Key Takeaways from 2025 (3rd) Net Zero Europe: Solar & Energy Storage Summit

Currently, Europe is taking firm strides toward its 2030 climate goals, with the energy transition entering a critical phase of overcoming challenges and achieving breakthroughs. Strategic cooperation undoubtedly serves as the core key for leaders to secure a decisive victory in the future amidst this transformation. Against this backdrop, the 2025 (3rd) Net Zero Europe: Solar & Energy Storage Summit, sponsored by SMM and supported by ACCIÓ- Catalonia Trade & Investment (Government of Catalonia), grandly opened at the Hilton Barcelona Hotel in Barcelona, Spain on November 3.

This summit focuses on PV, ESS, and power grid modernization, aiming to establish an efficient communication platform for industry elites to forge consensus, integrate resources, explore technological innovation directions together with the industry chain, seek industrial cooperation opportunities, and share forward-looking insights into zero-carbon transition, thereby jointly injecting stronger impetus into Europe's energy transformation!

SMM is providing live text and photo coverage of the summit throughout the event. Please stay tuned!

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November 3

Opening Speech

Adam Fan, Chairman of SMM

Keynote Speech:

Next-Generation PV from a Scientific Perspective

Speaker:

Dr. Frank Dimroth

Head of department "III-V Photovoltaics and Concentrator Technology"

Fraunhofer Institute

Keynote Speech:

From China to Europe: Decoding the Next Chapter of Global PV Fundamentals

Speaker:

Viola Jin

Director of Global Solar Commercial
SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd.

Leadership Panel: GW-Scale Solar+Storage: Building Bankable Projects

Moderator:

Antonio Jose Montoto Rojo

Head of Storage

Greenvolt Power

Panelists:

Dhruv Menon, CFO of Ampyr Solar Europe

Jens Gobel, Co-Founder of AXO Energy

Nick Forster, Head of Structured Finance at NTR

Henrik Tuveson, Strategic Market Development Senior Manager for Latin America at Wärtsilä Energy Storage

The panelists exchanged insights on topics including Spanish auctions and risk management experience, strategies when power purchase agreements are insufficient, commercial risk practices, how to avoid power rationing traps, balancing capital expenditure costs and quality, and ensuring project financing feasibility.

Keynote Speech:

The Core Driver of C&I Energy Storage: Reliability and Profitability through Active Balancing

Speaker:

Illion Wu, Overseas Manager at BMSer Technology (diamond sponsor)

Leadership Panel: The Success Code of Spanish Solar+Storage: Policy, Execution & Next Frontiers

Moderator:

Alejandro Labanda, Director of Ecologic Transition at beBartlet

Panelists:

Daniel Roca, Managing Director at BayWa r.e. Solar Distribution / ES

Tomás García, Senior Director, Energy & Infrastructure Advisory at JLL

Sergio Arbeláez, Managing Director, Europe & Latam at Matrix Renewables

Juan Luis Cantón, Country Head for Spain at Lightsource bp

Manuel de Castro Zurita, Managing Partner at Blacksalt

The guests discussed the challenges faced by existing PV power plants in the electricity market, solutions to promote PV project development, ESS: new market signals and process simplification, and the missing links in the reform of self-consumption regulations.

Panel: Grid Congestion: Challenges & Solutions in the Solar Era

Moderator:

Josefin Berg, Associate Director: Renewables Markets - Energy Transition Sustainability and Services at S&P Global Commodity Insights

Panelists:

Alvaro Sanz, Global Head of Development at ENERSIDE ENERGY

Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar

Anna Casas Llopart, Head of Flexibility at Octopus Energy Group

Iñigo Viani, General Manager Qair Iberia at Qair

The panelists shared detailed insights on hot topics such as the grid congestion paradox: solar surplus, capacity shortage; technical fixes: five ways to alleviate grid congestion; congestion hotspots: Europe's grid bottleneck areas; grid-supporting projects: can ESS and inverters accelerate project approval?; distribution system operators and developers: building a new-type collaborative model beyond paperwork; business models: who bears the congestion costs?; and the future grid: centralized or cellular?

Keynote Speech:

How to Find A Reliable ESS Partner for Your Project(C&l)

Speaker:

Ralf Betkerowitz, Chief Product Officer - Europe, Pylon Technologies (Coffee Break Sponsor)

Panel: Module Innovations: Enhancing Project Profitability

Moderator:

Carlos Albero, Market Area Manager Iberia, DNV

Panelists:

Cathy Huang
General Manager of Jolywood Europe (Italy), Jolywood

Carlos Magistris, Head of Technical Service at Jinko Solar Co., Ltd.

Dr. Frank Dimroth, Head of department "III-V Photovoltaics and Concentrator Technology" at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

Kirill Trokhin, Project Development & Engineering Lead at Sungreenenergy

The panelists engaged in detailed exchanges and sharing on three key aspects: the optimal combination of bifacial modules and trackers; module mismatch in large projects and how to avoid costly over-sizing or performance shortfalls; and module procurement strategies for balancing bankability, warranties, and supply stability.

Keynote Speech:

From Paper to Reality in BESS Projects

Speaker:

Michael Strobel, Business Director Europe, Great Power(Associate Sponsor)

Panel: Market Challenges for European Solar Distributors: Inventory Management and Pricing Strategies

Moderator:

Alfonso Pontes Jiménez, Manager, Deloitte

Panelists:

Daniel Roca, Managing Director, BayWa r.e.

Carlos Moreira, EDP Client Solutions Board Member, EDP

The panelists shared their experiences and thoughts on the market challenges faced by European solar distributors: inventory management and pricing strategies, from supply deficit to inventory pressure: the current state of the European solar market, to cut prices or maintain stability? Strategic choices for distributors, and the 2025 outlook for European solar distribution.

Keynote Speech:

From European Grids to Guyanese Mines: Go Greener, Go Zero

Speaker:

Alex Day, Sales Director, Poweroad ESS (Silver Sponsor)

Panel: PPAs & Merchant Risk: New Strategies for Volatile Markets

Moderator:
Tresi Kacadej, Senior Originator, Vattenfall

Panelists:

Richard Hardy, Project Director, Xlinks

Stefano Breda, Chief Product Officer, Zelestra

Jorge Arenillas Gay, VP Global Energy Management, Sonnedix

Bhavuk Chugh, Director, Northern Europe, Centrica Energy

The panelists discussed the following topics:

• Financial Hedging Tools: From Caps to Virtual PPAs
• Corporate PPAs in Crisis? Navigating the €40-55/MWh Price Trap
• Policy Backstops: How CfDs Are Reshaping Risk Appetite
• CfDs, Auctions & Policy Floors: Will Governments Become the New Risk Managers?
• Going Merchant? Lessons from Spain, Italy & Germany’s Rollercoaster Markets

With this, the first day of the 2025 (3rd) Net Zero Europe: Solar & Energy Storage Summit has concluded. The excitement continues on November 4!