Solarplaza Summit | Asset Management Europe

Janine Mehner has been a professional host for more than a decade. Her main topics are digitalization and sustainability, because she thinks, that can only work together and should be built up right from the beginning. She works for a lot of ministries, institutions, and enterprises all over the world.

Right after passing exams as electrical engineer at RWTH Aachen University 1995 Heiner Breuer cofounded abakus solar AG and helped to develop the company from startup to an internationally acknowledged EPC and O&M service provider with a clear focus on high-quality solar PV assets. On the management board Heiner always had a focus on technology-related responsibilities like system development, engineering, quality control and asset management added with entrepreneurial aspects like sales, contract negotiations and stakeholder communication. In 2016 ENcome Energy Performance acquired abakus where he acted as CTO. From 2019 Heiner supported Edify Energy in Australia, focusing on utility-scale solar plus storage plants, as Technical Director. As of 2021 he is engaged as Senior Technical Expert as Obton, where he is leading the efforts to design future-proof “Solar+” power stations.

Luca Matrone is a seasoned manager with more than 25 years of corporate finance experience in the global energy space. Since 2017 he is the Head of Industry Energy in the Global Corporate department of the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, the largest bank in Italy and one of the largest bank in Europe. Luca is responsible for coordinating the coverage and the commercial efforts vis-a-vis approximately 400 companies operating worldwide in the Power & Utilities and in the Oil & Gas sectors. Luca was formerly the head of Energy in the M&A team of Banca IMI, the investment banking arm of Intesa Sanpaolo group, that he joined in 2000. Luca serves as Vice-Chair in the Environment and Energy committee of the Business at OECD. He was a member of the Energy/Sustainability taskforces at B20 Saudi Arabia, B20 Italy, B20 Indonesia, B20 India and he is currently a member of the Energy Transition & Climate Task Force at B20 Brazil. Luca is a regular contributor to articles in the press related to energy themes and he has been invited to speak at several conferences organized by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Assoprevidenza, ANIE, Elettricità Futura, AGICI, Cesef, Solarplaza, Europe Solar + Energy Storage, Solar Media. Luca graduated in Business Administration from Bocconi University in 1998.

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Mr. Stefan Müller is the co-founder, shareholder of Enerparc AG, and since end of 2008, a board member he was responsible for the international and operational business. Following his diploma thesis in 1992 in solar energy, he gained international experience in different roles and various countries. Enerparc is an international specialist in the whole value chain of large-scale photovoltaic power plants. The service ranges from the technical design (EPCm) to the turn-key delivery (EPC) and finally to the operation (O&M) of power plants. In the last years the Enerparc Group has seen an exponential growth.

Bio coming soon....

Maite Sanchez has over 13 years of experience working in renewable energies. Currently, she holds accountability for Glennmont Fund III assets, as part of the Commercial Asset Management Team, with significant involvement in solar and offshore wind projects. Previously, she managed a large part of Cubico’s portfolio of wind and solar assets in the UK, where she was responsible for overseeing the commercial, contractual, technical, and legal aspects, either independently or with the support of internal or external specialist teams and advisors as needed. She also served as an asset manager for two Concentrated Solar Power plants in Spain, where she enhanced her analytic skills and proficiency in multidisciplinary problem-solving. This experience has been instrumental in her success in assuming the exposure and responsibility of being the Director of the SPVs she manages in her current role. Maite values learning from others and enjoys working in diverse teams, while also taking pride in having a voice of her own. She has experience in aiding the development of more junior team members, either functionally or through a direct reporting line. She thrives when faced with new challenges, thanks to her self-sufficiency, resilience, eagerness to learn, and strong academic background.

Versatile and driven energy industry professional with 21 years of experience in business development, project management, engineering, corporate development and M&A. Broad exposure to and vast network in Asia’s emerging markets after having lived and worked in Malaysia, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand for over 11 years. Combines strong analytical skills with emotional intelligence to come up with valuable commercial and strategic insights. Known for forging meaningful relationships in and across teams through authenticity and candor. Excels when given autonomy and ownership to lead teams in a results-oriented environment by delivering innovative solutions for complex problems. True passion for climate change, the energy transition and global sustainability.

Pietro Radoia is a senior solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. He joined BNEF's solar team in early 2011, and covers European PV markets, secondary PV market activity, and PV Levelized Cost of Electricity analysis. Before joining Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Pietro completed an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, where he specialised in Environmental Economics & Policy. Prior to his postgraduate studies he worked for the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) in Brussels for two years.

Researcher specializing in the behavior of national and European energy markets, with a particular focus on the financial possibilities within these sectors. She actively collaborates with national sector stakeholders, contributing to informed decision making.

Jakub is an experienced Originator and Investment expert, with 5 + years of hands-on experience in the energy sector, specializing in renewable energy markets. At Claritas, Jakub spearheads the PPA origination and leads negotiations for route to market strategies in the CEE/SEE region. He is also responsible for energy storage business development in Poland. Prior to joining CLARITAS, he worked for Axpo Group, one of the leading Swiss utilities, building his experience in power & gas sectors as well as environmental certificates trading.

Leticia is a legal professional with over a decade of experience in complex banking transactions, regulatory analysis, and sustainable finance. As the Director of Sustainable Finance Advisory at Sustainable Capital Group, she leads experts in advising companies and investors on sustainability disclosures, emphasizing the application of the EU Sustainable Finance regulation. Leticia possesses profound knowledge of SFDR and EU Taxonomy, using regulation to leverage the impact of both companies and investors. Prior her focus on sustainable finance, she garnered over 5 years of experience in diverse banking operations both in Brazil and in the international context, including mergers & acquisitions, project finance, capital markets, and debt/corporate restructuring.

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With over sixteen years of experience in the PV sector, Carolina Nester's career began in 2007 as a solar module manufacturing Process Engineer spanning into the field of solar installation permitting, design, construction management, commissioning and subsequent supervision and control of solar assets. In 2012 she diversified her experience in the area of PV consulting supporting the development and management of net metering solar installations. The experience gained through 2014 allowed her to make the transition to the discipline of Asset Management covering the Technical and Commercial Asset Management scope of the discipline managing assets for a total of 200 MWp. Since joining Sonnedix in 2017, Carolina has evolved into the role of Head of Asset Management for Iberia being responsible for the overall performance and optimization of a 300 M€ revenue solar asset portfolio. Carolina holds an Industrial Mechanical Engineer degree by Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.

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The civil engineer has many years of experience in the construction, purchasing and planning of photovoltaic plants in Europe, with a focus on quality assurance and environmental compliance. At ABO Wind, he has been responsible for the Solar Technology & Implementation Division since 2022.

Dr. Robin Hirschl studied physics in Vienna, Austria, and Lyon, France, and holds a PhD in Computational Materials Science from Vienna University. He started his career at Booz Allen Hamilton (today Strategy&), joining the European Utilities Team, where he led energy projects throughout Europe as Senior Project Manager.

Esther Fombellida Ruiz is a Senior Portfolio Manager with 16 years of experience in the solar industry, currently dedicated to the commercial and technical management of portfolios in the EMEA and APAC regions. Recently, she has also been supporting the definition of the Asset Management business strategy, including market risks, team structure, contracts, and more, in new markets for these same regions. She holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering with a specialty in Electricity. After completing her studies with an Erasmus exchange program in Rome, she began her professional career working for an engineering firm specializing in broader mechanical engineering consulting. However, from early on, Esther had an interest in the energy market and renewables, and as soon as an opportunity arose, she focused her career in this direction. Esther's journey in the solar industry began with extensive travel for on-site visits, covering over 1,000 km each week. These trips and experiences laid the foundations for her in-depth understanding of the technicalities and challenges affecting site operations. Following this, she took on various roles with increasing responsibilities within the Asset Management ambit, which allowed her to further enhance her commercial and leadership skills. Since 2022, Esther has been in her current role as Senior Portfolio Manager, managing 600 MWp for the EMEA and APAC regions. She has always felt proud of working in the solar sector due to its role in the broader energy transition. Supporting the business and being able to make her contribution is her key work purpose. A key achievement of hers has been leading the challenging changes required to transform the technical performance of a significantly distressed portfolio into positive results over a period of just three years. Being referred to by the client as the MVP for such an achievement was the cherry on top. More recently, Esther has been focusing on enhancing her leadership skills. She is excited to embark on this training and to see the positive outcomes it will bring and how it will further support her key work purpose. Her large family, friends, partner, and three-year-old son are the pillars of her life, and she would not be anywhere near where she is today, both personally and professionally, without their continued love and support.

Georg co-founded Photon Energy in 2008 and was the company’s CFO until 2011. Since then he has spearheaded the group’s expansion in Europe and overseas as CEO. Georg has extensive knowledge of the solar energy industry as well as in international finance. Before Photon Energy, Georg established a finance and strategy advisory boutique focused on the CEE region and previously held various positions in financial services in London, Zurich and Prague.

Benjamin Thibault is a renewable energy expert with over 15 years of experience in the sector. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Renewables Western Europe at Uniper, a leading international energy company. Uniper is committed to expanding its renewable energy portfolios in Europe, with a focus on Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Sweden, Hungary and Poland, with the aim of developing up to 10 gigawatts of ready-to-build capacity by 2030. In his role, Benjamin is responsible for implementing a transformative strategy in France, Italy and the UK. Before joining Uniper, Benjamin worked for the Finish state-owned energy company Fortum where he held several roles, in particular heading their French office and participating in the growth of the company in the wind and Hydro sectors. Benjamin holds a master's degree in Business from HEC Paris, a Master’s degree of political Sciences from Sciences Po Paris and An Executive MBA from Trium a joint LSE/NYU/HEC program. He is based in Paris, France, and speaks fluent French, English, and conversational Spanish.

Jeff Ressler is the Chief Executive Officer of Clean Power Research. In his more than ten years at the company, he has overseen the inception of the SolarAnywhere® and WattPlan®® software families, and grown PowerClerk® from a nascent, online incentive processing tool into a powerful, general-purpose energy program automation solution. A software industry veteran, he has a track record of delivering highly available cloud-based solutions to customers as well as deep experience building effective functional teams across engineering, product management, sales, marketing, business development, support and operations. Jeff’s career includes stints at both Oracle and Disney in addition to more than 10 years at Microsoft. During his tenure at Microsoft, Jeff served as Director of Product Management for Exchange Server and Lead Product Manager for SQL Server, among other roles. For more than two years, he was the speech manager for Bill Gates, who was Microsoft’s Chairman and Chief Software Architect at the time. Jeff holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.

Niklas Will, CFA is Head of Operations Solar Central Europe at Encavis AG since 2020. In total Niklas has seven years of experience in the renewable energy industry. In his role he is responsible for the Asset Management of a 500 MWp portfolio of operational ground mounted solar assets. The portfolio comprises both subsidy-based and non-subsidy-based assets in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. In the management of the 50 companies, his focus is on operational excellence for each SPV. Before he moved into the renewables sector Niklas gained substantial experience in the auditing sector in Germany for four years incl. a secondment at Cooper Parry in the UK. Niklas holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hamburg School of Business Administration (HSBA) in which he specialized in finance. His profound interest in finance led Niklas to pursue the CFA Charter, which he was awarded in 2022. Since then, he is actively involved in the CFA Society Germany.

Tomaso Charlemont graduated from the Technical Naval Institute (Genoa, Italy). He is an executive with over three decades of experience in Business Development and Supply Chain. After more than 20 years in the fields of data communication, he embraced a second career in renewables in 2008. Over the past 13 years Tomaso developed and consolidated his experience in this latter field of activity joining PV inverter OEMs Satcon and Chint Power Systems, WTG manufacturer and EPC Vergnet and British renewables developer RES. More recently, he joined BayWa r.e. where he coordinates the development of the Solar PV Revamping and Repowering business across the EMEA Region.

Andreas is Member of the BoD Obton Group Holding A/S, Partner and Co-head of acquisitions and financing at Obton A/S. He joined Obton as employee nr. 5 at Obton 11 years ago, which now counts over 300 people. Previously, Andreas has served as Board Member for Koncenton from 2016 to 2021. He is involved in solar since 2009.

Berto Martins is currently Director for Electricity Markets at EDP S.A. He is 53 years old, born and raised in Lisbon but with an academic degree completed at the Oporto University in 1990.In this same year, joined EDP to work at the National Dispatch for the Electric System and after some years moved to the System Optimization and Commercial Operations Division until 2002.When the liberalization process of the energy sector started in Portugal he moved to the team that created the Energy Management Division at EDP, implementing IT and business procedures for all Trading activities. EDP´s Electricity Markets Division is responsible for the management of the whole generation portfolio in the Iberian Market. Besides real-time optimization, these tasks include also Short/Medium Term Planning, Outages coordination, Bidding strategies on both Energy and Ancillary Services markets and real-time coordination with the Portuguese TSO.

Jan Willem has over 20 years of experience in the energy market and worked for some of the larger utilities. Early 2020, Jan Willem sold his previous companies Greenspread and Greencrowd to private equity concern NPM Capital. Since his departure in October 2020, Jan Willem works as an independent consultant at Stratergy. Stratergy advises funds, banks, utilities, and large consumers and producers of energy and specializes in maximizing asset value and minimizing financial risk.

Founder, Owner and CEO of the SOLEK HOLDING SE

Valentina works into the renewable energy business for more than 10 years. Valentina has international experience in the construction, operation and maintenance and asset management of PV plants, ground mounted and rooftop projects. In SAG Solar Italia as EPC she supervised the construction of more than 50 MW, managing directly the administrative process related to the connection, tariff and permitting. She was in charge of leading the O&M department having direct contact with international investors. In 2015 she joined Vectorcuatro Italia as Asset Manager, where she was responsible for a portfolio of over 120 MW, managing direct contact with Investors, banks, technical advisors and all the public entities involved into the process. In Vectorcuatro Valentina had the opportunity to partecipate in various due diligence and selling processes. Valentina holds a Master degree in Environmental Engineering at Politecnico di Milano.

Jan-Phillip is part of Encavis AG’s investment team and based in Hamburg, Germany. Since joining the German IPP in 2020 he has lead PV transactions in Germany, The Netherlands and Spain where he was responsible for contract negotiations (SPA, EPC, Project Financing, etc.), due diligence process and financial valuation. Jan-Phillip is particularly interested in creating client-driven, subsidy-free business cases for renewables.

Joshua is a renewable energy professional with over 12 years of commercial and technical experience in utility-scale battery storage and solar technology. Joshua is the Head of Storage at Econergy, a renewable energy IPP that operates across 6 different regions with over 450MW of solar, wind and battery storage projects under construction and 155MW of operation solar PV. He joined in 2021 to head the technical, commercial, and strategic aspects of the company’s stand-alone and co-located storage projects in the UK and also developing the overseas storage strategy. Econergy is currently building over 100MWh of battery storage projects in the UK and has a further 1GW of storage projects nearing ready to build. Before joining Econergy, he worked for a leading German inverter manufacturer, SMA Solar Technology, where he served as the technical expert for the UK and Ireland. He has been involved in the design and delivery of over 800MW of utility-scale solar and storage projects.

Together with the owner and group management navigating in the areas of global expansion, business optimization, nurturing culture-rich environment in order to elevate the business results.

Christian Pho Duc is the CTO of Smartenergy Group AG and Director of the Board of SolarPower Europe. He holds master's degrees in physics and engineering from Munich and Cambridge University. Christian has accumulated 30 years of working experience in Semiconductors (Siemens, Giesecke&Devrient, Infineon), Electric Mobility (Torqeedo) and Renewable Energies & Hydrogen (Nanosolar, Smartenergy) in various management positions.

In his role, Jörn Carstensen combines the management of all technical areas of the greentech group. As CTO, he is responsible for plant construction, engineering services and technical management. The aim is to create uniform standards and processes across all technical areas at greentech, thereby ensuring company-wide synergies, high quality and the greatest possible transparency. Jörn Carstensen joined greentech in 2014 as Business Development Manager. In addition to developing various European markets, he built up the Engineering and Technical Advisory division. From 2006 to 2014, he worked for the Conergy Group in various international corporate and business development positions. Prior to that, he worked for a consulting unit of Accenture and supported utility companies in strategic and organisational issues. Jörn Carstensen holds a degree in Industrial Engineering with a specialisation in Energy and Environmental Management from the Universities of Flensburg and Southampton.

Shaheer Hussam is an American energy sector executive with 19 years of experience in Europe, the U.S., & Latin America. Mr. Hussam is a graduate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Burchard Scholar.

David Moser (PhD in physics). He is responsible for the research group “Photovoltaic Energy Systems” at the Institute for Renewable Energy, EURAC, Bolzano, Italy. Coordinator of various EU funded projects (TRUST-PV, SYMBIOSYST, SOLARBANKABILITY). Coordinator for EURAC of the activities within the IEA PVPS Task 13 “Performance and Reliability of PV modules and systems”. He has experience in performance and reliability of PV modules and installations with a special focus on integrated solutions and storage. His expertise varies from modeling and simulations to indoor/outdoor PV systems characterization. He is vice-chair of the European PV Technology and Innovation Platform Steering Committee.

Versatile product manager, with validated skills in ideation, discovery and strategic processes. Fluent communicator and storyteller in 5 languages. A firm believer in the principles of Data > Opinion and Value > Feature. Entrepreneur-minded thinking and always considering the business output of any product-related decision-making on the bottom line.

Antonio Domínguez joined Quintas Energy in 2014 as an associate in the company’s Asset Management department. After becoming contract manager, he moved on to a Senior Analyst position within Quintas Analytics, before his promotion to Head of Analytics in 2021. Antonio graduated from the University of Pablo de Olavide in 2015, with a twin degree in Law and Business Administration. He went on to gain further qualifications in these subjects from Washington & Jefferson College in the USA, the Catholic University of Lyon, and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid. As Head of Analytics, he has overall responsibility for the business unit’s activities, as well as for implementing business intelligence tools, developing process automation solutions, creating bespoke interactive reports for clients, and overseeing digitization projects within the renewable energy industry.

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With over 15 years of experience in investment banking and advisory, Chris brings deep expertise in M&A and JV deal origination across a wide range of renewable energy technologies, including solar, wind and energy storage, as well as the power, infrastructure and utilities sectors.

Christine Lins works as Executive Director of GWNET, the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, which aims at empowering women in the sustainable energy sector. GWNET has more than 3.500 members from 150+ countries. Furthermore, she is Member of the Board of Directors of ISES, the International Solar Energy Society. From July 2011 until March 2018, Christine Lins acted as Executive Secretary of REN21, the Renewable Energy Policy Network of the 21st Century, headquartered at UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris/France. Between 2001 and 2011, Ms. Lins served as Secretary General of the European Renewable Energy Council. Previously, she worked in a regional energy agency in Austria promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Ms. Lins holds a Master’s degree in international economics and applied languages. She has more than 25 years of working experience in the field of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

Cormac Gilligan is a director with the Clean Energy Technology team at S&P Global focused on the solar and energy storage markets. He is currently responsible for managing the research of the global photovoltaic (PV) inverter and PV balance of system markets along with producing S&P Global’s global solar demand forecasts. Mr. Gilligan has accumulated more than 10 years in the cleantech industry, with his analysis and commentary regularly published by leading PV and energy storage industry media and the global press. He has also presented at many leading industry events and conferences. Prior to joining S&P Global, Mr. Gilligan worked as a civil engineer, developing rail and metro projects across capital cities throughout Europe. He holds a degree in engineering from University College Dublin, Ireland.

Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies is co-founder and CEO of ACCURE Battery Intelligence, a leading provider of solutions to manage battery safety, performance, and health for electric vehicles, energy storage, and other industries. During more than 15 years working in the battery industry, Dr. Kairies co-authored some of the most-quoted analyses on the costs, benefits, and market potential of battery systems and consulted several governments on their battery adoption strategies. Before launching ACCURE in 2020, Dr. Kairies led Europe’s largest research group devoted to stationary battery systems and provided technical advice and consulting services to a variety of mobility and energy companies around the world. He has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology from RWTH Aachen University.

Maria holds a seat on the International Advisory Board at GroenvermogenNL, where she drives forward sustainable energy policies and renewable ventures. As Board Advisor and Managing Partner at AP Executive Search, she channels the expertise of one of the leading executive search firms into the renewable energy sector. Maria also mentors and provides strategic leadership to high-tech startups like NITROFIX, guiding them to market success. Her dedication to sustainability and energy public policy has earned her recognition as one of the top 40 EU renewable influencers.

Carmen Kompatscher is a Senior Growth Associate, part of the commercial, market development and policy team at Fluence. She is responsible for business and market intelligence, contributing to the company's growth and market development, with a focus on the Nordic-Baltic region and business intelligence. Carmen has over three years of experience in the renewable energy business, previously working in Product Management and Marketing in the battery storage and solar inverter industry. Carmen holds a Bachelor in Economics from the University of Hamburg, and a Master in International Management from the University of Applied Sciences Constance.

Joined EF Solare Italia in 2016, initially serving as a Technical Controller before moving on to Asset Manager, where I oversaw over 120MW across approximately 40 plants. Later, I transitioned to the role of Head of Operations Support & Optimization, where I played a key role in the company's industrialization process. This involved defining new operational models with a specific focus on O&M (Operations & Maintenance) and security contracts. Currently, as the Head of Asset Management, I manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders while ensuring compliance with technical and legal regulations in the sector. I am responsible for overseeing the performance and operational costs of EF Solare Italia’s entire portfolio, which consists of more than 850MWp and 300 plants across Italy.

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Engineer with a Master's degree in Renewable Energies and an Executive MBA, bringing over 15 years of extensive experience in the renewable energy sector in several European countries. Throughout my career, I have held pivotal roles such as Project Finance Lead, Investment Manager and Country Manager. Currently, I serve as responsible of the Asset Management at Aukera, overseeing the performance and optimization of renewable energy assets across 4 different European markets. Relevant and comprehensive experience in project finance and investment management, combined with strategic leadership in country-specific operations.

Kim specialises in transaction support as independent market and economic advisor for major power project developers, financiers and fuel suppliers. In total, he has supported the successful completion of 72GW of conventional and renewable power projects and 726MIGD of water desalination projects with a transaction value of USD44 billion over the past 23 years, including 15GW in Spain since 2018. Experience across most of Europe, parts of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Partner at K4K (international focus) and EKON (focused on Spain and Portugal). Contributor to academic papers, industry periodicals, conferences and workshops.

Bio coming soon...

Pritil is a Director with Guidehouse Insights leading the Technologies Insights solutions. Pritil advises global clients on renewable energy outlooks, distributed energy business strategy, technology market assessments, and mergers and acquisitions. With more than 18 years of experience as a researcher and consultant, Pritil’s experience includes qualitative and quantitative research projects for global clients. Prior to joining Guidehouse, Pritil designed and implemented market assessment models across multi-client energy projects across global consulting firms. She is fluent in Hindi and English, and holds an MBA.

Miguel leads Distributed Generation (DG) assets globally in McKinsey, being a leader in Energy Transition and Renewables practices. Within DG, he has worked across the globe with utilities, developers, private equities and financial institutions in defining go-to-market approaches, expansion to new geographies, products and segments, or developing paths to operational excellence. Miguel has also worked with European Utilities, Renewables, O&G and Hydrogen players in defining their overall strategy and portfolio approach.

Since 2005, Inés has developed her career in the PV sector, in different companies of the value chain operating in the manufacturing, development, EPC, and O&M of grid-tied, distributed generation, and off-grid projects. She has held positions in business development, project development, and project management in Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. She is the Founder of sociallicense.energy, a team of experts in Sustainability and Social Innovation for renewable energy and storage projects, committed to facilitating the social acceptance through an in-depth analysis of the local context and the implementation of customized strategies to ensure their success. The methodology used allows local communities to identify with projects throughout their life cycle, creating the conditions for lasting consensus and generating value for companies and communities.

Ingram Eusch, born on November 7, 1967, in Viehhofen, Zell am See, is a Dipl.-Ing. and MBA graduate. He is the Owner and Managing Director of Ingram GreenEnergy GmbH and currently serves as a Shareholder & Managing Director at PES GmbH since September 2024. Eusch has a strong background in renewable energy, having led the development and construction of 900 industrial rooftop PV installations in Austria and several ground-mounted systems across Europe. He holds 25 patents in solar heating systems, PV modules, and other innovative technologies.

Bernhard Schuetz is an experienced leader in the international Energy and Renewable business since more than 20 years. Mr. Schuetz holds a master’s in mechanical engineering from a German University, is a certified PMP (Mexico) and MBA (USA) Member that includes a Harvard Law accredited study. During his career he managed O&M and Asset Management contracts since 2010 and joined the Renewable Energy Business in 2017 with SMA, where he was leading the global Business Unit Large Scale Services. In 2023 he joined Novasource Power Services and was responsible for the Business outside the USA and Canada as VP International Operations covering over 2 GW of Solar Assets from Chile to Australia. Recently Bernhard joined STARVERT Services GmbH & Co KG based in Berlin, Germany, as their Managing Director and his vision is to bring Service excellence and quality Asset Management to the renewable business. The Energy transition is a huge task for a whole generation and STARVERT Services will bring its full capacity into game to support this essential task.

Rebecca McManus is the Renewables Lead at Aurora Energy Research.

Ewan has an M.S.c in International and European Governance, specialising in climate change and climate policy. At CurrENT he has worked on promoting the benefits of Innovative Grid Technologies in the renewable energy sector with a focus on facilitating widescale deployment of IGTs through advocacy. Ewan is passionate about the future of clean energy and is committed to leveraging technological advancements to enhance grid efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

Energized by constant change, curious and always learning

Magdalena Lipowska is a senior executive with extensive experience in the renewable energy sector. She currently works at Heyka Capital Markets Group, an investment fund specializing in renewable energy, where she manages operations and collaborates closely with the transactional team to drive investments in innovative clean energy technologies. Magdalena is also involved with Pine Square Holding, a related development company focused on large-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects, where she oversees strategic project development and execution.

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Brian Riley is SVP of Sales and Marketing for Ardexa. Based out of Washington DC, he also serves as Ardexa’s general manager for its rapidly expanding business operations in North America. Prior to joining Ardexa in 2021, Brian spent nearly two decades in executive leadership roles with market-leading technology companies ScienceLogic, Circonus and Zenoss in the IT infrastructure/Cloud monitoring and AI Operations markets. Lessons learned helping Global Systems Integrators including Accenture, IBM, TCS and Wipro to consolidate, simplify and automate IT operations provides renewable energy executives with a forward-looking perspective on leveraging digitalization to transform and optimize solar asset operations.

Neil Copeman, Global Head of Commercial, boasts 15 years of operational asset management and renewable energy expertise, coupled with a background in strategy and management consultancy. Since joining WiseEnergy in 2017, he has been instrumental in establishing the company’s Commercial function. Under his leadership, Neil has assembled a robust team of over 30 Commercial professionals and oversees teams located in London, Milan, Hyderabad, and Madrid. Over a span of approximately six years, he has expanded WiseEnergy's commercial asset management operations to encompass eight global locations, including the UK, Italy, India, US, Portugal, Chile, Spain, and Poland. Neil's responsibilities in commercial asset management span a broad spectrum, encompassing PPA revenue management, incentives and subsidy management, regulatory compliance, contract management, tendering and initial legal management, insurance renewals and claims, as well as general asset issue resolution and optimization. In addition to his core responsibilities, Neil has spearheaded the development of commercial asset management software and facilitated the establishment of WiseEnergy’s in-house Legal team. He has also been instrumental in building the company’s ESG practice, which he actively manages and develops. Furthermore, Neil holds a position on WiseEnergy's Senior Leadership Team and serves as an advocate for NextEnergy Group's LGBTQ diversity initiative. Neil brings a wealth of experience from previous roles, including expertise in acquisitions and divestments, onshore wind, DCF valuations, capital and fund raising, strategy execution and implementation, as well as managing shareholder and stakeholder relationships.

Meet Nicole, a dedicated Product Manager at 3E with a passion for creating sustainable solutions. Her role involves crafting and refining product roadmaps to provide valuable data insights to customers, including Asset Owners, IPP, EPC, and O&Ms, aiming to maximize the performance of solar plants. Nicole, who specializes in Environmental Engineering, brings her expertise and a background in digitalization from industries like water and wastewater utilities. She firmly believes in the transformative impact of AI on making energy generation more sustainable.

Eugene is a global director with Ardexa, a leader in industrial digital control platforms. He has held senior executive roles with Konica Minolta, Kearney and Mars. Over the past 15 years, he has founded and led software and technology businesses, working primarily in Europe, Asia and North America. With understanding of global industrial processes and modern IT methods, he has experience in merging IT and OT processes within and across companies. Ardexa supports renewable companies to digitise their businesses. It provides a digital control platform for companies that need to connect data between large asset portfolios and the cloud. With a long heritage in data communications and cybersecurity, Ardexa guides clients to build resilient, scalable and efficient digital and plant control processes. Eugene has engineering and business graduate qualifications. He lives in Vienna and Sydney.

Karsten has over 17 years experience in the solar business, joining former world market leader Q.Cells in 2007 and working in different positions from HR to business development to leading the Q.Cells O&M department with more than 330 MWp of solar assets in 2009. Since joining saferay group in 2012 Karsten is responsible for the Operations & Maintenance business for saferay groups own asset base in Germany, Japan and Chile, totalling approx. 350 MWp installed capacity and a team of more than 30 engineers, technicians and facility managers. Karsten is also Managing Director at blueray services GmbH, a joint venture by saferay and bluesun energy services GmbH, founded in 2019, offering custom tailored service for central inverters and BESS and saferay services KK, O&M service provider for utility scale solar power plants in Japan.

Stanislas Van Der Vaeren is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sitemark, a leading provider of integrated software and aerial inspection solutions for the solar industry. With a strong background in business development and a deep understanding of the renewable energy sector, Stanislas has been at the forefront of driving innovation in digitalized design, construction, and operational management of solar assets. Sitemark has since grown into a global leader, with its solutions deployed on more than 7,000 sites across 71 countries.

Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai is a pioneer in the field of solar energy, emphasizing sustainable and economical solutions. His work is characterized by a deep commitment to reducing the carbon footprint through innovative technologies. At the core of his achievements is the founding of JPM Silicon GmbH in 2010, a company that stands on a foundational patent for efficient silicon production, a critical component in solar cells. Additionally, Dr. Mai co-founded Solar Materials GmbH in 2021, which is at the forefront of recycling photovoltaic modules, addressing a crucial need in the solar industry for sustainable end-of-life management of solar panels. His ventures contribute significantly to the circular economy, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in renewable energy and resource recovery.

Christian is the Managing Partner of Ernst Burghardt Assekuranzmakler GmbH. He is specialized in insuring international infrastructure & renewable energy projects in order to obtain the financing commitment from a bank or investor. As a global independent insurance broker, he has more than 20 years of experience, industry-specific expertise and detailed knowledge of the world's insurance markets. His career began at AON plc, London - the world's largest industrial insurance broker. Before joining Ernst Burghardt Assekuranzmakler GmbH, he was Managing Director of one of Europe's leading insurance brokers for renewable energy. His extensive insurance expertise is based on insuring international renewable energy projects of more than 5 GW capacity, which he accompanies during the development, construction & operation phases in more than 15 countries worldwide - mainly in the solar and onshore & offshore wind sectors. Moreover, he has been active as an official Lenders Insurance Advisor for banks, investors & project developers with large, international project portfolios for over 10 years. Christian has a university degree in Business Administration, a qualification as an international industrial insurance broker and holds a university certificate as an expert in offshore wind energy.

A winner of numerous international awards and one of the awardees of Forbes 30 Under 30, Govinda is a serial clean-tech entrepreneur. A climate & energy researcher by qualification, he studied in multiple top European & Indian universities. He was primarily working on weather, climate, micro-climate dynamics, and their modelling during his Ph.D. from EPFL, Switzerland. In his second startup SmartHelio, backed by Y Combinator, they have developed a predictive software solution that can prevent downtime in solar plants. By using AI and physics principles, they can predict faults in real time and ensure that maintenance staff are taking proactive measures before any damage occurs

Pramod embarked on his journey in the field of data science and renewable energy with a PhD in Electric Power Systems. Over the past decade, he has dedicated himself to discovering innovative ways for utilizing data from renewable energy assets to enhance their efficiency and profitability. His passion lies in implementing cloud-based AI solutions that are both dependable and scalable, driving forward the future of sustainable energy.

Will Hitchcock is the founder and CEO of Above, a global solar software and data analytics company. Having brought the first aerial condition monitoring services to the solar industry in 2016, where he pioneered the use of drones and AI, Above now works with over 150 customers throughout the world and is operating in 30 countries. Above is driving the digitalisation agenda within the utility-scale solar industry through helping customers use technology to increase plant performance, manage risk and reduce cost. He is the Chairman of the Solar Energy UK Utility-Scale Technical Working Group. The group focuses on establishing and advancing technology, operations and best practices across the industry. Will has extensive knowledge of the solar industry, previously a Director at leading EPC, where he led the construction of 150MW of ground-mounted solar. He is also the founder of the UKs first community owned solar generator, Green Energy Nayland, for which he is still a Director. Will holds an BEng in Aeronautical Engineering.

Jan Krcmar is the Executive director of the Czech Solar Association and a renewable energy consultant. Before taking over the management of the solar association in 2022 he was the chairman of the board for three years, overseeing topics such as new large-scale PV projects, subsidies and investment protection. Before that he was the communications director for Photon Energy NV, an international PV IPP.

Jan Fousek is CEO of the Association for Energy Storage AKU-BAT CZ, which supports the development of energy storage, production of hydrogen, flexibility aggregation, building of infrastructure for e- mobility and overall modernization of the Czech energy and industry sector. Jan Fousek acts also as the Chairman of the Board in Solar Association and as the Member of the Board in Modern Energy Union (Svaz moderni energetiky). He has been active in the energy markets since 2007. In the years 2011-2016, he was co-owner and managing director of one of the largest European trading houses with emission allowances and electricity, Virtuse Energy.

For 15 years, Andrea has been committed to the purpose of the transition towards sustainable energy generation. He has gained professional experience in the photovoltaic business, working internationally for different tier-one manufacturers and consultancy firms in the PV industry. He holds a master’s degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Padova and has thorough know-how about the PV market, technology, and quality aspects. Pursuing his way in the solar industry, he participates regularly in roundtable discussions and various public events, sharing his knowledge with the objective of supporting the safe development of the solar PV industry.

Dr. Rob Andrews is an expert in solar energy operations and modeling with a PhD in the field. He co-founded Heliolytics, an international leader in aircraft-based solar site analytics, and led the company as CEO until its acquisition by Novasource Power, where he took on the role of VP of Product Strategy and Innovation. Currently, he offers technology and strategy consulting services in renewable energy and entrepreneurship, and creates advanced photovoltaic system analytics tools.

Having worked in various technological domains such as Cyber Security, Telecom, and Renewable Energy, Ariel's expertise extends across a spectrum of technologies, with a particular emphasis on Software as a Service (SaaS). At enSights, Ariel envisions revolutionizing how Owners and Managers oversee their renewable assets. Through innovative automation, enSights empowers its customers to significantly reduce operational expenses while enhancing operational efficiency by an impressive 7.8%. With the power of artificial intelligence, enSights and Ariel are committed to propel the clean energy industry into a sustainable future.

An experienced energy industry professional with extensive international experience in design, project management and business development. Expertise includes Project and Product Management, Electronics, IT, Telecommunications, and System Integration. A proven leader with a strong technical background in photovoltaics, power systems, IT networks, energy conversion and storage, and EV charging systems, excelling in product management and project execution within the telecommunications and power systems sectors, including renewable energy. Successfully led remote teams in international organizations, demonstrating the ability to thrive in diverse environments. Leadership style promotes collaboration, innovation, and excellence, consistently leading projects to successful completion.

Thomas is a co-founder and the MD for Europe. His career includes work experience across four continents and over a decade of successful solar track record in utility scale photovoltaics at corporate, medium and start-up company environments. Equipped with an electrical engineering degree from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, with his entrepreneurial spirit he negotiated and managed projects worth hundreds of millions, built up O&M services and country organizations for Siemens Energy, and was recognized as Siemens Corporate Expert. Subsequently he took over as executive board member and CSO of IBC Solar AG overseeing their triple digit million operations.

Verity is a Visual Storyteller who uses live illustration and animation to help her clients communicate with engaging visuals, making sure their messages resonate with their audiences - be it customers, employees, or followers. Verity enables clients to optimise time and resources using visual thinking as a starting point. It has been proved that when visuals are used there is a much higher probability that messages will be remembered for much longer. With a degree in design and a rich track record of over twenty years of commercial experience with multinational companies in Spain and the United Kingdom, Verity's got the creative and practical know-how to bring any story to life. She's also a part of the teaching staff at the IDDA - Instituto de Desarrollo Directivo del Atlántico (Atlantic Management Development Institute) in Las Palmas where she shares her knowledge and passion for Visual Storytelling and Design Thinking.

Edwin founded Solarplaza company in 2004. He is a senior PV expert and started in the photovoltaic solar energy business in 1994. He has experience as a solar energy consultant and project developer in more than 200 PV projects. Edwin holds a Master’s degree in Chemical engineering and previously worked in the Chemical industry before starting his first consultancy company in PV in 1994.

Dee Yon Chng (pronounced Dion) is a project manager for Solarplaza spearheading the following events in chronological order: Agri-PV 2023, Floating-PV 2023, Energy Storage Spain 2023, Romania 2024, France 2024. Prior to Solarplaza she helped co-found a "floating" coaching company, and worked as sustainability consultant. She is a strong believer in knowledge sharing around sustainability topics, with 10 years of chairman experience in facilitating a collaborative and fruitful discussion.