Solarplaza Summit | Hungary

Sándor Rácz as Head of Development and General manager of Hungary joined Uniper Renewables in late 2022, to lead the Hungarian renewables expansion of the company. Prior to joining Uniper, he has been working in the renewable energy field in since 2011. Sándor has an engineering degree. Energized his first 500kW KÁT project in 2012, and since then hold several roles in different areas from Head of Development to Construction. By joining Uniper participated and lead a 250MVA PV portfolio acquisition to support the energy transition of the company

Robinson cumulates 18 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, starting within TotalEnergies Group where he founded Awango by Total, an affiliate distributing solar solutions to emerging markets, then served as General Manager at Sunzil for the Indian Ocean area, a company developing, building and operating solar photovoltaic power plants. In 2020, he joins GreenYellow, a French leading Independant Power Producer, as General Manager for Africa, and brought the company in less than 3 years to the market leader position both in solar PV C&I in Morocco and Senegal, and in large scale solar PV utility IPP in West Africa. Today, Robinson acts as General Manager for GreenYellow Central&Eastern Europe to develop, finance and operate self-consumption C&I projects to serve industrial companies with more affordable and cleaner electricity. He holds two Master’s degrees in Renewable Energies from the European Renewable Energy Centres Agency (EUREC), and in Chemistry from Ecole Normale Supérieure, France.

Francesco Cortesi joined I+D Energias in early 2017, to lead the international expansion of the company in the Central European region. Prior to joining I+D Energias, he has been working in the renewable energy field in different countries since 2011. Francesco has a Master in Law (Bologna), LLM (Barcelona), MBA (Madrid) and he is an Attorney at Law. In Hungary, I+D Energias started its activity building  the Vép and Csepreg photovoltaic plants in 2017 for a total of 9,3 MW and it is currently a well-established company in the Hungarian photovoltaic sector and one of the main EPC contractors in the country. Through its partner company Energy Services Magyarorszag Kft., I+D Energias is also one of the leading Asset Management and O&M companies with around 100 MW in its portfolio.

Nicola Kopij Zanin is an Independent Consultant at Solarplaza. He covers the role of Chief Financial Officer at Solartech, a Polish-based solar & storage EPC, development & investment company. Nicola holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business from LUISS University in Rome, a Master's degree in Finance & Investments from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and has obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 Certificate.

Laszlo Modos is an experienced leader in the energy and finance sectors, currently serving as the Country Manager for Renalfa Hungary Kft since 2020, while also overseeing development on a group level. In 2023, he co-founded Movasol Energy and Movasol Operations, where he continues to lead alongside his role at Renalfa. With a strong background in finance, Laszlo's career includes serving as Deputy CEO of MAVIR Zrt from January 2018 to December 2019, where he was responsible for Finance and IT. Prior to that, he held various senior finance roles at MAVIR Zrt, including Chief Financial Officer (2015-2017) and Head of Finance (2012-2015). Before joining MAVIR Zrt, Laszlo gained significant experience in corporate and project finance, working at Raiffeisen Bank from 2003 to 2012, where he progressed from Relationship Manager to Branch Manager, overseeing corporate finance, project finance, and retail banking operations. His expertise in both finance and energy development positions him as a key figure in Hungary's energy and financial sectors.

Sándor Végh, currently head of Structured Finance at Erste Bank Hungary Zrt. (EBH). Earlier he worked for BayernLB Group (MKB Bank, Hungary) in different manager positions. Sándor has 25+ years of experience in the banking sector, especially in the fields of project and structured finance as well as corporate finance. Sándor graduated in Finance at Corvinus University Budapest and holds a postgraduate degree in law (ELTE Budapest).

After graduating at Corvinus University of Economics in 1995 Mihály has joined Structured Finance desk at ABN AMRO Bank Hungary. After few years he moved to the Bank’s Treasury department as a Corporate Sales manager. After the merger with K&H Bank in 2001 he was appointed to the Head of the Treasury Sales Department and in 2008 he became the Head of Financial Markets Department and the Treasurer of K&H’s Bank. In 2019 he was appointed to the Head of Specialized Financial Services & Financial Markets Directorates which covers K&H’s Project Finance, Real Estate Finance & Institutional Banking Client Services as well.

Louiza is a Research Associate at Aurora Energy Research, Southeastern Europe. Since August 2023, she has been analyzing market dynamics and trends to support Aurora's activities relevant to flexible energy markets, particularly in Greece and Hungary. Before joining Aurora in April 2023, she spent four years at the Greek Transmission System Operator (IPTO), specializing in market operations and balancing markets. She holds an MEng in Chemical Engineering.

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Ciprian Bodiu brings over 20 years of experience in management and in sales, specializing in strategic development and client relationships across Europe. As Head of Sales at Parapet, Ciprian has been instrumental in creating and implementing effective sales strategies, fostering strong client partnerships. He holds a degree in Organizational Management and a master’s in international relations and security systems. Fluent in English, Ciprian's expertise lies in aligning client needs with Parapet's solutions, driving the company’s market presence in the renewable energy sector.

Balint Balazs is a seasoned energy market professional with nearly a decade of experience in origination, trading, and risk management. Currently working as Senior PPA Origination Manager at GoldenPeaks Capital Trading in Switzerland, Balint specializes in the commercials of power purchase agreements, where he plays a pivotal role in qualifying, developing, and negotiating PPAs. He has been instrumental in closing ~400 GWh/year of PPAs, including leading the negotiations for a ~130 GWh/year agreement in Poland, and one of the largest off-site PPAs in Hungary for a yearly offtake of ~15 GWh. Previously, Balint provided market intelligence, led risk strategies, and traded for large energy consumers in Europe as the Head of Risk & Trading at Core Energy, and as Risk Manager at Schneider Electric.

Istvan Pocs, Senior professional with more than 20 years of experience at various fields of management and 15+ year of experience in energy industry. During his career he managed energy projects between USD 50-500 million. Took leading part of developing Renewable Strategy of MOL Group, Hungarian Oil and Gas major, focusing to power generation projects, geothermal and biogas. From 2015 he founded leading Hungarian PV developer company, PANNON Green Power and managed over 35 PV projects in parallel across the country on an end-to-end basis. Member of various Hungarian think tanks, focusing to batteries, EVs and balancing market. He is recently joined to EDPR, strengthening wind and solar business development activities in CIS and Balkan region. Economist. Speaks on English, Russian, Hungarian.

Csaba Polgár is one of the founding partners of Pontes Budapest. He leads the energy, infrastructure and project finance and arbitration groups in the Budapest office. His main areas are renewable project developments, acquisitions, divestments and financings, with special emphasis on solar projects. He also has substantial experiences in loan restructurings, NPL acquisitions and insolvency matters. Before establishing Pontes Budapest, Csaba spent more than seven years with Allen & Overy’s Budapest and London Offices working on energy matters and cross border M&A deals

Catalina Talero is a seasoned Business Development Manager at LevelTen Energy, with five years of experience in the tech industry, including two years in dynamic startup environments. Specializing in customer engagement and technology strategy, she currently oversees business development for Eastern Europe and the UK, collaborating with cross-border teams to deliver innovative energy solutions. In her role, Catalina focuses on aligning technical developments with business objectives, ensuring that solutions are both market-driven and impactful. Her deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in the Eastern European market, combined with her year and a half at LevelTen Energy, reflects her dedication to driving technological solutions tailored to business needs.

Tamás has been heading CIB Bank's Domestic Large Corporates and Structured Finance divisions since 2018 as a Managing Director. He has extensive Hungarian and regional corporate and investment banking experience working for leading global banks for 16 years prior to joining CIB Bank.

Deputy Director for Europe in the Commercial Department, in Greenvolt Power since 2021. Responsible for PPA negotiation, energy trading, origination, structuring, support mechanisms, and market analyses. In energy business since 2010, specializing in energy portfolio management, commodity trading and risk management. Operating and participating with large-scale projects in the Polish Capacity Market since its inception. In 2023, the leader of the team which structured the winning bid for a 1.2 GW storage portfolio in the Capacity Market main auction.

Krisztina Vauver graduated from Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law in 2001 and continued her studies in an LL.M. program in 2008. As a freelancer attorney-at-law and legal representative of more investors on the field of renewable energy, had a 10-years of experience in assisting renewable energy law sector in all aspects. Krisztina participated in the first solar power project in Hungary, followed by many more. She has been providing legal assistance to domestic and foreign investors in the renewable energy market since early 2008.

Ernő Kiss, President of the Hungarian PV and Solar Collector Association, has done voluntary work for the past decade to promote and encourage the spread and social acceptance of PV and solar collectors in the Hungarian market. Today the Hungarian PV and Solar Collector Association has more than 300 member companies that are active in the Hungarian solar industry. As a business owner, Ernő has invested in solar energy for 20 years. He has organized and executed several domestic and cross-border renewable energy investments. Market share of the company is significant in household and commercial sized solar systems, while PV power plants are also being implemented is succession. Currently, a total of 70 MW capacity is under construction.

Lareina HU is a solution engineer from Sungrow, with four years of experience in the ESS industry, including two years in Tier-1 battery company. Specializing in technical support and technology strategy, she is responsible for Europe, especially Oversea strategy key account, collaborating with local teams to deliver innovative ESS solutions.

Vladimir Bliznyukov is Commercial Manager Integrated Solutions at Photon Energy Group. Since joining PEG in 2021 Vladimir lead the development and roll-out of the Onsite PPA across Photon’s countries of operation. Now, he is focusing on driving Integrated Solutions for Photon’s customer base, building on the range of complimentary solutions offered by the Group.

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