Day 1

Opening Session | The Future of the European solar and storage market
Dec 5, 9:30 am CET, Berlin
The global storage and solar market is rapidly evolving, and Europe has its own intrigue. In this session, we will overview the relevant topics and guide you through our roundtables. Nextracker will provide a firsthand look at their projects and offer practical and actionable insights into the industry.

Opening_Presentation_Jonathan Gifford, pv magazine

Session 1 | Quality under pressure – Handling harsh environments 
Dec 5, 10 am CET, Berlin
As solar expands its reach across wilder, windier, and wetter environments, robust and durable components are paramount. Modules, structures, floats, inverters, and balance-of-system (BOS) components must withstand the harsh conditions of these environments for many years to come. With land becoming increasingly scarce, it is crucial to explore all possible locations for solar installations, including inland waterways to open oceans for floating PV and designs that can survive snow, hail, and the 1-in-100-year events that are becoming more common. Can solar ride high over wind and waters, and how do innovations in harsh environments help the wider industry?

Session 1_Presentation_Joe Guo, Yingli Solar

Session 1_Presentation_Peijun Shen, Longi

Session 2 | Quality of TopCon
Dec 5, 11:15 am CET, Berlin
When new module technologies emerge into the mainstream, questions always arise, such as: How stable are they in the long run? How do we test them? In most cases, reliability issues are resolved early on. However, the industry needs to know what to check for and how to assess the risk to protect their investments and the long-term value of the assets. As TOPCon enters the mainstream, specific degradation pathways are becoming better known, along with various solutions to pre-empt excess losses or problems.

Session 2_Presentation_Johanna Bonilla, Jinko Solar

Session 3 | Next generation cell and module tech
Dec 5, 12:15 pm CET, Berlin
What does life-after-PERC look like? High-efficiency n-type technologies have surged into the mainstream with TOPCon clearly the front runner. But HJT and xBC technologies are also being advanced and bringing unique value to the market. In the current oversupply market, how will high-efficiency technologies compete, and what is the pathway for future cost reductions? Furthermore, can these next-generation technologies overcome material supply challenges?

Session 3_Presentation_Jason Xia, Tongwei

Session 4 | Low-carbon solar evolution
Dec 5, 2 pm CET, Berlin
The PV industry claims to be particularly sustainable. Sustainability reports are used as proof of improvements and achievements. But what do they reveal, and which categories are important? The carbon footprint of a module is becoming key, with manufacturers advertising low-CO2 products and politicians considering promoting virtuous products linked to their districts. We ask, how big are the differences between the products, how is the CO2 footprint determined, and what is the benchmark?

Session 4_Presentation_Adele Zhao, Trina Solar

Session 4_Presentation_Baohua He, Astronergy

Session 5 | Tech & finance: Enabling solar
Dec 5, 3 pm CET, Berlin
From the residential to C&I sector, Europe’s solar market offers ample opportunity if project developers and investors turn to tech to overcome common obstacles: Such as grid connections that are not guaranteed. However, managing self-consumption and storage with EVs brings opportunities. Faced with a shortage of skilled workers, installation companies can streamline sales, planning, and engineering processes by looking to AI-guided software to speed up things. And with energy prices through the roof last year, businesses should panic buy solar and storage. But financing is an old problem to which new political solutions appear on the horizon.

Session 5_Presentation_Karl Viertel, Solar Edge

Session 6 | Agri PV: Harvesting ideas
Dec 5, 4:15 pm CET, Berlin
Across a span of five years, pv magazine has published more than 300 articles on solar and agriculture, Agrivoltatics, or AgriPV. Yet still, the idea of farmers and solar working together in cropping and grazing feels like a nascent industry, or at best, gaining traction. Why is the industry not moving faster together, and what’s next for AgriPV, and where?

Session 9_Presentation 01_George Touloupas, CEA

Session 9_Presentation 02_Adithya Bhashyam, BloombergNEF