV projects might be inevitable, but how reliable are these solutions? And how can costs be related to yield increase at an early stage?

Representatives from testing laboratories, asset managers, and solar fleet owners will join our lineup of experts to discuss the unique challenges to each stakeholder and what they need from one another to improve the seamless transitioning of assets and the reduction of costs. The session will also focus on O&M services and how they can benefit from novel approaches such as automated drones and the analysis of big data. Are these indeed breakthrough technologies with cost-saving potential? Industry experts and the Roundtables audience will discuss.

In addition, EPCs, IPPs, and financial consultants will come together to consider the impacts of novel ESG regulations within the European Union. Will tighter rules on what counts as sustainable finance require a rethink on equipment choice, installation practices, and environmental assessments? And with so much new sustainable finance now available, could there be an installation boom?

Read our article about this session here.

Agenda | Day 2 | June 10

Cornerstone 3:

Sustainability & Made in Europe PV: Pros, cons and opportunities

10am–12pm | CEST

Innovations for the generation and use of green hydrogen are developing at a fast pace. There is little doubt the technology is essential for the complete decarbonization of the economy. This opens up new questions: Where are the markets, how fast will they come, how can we ensure that hydrogen is green as well as being cost-efficient, and what needs to be considered by project developers when planning related business models? And, at the end, will there be an opportunity for market players coming from the solar sphere?

Looking at battery storage, similar questions have to be asked. Particularly in Europe, the market segments and sizes vary across the different countries. So far the main driver in Germany was residential self-consumption, but now the market for industry and SMEs is picking up some speed. In general, Europe’s market is not comparable with the booming storage sector in the US. Which innovations, technological or regulatory, are necessary to compete? How and when can the market become as attractive for solar companies across the continent as it is for their US counterparts?

Read our article about this session here.

Cornerstone 4:

Innovation hub: hydrogen, battery storage, and electromobility raise new opportunities for solar companies

2–4pm | CEST

Innovations for the generation and use of green hydrogen are developing at a fast pace. There is little doubt the technology is essential for the complete decarbonization of the economy. This opens up new questions: Where are the markets, how fast will they come, how can we ensure that hydrogen is green as well as being cost-efficient, and what needs to be considered by project developers when planning related business models? And, at the end, will there be an opportunity for market players coming from the solar sphere?

Looking at battery storage, similar questions have to be asked. Particularly in Europe, the market segments and sizes vary across the different countries. So far the main driver in Germany was residential self-consumption, but now the market for industry and SMEs is picking up some speed. In general, Europe’s market is not comparable with the booming storage sector in the US. Which innovations, technological or regulatory, are necessary to compete? How and when can the market become as attractive for solar companies across the continent as it is for their US counterparts?

Read our article about this session here.