Conference Speakers

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Catherine Adelmann is co-founder and former General Manager of Fosera Solarsystems GmbH & Co. KGaA, a leading manufacturer of Pico-Solar-Home-Systems for rural electrification. In addition to her entrepreneurial achievements, she is a Startup Coach at the Startup Center and PhD candidate in the research group of smart grids at the University of Applied Sciences Ulm. She serves as a member of the advisory board of the Global Renewables Congress (GRC), where she advocates for large-scale renewable energy deployment.

Antonio Arruebo works as a Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe. He delivers high-quality market reports, briefs, and other products through the provision of data, research, and insights on the solar PV and battery storage markets, energy policy, and technological trends.

Mr. Barandalla has more than 15 years of experience in the solar photovoltaic industry as a renewable energy consultant and project manager. He currently serves as a Solar Advisory Lead for UL Solutions Advisory Team in Europe and Latin America. He has relevant experience in lender's (technical due diligence review and independent engineering services) and owner's engineer tasks for solar PV projects developed worldwide. Daniel has worked in key Merge and Acquisition (M&A) transactions for UL Solutions key clients overseeing portfolios of operating and development Solar PV assets worldwide. Furthermore, prior to joining UL Solutions, he focused as TA on commercial activities in Latin America with good expertise on Projects in Mexico, Chile, Brazil and other areas in Central America. He has been previously involved in Projects in the Asia Pacific Region, with experience in PV module audit inspections as well as providing training solutions for different stakeholders.

A senior executive with over 25 years of sales and management experience in the leading edge semiconductor and automotive industry. His former roles include country manager positions and global account manager functions with multinational companies. Juergen is responsible for partnerships, business and market development with a focus on customer engagement and developing suitable sales strategies. Juergen holds a Master in Engineering and an MBA degree with a focus on IOT and design thinking and is fluent in German and English.

Dr. Hamed Beheshti, CEO and Co-founder of Boreal Light GmbH in Berlin, is a visionary leader dedicated to transforming water access in remote regions. He has developed a pioneering solar desalination system, providing affordable and safe solutions for communities worldwide. Through Boreal Light GmbH and initiatives like WaterKiosk Ltd, Dr. Beheshti ensures access to life-changing water technologies in East Africa and Latin America. Additionally, he founded the OffGrid Water Alliance, representing the sector internationally and advocating for sustainable development. With his expertise, Dr. Beheshti inspires audiences globally, driving conversations on the importance of addressing water scarcity in underserved areas for a brighter future.

Philipp is an international expert in island energy supply and rural electrification. He conducted a PhD in engineering about 'Barriers to implementing renewable energies on Caribbean islands' at the TU Berlin. In 2011, he joined the Reiner Lemoine Institut and he started to develop the Off-Grid Systems Research Unit, which he is currently heading. Within the Unit, he develops and manages projects and strategic processes. In 2019 Philipp was appointed Visiting Scholar in the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) of the University of California, Berkeley as part of the C-BEAR+ project and he is a selected member of the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Since 2020 he is also leading the RLS-Graduate School on Energy System Transition with currently 6 PhD students.

Felix Boldt is CEO of Solarworx GmbH, a leading manufacturer of standalone solar systems and DC Mesh grids. As a Renewable Energy Engineer, Felix has over a decade of experience in the solar off-grid sector across sub-Saharan Africa. He has worked in more than 10 countries, with a current focus on Zambia, Nigeria, and South Africa. With extensive expertise in the wind and solar industries, Felix is dedicated to advancing sustainable energy solutions in emerging markets.

With nearly 15 years of experience in investment banking and advisory, Chris brings deep exper-tise in M&A and JV deal origination across a wide range of renewable energy technologies, includ-ing solar, wind and energy storage, as well as the power, infrastructure and utilities sectors. Before joining Apricum, Chris spent a decade in Hong Kong, where he held key roles at top in-vestment banking and consulting companies. Most recently, he served as vice president, business development - renewable energy, APAC at ORIX, Hong Kong, where he was responsible for deal origination and business development to increase ORIX's renewable energy investment portfolio. Prior to that, he was a senior associate at Evercore, Hong Kong, advising on a broad range of M&A deals across Asia. Chris also worked as a senior associate at PwC Hong Kong in the valuations advisory department, covering various sectors. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Classics from Oxford University and is an ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) registered chartered account-ant. At Apricum, Chris is a member of the London-based transaction advisory team where he leads M&A and capital raise transactions in both Solar PV and BESS across Europe.

Chloé Coral is a Project Engineer at Azimut 360, specializing in photovoltaic installations for self-consumption and rural electrification. She leads the development and implementation of solar energy solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, working closely with international agencies such as UNDP, GIZ, and AFD. Currently, she is overseeing a project in Mozambique aimed at optimizing mini-grid operations through a digital tool that enhances data acquisition, system design, and performance monitoring. This initiative integrates existing mini-grids into the platform, improving efficiency and long-term sustainability. With a background in energy engineering, Chloé has extensive experience in smart grids, distributed generation, and innovation projects funded by the European Commission. She holds a double master's degree in Energy Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, as well as a bachelor's degree from Politecnico di Milano.

Anna Darmani is a principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, where she heads the research and analyses on Europe, Middle East and Africa storage markets. She has over ten years of experience in the energy industry, developing innovation and technology roadmaps and conducting EU research and advisory projects. Anna was one of the European Battery Alliance founding members and has worked with different industrial players to make Europe a global leader in the booming battery industry.

Martin Daronnat is currently Head of Flexibility & Structured Origination Germany at Engie Global Energy Management et Sales (GEMS). Active since more than 10 years in the energy business, Martin has a strong background in Flexibility and Renewables structuring and origination. His team currently offers flexibility offtake agreements and structured products to allow asset owners to make their assets bankable with the desired level of risks exposure. They closed (the first ever in continental Europe) long term fixed price flexibility purchase agreement in 2024 in Germany, allowing a large scale BESS to be financed. More of these deals are expected to be signed in 2025. ENGIE as a whole is a worldwide leader in BESS; with an objective to build 10GW by 2030, and currently having 5GW operational or in construction.

Xavier Daval holds a Master's Degree in Electronics, Electrotechnics, and Automatism from the University of Lyon. As the Founder of KiloWattsol, he established France's first Solar Technical Advisory firm in 2007, specializing in all technical aspects of the solar value chain from manufacturing to development and finance of PV projects. Prior to this, Xavier served as Director for a NY Stock Listed Company, overseeing EMEA for the supply of tools for the electronic industry. Xavier Daval is not only a seasoned professional but also actively contributes to academia. He serves as an Associate Teacher at Lyon-1 University and ENTPE Engineering School, sharing his wealth of knowledge in electronic engineering. Furthermore, he is a Guest Lecturer for Entrepreneurship at EM-Lyon, one of Europe's top 10 business schools. His commitment to advancing the global solar industry is underscored by a proven track record of leadership and innovation. Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Xavier holds influential positions in the renewable energy sector. He is recognized as one of the leading voices of Solar in France, regularly delivering keynote speeches that shape industry perspectives. Frequently quoted by the press, Xavier provides insightful commentary on solar technology, industry trends, and policy developments.

José Donoso is an economist and has been linked to the renewable energy sector for more than 30 years. Currently he is CEO of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), an association that brings together more than 800 companies of the sector in Spain. He is also President of the Spanish Photovoltaic R&D Platform (Fotoplat) and member of the Advisory Council of the Electricity Market Organization (OMEL). Internationally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Solar Council (GSC), the global photovoltaic energy association; representative of national and European associations on the SolarPower Europe Board (SPE) and member of Task 1 of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

- Mission: Electrify everything (that can be electrified) with clean and renewable energy. - Bruce Douglas has 25 years' international experience in the promotion of renewable energy and electrification. - He is currently CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance, the single voice for the international renewable energy industry, representing wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, storage and green hydrogen. - Previously he has held the following positions: Director of Communications and Business at Eurelectric, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, Coordinator of the RE-Source Platform - the European alliance for corporate sourcing of renewable energy, founding Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC), Chief Operating Officer at WindEurope for 10 years, founding Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Managing Director of FLiDAR, an offshore wind company. - He has a Master degree in renewable energy systems technology and is fluent in English and French.

Sonia Dunlop is CEO of the Global Solar Council, the world solar PV trade association, which represents the whole value chain and every region and market segment in the world. She previously worked for Solar Power Europe, Solar Energy UK and the RE-Source Platform. For five years she was part of the Senior Management Team of global climate politics think tank Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G) and worked for the COP26 Glasgow organising team in the UK government. She also spent five years in the European Parliament in Brussels working on renewables. She has expertise in solar PV, development finance, renewables policy, digitalisation of energy, Multilateral Development Banks climate finance and corporate Power Purchase Agreements. Sonia speaks fluent English, French and Italian as well as basic Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese, has two children and is based in London.

Katharina Eickelberg is the Senior Vice President Global Communication & Sustainability at SMA Solar Technology AG, a leading global specialist in photovoltaic system technology. She is responsible for Communication, Brand, Public Affairs and Sustainability. Additionally, Katharina is a director on the board of Solar Power Europe. Before joining SMA, Katharina held different positions in the energy sector, most recently as Head of Business Communication at Swedish utility Vattenfall and member of the supervisory board of GASAG AG. Besides driving communication and sustainability at SMA, she concentrates on topics such as Leadership and Diversity & Inclusion. Katharina lives in Hannover with her two sons.

Tristan brings almost 20 years of solar and electrical industry experience to Kiwa PVEL. As VP of Sales and Marketing, he oversees Kiwa PVEL's commercial activities and collaborates with PV module buyers, investors, research institutions and manufacturers to develop innovative performance and reliability test programs for product qualification. Tristan previously served as Product and Quality Manager for Silfab Solar, where he oversaw Silfab's extended reliability testing and was responsible for new product development and new material qualification. He has also directed equipment procurement and technical site operations for solar project developers and Independent Power Producers at a range of projects across North America, South America and Asia.

Alexandra is Senior Construction Contracts Manager at Engie Renewables. She is responsible for setting contracting standards and supporting project development and execution worldwide. With a career dedicated to the design and construction industries, Alexandra specializes in complex international contracts for infrastructure and energy projects. Passionate about collaboration and solution-driven dealmaking, she focuses on building strong partnerships to drive successful project outcomes.

Johannes Flemming started his career in 2018 in technology consulting at P3, specialising in batteries and e-drives. For the first two years, he worked on development and industrialisation projects in the automotive industry before shifting his focus to stationary energy storage. His expertise includes development, technology analysis, market analysis and strategy consulting for residential, commercial and industrial battery energy storage systems (BESS). Today, Johannes leads the battery storage and power electronics team at P3 and drives innovation and strategic progress in this area.

Christian Folke is a seasoned professional in the renewable energy sector, currently serving as the Head of Technology & Innovation at Uniper Renewables GmbH since May 2023. With a robust background in project management and innovation, Christian has been instrumental in advancing large-scale battery storage, e-mobility, airborne wind energy, and smart grids. Prior to his current role, he was a Project Engineer at Uniper Energy Storage GmbH for over seven years, where he focused on renewable integration and energy storage solutions. Christian also held positions at E.ON, including Portfolio Manager at the Innovation Center Energy Storage and Technical CCS Coordinator. His extensive experience in the energy industry is complemented by his academic background and certifications in project management and leadership. Based in the Cologne/Bonn region, Christian is dedicated to driving sustainable energy solutions and fostering innovation in the renewables sector.

Eduard Foved Johe is a Yield Assessment and Performance Manager at ENGIE. In his role, he supports ENGIE's teams globally in developing renewable projects, focusing on design optimization, yield assessment, and performance analysis of operational assets. With multiple years of experience in the solar industry, his expertise spans from solar cell and module technologies to optimization and yield modelling of solar and hybrid projects. He began his career at ENGIE in the residential solar market and later transitioned to renewable and hybrid utility-scale projects.

Stefan Goede is a Co-Founder and the CTO of Munich Electrification, a supplier of battery management systems, software and components. His present role is focussed on research and development in the field of electric vehicle batteries and stationary batteries. Before founding Munich Electrification, Stefan worked in the automotive industry. Previous career steps include BMS software development at Tesla Motors, BMW AG and Daimler AG. He holds a Master of Arts in Business Development as well as a diploma in information technology from the Baden- Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Stuttgart.

Veit Goehringer is the advisor and thematic focal lead for electrification at Energising Development (EnDev), a global multi-donor program. Previously, he served as an advisor for rural electrification with mini-grids for GIZ in Uganda. Before his tenure in Uganda, he was a senior lecturer in automotive engineering in Botswana. Veit Goehringer holds a PhD in mechanical engineering, specializing in energy systems and automotive engineering.

Walburga Hemetsberger is the CEO of SolarPower Europe since 2019. She has over 20 years of professional experience in Brussels, working for a utility, trade association, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Walburga spent most of her career in the energy sector, covering in particular renewable energies and hydrogen.

Alexander has been leading sonnen's device development team in the position of Vice President Device Development since 2024. Between 2019 and 2014, he was responsible for sonnen's commercial and industrial storage development activities in the position of Vice President C&I. Prior to joining sonnen, Alexander was involved in setting up the stationary energy storage business unit at VARTA as Technical Director. He holds a diploma and a doctorate in physics.

Gadi Hirsch is a senior strategy manager and lead market and policy analyst at SolarEdge Technologies. Gadi leads business analysis and strategy formulation efforts for key market segments, focusing on distributed energy resources and digitally enhanced energy business models. He also covers technological trends and policies, with an emphasis on European and North-American markets. He holds a BA in economics and has previously led economic analysis and management consulting teams.

Julie Horn is a Senior Strategy and Business Development at Virya Energy, specializing in renewable energy growth strategies. With deep expertise in solar, energy storage, EV charging, and smart energy management, she has led strategic initiatives, business development, and innovative product roadmaps. Julie holds dual master's degrees from Solvay Business School and has served as an expert evaluator for the European Commission.

Ulrike Jahn is a graduate physicist and works as a scientific group leader in the Photovoltaic Systems and Integration department at the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle, Germany. Her work focusses on the diagnosis and reliability of PV systems. She is project manager of an international expert group, Task 13 of the PVPS programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which deals with technical and economic aspects of the reliability and performance of PV systems. She has been coordinating this network of currently 185 international experts in 25 countries since 2010.

Mark Kragh is the founder and CTO of Off-Grid Europe GmbH. He is an expert in renewable energy systems with long-term experience in systems engineering and design, leadership as well as data analytics. Since 2020, OGE is part of the project ASER300 that set the target to electrify at least 300 villages in Senegal. In the course of realizing the project, OGE set up the senegalese subsidiary Off-Grid Africa in order to establish itself long-term in the west-african market. Innovation and constant optimization of technology are an integral part of the company. Apart from Off-Grid Systems, Mark has developed a unique solar boat (SunSailor) as well as a containerised solution to produce solar oxygen (SolarO2). He currently focuses on the development of a BESS (Battery energy storage system) for commercial and industrial users as well as on a solar cooling solution for the agricultural sector.

Cecilie is a research analyst in Wood Mackenzie's Power and Renewables team, focusing on European, Middle Eastern and African storage markets. Before joining the storage team, she contributed to Wood Mackenzie's Middle East and Africa solar and onshore wind analysis, monitoring project development updates, asset transactions and policy updates. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, she worked as an ESG and social impact analyst for a financial services firm. In that capacity, she focused on EU regulation and international frameworks and advised on sustainability-related investments. Cecilie holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from IE University in Madrid, Spain.

Thomas Kündiger is co-founder and Chief Technology Manager of BOS AG, responsible for product roadmap, system design and research projects. As an expert in product development and off-grid power supply, his passion is to develop environmentally friendly state-of-the-art energy solutions, with a deep understanding of B2B and end-user needs, especially in rural areas. He combines practical skills in mechanical engineering with a Bachelor's degree in Energy Systems and a Master's degree in Systems Engineering & Management.

Co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) at the Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association (ABSOLAR - Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica), the national association representing companies and professionals from all segments of the solar PV value chain with operations in Brazil. Co-founder and member of the board of directors at the Global Solar Council (GSC), the global entity unifying and representing the solar power sector at the international level. Has a Ph.D. with honours in Engineering and Materials Technology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), with international collaboration at the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (Fraunhofer ISE, Germany), M.Sc. with honours in Renewable Energy from the EUREC Master Program, with international collaboration at the ETH Zürich (Switzerland), and B.Sc. with honours in Chemistry from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).

Florian Mayr is an expert for strategy, business development and transaction advisory in the global renewable energy markets, including energy storage. Mr. Mayr leads Apricum's energy storage practice and is responsible for the company's international activities in this field. In particular, Mr. Mayr supports Apricum's clients in successfully accessing new markets and seizing attractive business opportunities. He is also active in advising cleantech companies on corporate and project financing, including M&A, fund raising and due diligence. Furthermore, he is a regular contributor to external publications and a frequently booked speaker on the topic of energy storage. Prior to Apricum, he spent a decade in senior positions at McKinsey & Company and RWE, where he was mainly involved in strategy development projects both in the conventional and renewable energy sectors. Mr. Mayr holds a master's degree in engineering from the Technical University of Berlin, and an MBA from the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Mannheim.

Deepak Mohapatra works as the Senior Officer - Business & Market Development at the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), a leading global business association representing the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector for provision of energy access in developing and emerging countries. He works closely together with more than 200 ARE Members, as well as international and local partners to improve market conditions, facilitate capacity building, and establish favourable environment enabling business for private sector companies in DRE space across the globe. Previously Deepak worked at a German NGO called 'Lernen - Helfen - Leben e.V. as a Project Coordinator. He holds MSc. in Renewable Energy Management from Technical University of Cologne (TH Köln), Germany and B.Tech. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), India.

Molly Morgan is a Senior Research Analyst of the solar PV sector at CRU. Her areas of focus include tracking and forecasting evolution in solar module efficiency and architecture. She also undertakes analysis of solar manufacturing capacity, production, and financial data which - alongside end demand through installations forecasting - forms the basis of CRU's coverage of the solar market.

Marvin Müller is a Senior Project Engineer at PEM Motion GmbH and a certified Product Compliance Officer acc. to ISO/IEC 17024. He is responsible for topics around product compliance and safety for the e-mobility / sustainability market. He has deep expertise in the homologation process of vehicles and vehicle parts as well as the conformity process of industry products such as energy storage systems and chargers. His core markets are Europe, China and North America.

I started my journey at DKB AG as a Trainee with focus on project finance within the renewable energy industry in 2020. At the beginning of the year 2022 the demand for bank solutions for battery storage projects started to grow. Subsequently this topic gained my interest because storage projects where more complex and we had to thing about new solutions. Currently I am responsible for acquiring and structuring new projects and have successfully worked on several battery projects.

Ioana Petcu is an experienced energy and climate expert, with a strong communication and public affairs profile. She currently leads the industrial and decarbonisation workstreams at Eurelectric, focusing on policies aimed at delivering on Europe's growth and net-zero ambitions. She joined Eurelectric in 2018 to spearhead media interactions and crisis communications, as well as multichannel engagements, supporting the company's advocacy efforts. Prior to this, Ioana worked at NATO, the European Parliament, and the Romanian Ministry of Defence. She holds a master's degree in international relations - diplomacy and conflict resolution, and a bachelor's degree in communications.

Maddalena Pondini is covering the role of Decarbonization Strategy Advisory Expert in Siemens SI Building Sustainability. She supports clients in overcoming their unique sustainability challenges through initiatives that include strategic roadmap development, benchmarking, and continuous improvement processes. In parallel with her role at Siemens, Maddalena is currently taking an MBA in Sustainability Management at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität FAU, Erlangen. With 10 years of experience in the energy and utility industries, she brings a deep understanding of energy transition trends, spanning both the grid side and the consumer/prosumer landscape, combined with a strong customer-oriented mindset. Within Siemens she also covered the role of Product Manager in the Grid Software organization, where she contributed in shaping product strategies to address evolving customer demands and support future-proof grid management solutions. She holds a BSc and a MSc in Energy Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). She has a curious mindset and she is passionate about delivering customer value with innovative solutions to support the energy transition.

Géraldine Quelle has been working for Phaesun GmbH since 2010 operating research and innovation projects in different African countries, currently coordinating the BeCool Kenya and Ghana project. She holds a diploma in International Business Administration and a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Systems. Since its foundation in 2001, Phaesun has focused on PV Off-grid power supply for rural electrification, productive use solutions, water pumping systems and the caravan & camping sector. The main target regions are Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Phaesun works closely with international NGOs and GOs as well as with local partner companies in the target countries to deliver and permanently establish energy in non-electrified areas.

Christa Roth is a Consultant for Cooking Energy which is vital for human survival. With a focus on Africa, she assists worldwide to develop locally appropriate efficient technologies for cooking or other uses of heat, based on locally available renewable resources, including climate-friendly solid biomass fuels from sustainable sources. She started integrating PV-based household energy solutions in her work since 2010, first for low-wattage needs like lighting. She is now exploring high-wattage PV-solutions for cooking in off-grid scenarios to see how and where they fit in the mix of household cooking energy to complement or substitute unsustainable solid biomass cooking fuels. Christa always puts the users and producers at the centre of any technology development, so that users can get what they want and can afford and local producers or installers can create a sustainable business from the promotion of these technologies.

During my studies, I had already embarked on the path towards renewable energies in combination with battery system solutions. Starting in the energy consultancy, I moved to the trading department and the virtual power plant of EnBW AG. Since then I have been working as a product manager in flexibility marketing and have been actively driving forward the large-scale battery storage segment within EnBW AG with a strong focus on a further growth of this business.

Michael is Executive Advisor to the CEO and a member of the leadership team. Alongside his business development work, Michael heads SolarPower Europe's award-winning market intelligence team. He is lead author of the annually published Global Market Outlook and EU Market Outlook, and works closely with Policy Analyst Raffaele operating the Solar & Storage workstream. Michael has been working in solar for over 20 years. After co-founding Photon-Magazine in 1996, he served in various positions within the Photon group, primarily as Editor-in-Chief of Photon International. In 2014, Michael started MISCHCO, a company offering strategy consulting and communication services to solar companies. In 2016, TaiyangNews, a digital news platform for the solar industry that Michael founded, went online. Michael studied Geology/Palaeontology at Bonn University, Geology at RWTH Aachen, and Mineralogy at Frankfurt University. He speaks German and English.

Sepehr Soltani is an Energy Storage Analyst at Rystad Energy, specializing in renewable energy with a master's in mechanical engineering. Since joining Rystad, he has been instrumental in advising on the pivotal role of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) in the energy transition. Sepehr's expertise encompasses energy storage technologies, power markets, and optimizing performance for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

Lars is a part of Fluence's Commercial, Market Development, Marketing and Policy Team in the EMEA region. He is responsible for policy and regulatory efforts on the EU level and throughout the EMEA region and supports the market and business development in Central Europe. Lars also leads the policy and market development for the TSO segment in the EMEA region, working with grid operators, regulators, and policy makers to establish energy storage as grid assets to improve utilisation and increase the operational reliability of power grids. Before joining Fluence, Lars worked for 8 years at Aggreko and Younicos (acquisition in 2017) on storage policy and market development globally, with a specific focus on storage-renewable hybrid assets. During this time, he participated in setting a 1GW storage target within Aggreko's company strategy. Before joining the clean energy sector, Lars worked at the political communication think tank ProDialog, and as a communication specialist for the European Parliament.

After a BSc in Energy Engineering at University of Bologna and a MSc in Sustainable Energy Technology at TU Delft, specializing on Solar PV & Energy Storage, Michele worked first as a Technical Consultant and Project Manager at DNV, leading technical advisory and certification firm in the Energy space, and since September 2022 as Head of Product Management Floating-PV at BayWa r.e., international developer and IPP with a strong leading position and the highest track record in Europe (300 MWp) for Floating-PV projects. Michele has been working for more than 6 years in the interesting and booming industry segment of Floating-PV, covering key responsibility roles and pushing the international agenda in the field, including managing international projects towards standardization. He is now responsible of supporting BayWa´s strategy, development and expansion in the Floating-PV space.

George Touloupas is Vice President, ESG and New Services in CEA. Since 2010 George has been active in technical consulting for PV and energy storage projects, as well as in PV manufacturing, EPC and project development. He joined CEA in 2015 and has previously led the technology and quality team for solar and energy storage. Prior to CEA, he held positions as Chief Operating & Technical Officer at Philadelphia Solar in Jordan, as Technical Operations Director at Recom and as an EPC and project developer in Greece.

Mr. Angel Verástegui Gubler is a Senior Climate Advisor at responsAbility Investments AG. He develops green lending strategies with financial institutions across Latin America, validating their climate impact. With over 15 years in global clean energy initiatives, he has promoted energy access technologies with the public sector, assessed carbon emissions of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects from the private sector, and trained financial institutions on ESG and decarbonization.

- Electrical Engineer, 25 years of experience at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE - PhD thesis in the field of modeling and development of control strategies for fuel cell systems - From 2005 to 2010 Head of Group 'Off-Grid Power Supply' - From 2011 to 2016 Head of Department 'PV Off-Grid Solutions and Battery System Technology' - Since 2017 Head of Department "Electrical Energy Storage" and Coordinator of Business Unit 'Electrical Energy Storage' - Contact Person for Stationary Battery Storage at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE - Contact Person for Battery Systems at Fraunhofer Battery Alliance - Spokesman of R&D Advisory Board of German Energy Storage Systems Association (BVES) - Technical Advisor of Working Group 'Stationary Applications and Integration' of Batteries European Partnership Association / Batteries Europe - Member of Steering Committee of Batteries European Partnership Association / Batteries Europe - Since 2024 Energy Storage Chief Expert at Huawei Nuremberg Research Center

Electrical engineer. Founder and current President of ITALIA SOLARE association, the main Italian PV association with more than 800 members. A pioneer of photovoltaics since the early 1990s, in 2001 he founded Enerpoint, one of the leading companies in the sector active in asset management, projects development, distribution and EPC.

Mariyana is the Chief Operating Officer of International Power Supply (IPS) - a company with 36 years of experience in the development and manufacturing of power conversion, energy storage and micro-grid technologies in Europe. In her capacity of COO, she responsible for the effective Implementation of the company's strategic vision for manufacturing battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Europe. Managing daily operations to align regulatory requirements and market trends and needs with the company's strengths and development goals, Mariyana is now focusing on advancing energy storage as a solution to increase security of supply and power system flexibility in Europe. To date, Mariyana has over 15 years of experience in various leadership roles within business development and investment market research for wind, solar, energy storage and smart grids.

Dr. Guang Yang is currently serving as President of Technology at Beijing HyperStrong Technology Co., LTD. He earned his PhD in EECS from University of California at Berkeley. While at HyperStrong, Dr. Yang worked on the full stack of BESS control systems, including Battery Management Systems, Battery Array Management Systems and Energy Management Systems. He also led the R&D of the BESS data analytics platform, which incorporates cloud computing, big data technologies, and the latest AI technologies. By combining data, cloud and control systems, BESS can be modeled, operated, maintained and optimized during the full life cycle, thus offering customers the most competitive BESS with high round trip efficiency, long life time, and high availability.