Global & European Decarbonization Strategies: Discussing the Long-Term Role of Solar Power

Dr. Simon Philipps holds a diploma and PhD degree in Physics, as well as a diploma degree in Business Administration. He joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in 2005 through his work on the numerical modeling of fuel cells and, later, on III-V multi-junction solar cells. Since 2010 he works closely with the institute directors in different roles. In 2017 Dr. Philipps became Head of R&D Strategy and is responsible for the strategy development of Fraunhofer ISE. He is also responsible for EU research funding and related networks and associations related to Photovoltaics, e.g. as Coordinator of the Joint Programme on Photovoltaic Solar Energy within the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and as member of the steering committee of the European Technology & Innovation Platform PV (ETIP PV). Dr. Philipps is also Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance and represents the activities in Energy Research of 20 member institutes. His specialties include the analysis of technologies, markets and strategies. Educated in both science and business, his expertise also encompasses economics and business administration, including innovation management and organizational change.

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 Director of Communications and Business at Eurelectric based in Brussels, representing over 3000 companies active in the European power sector. Previously he has held the following positions: 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.

Stefanie Alexander heads RWE's Regulatory Affairs Renewables department for Europe and APAC and is responsible for regulation in RWE's solar and wind energy business in more than 20 markets in Europe and Asia Pacific. As fully qualified German lawyer, she has been working in the energy industry for around 15 years. Before joining RWE in 2022, Stefanie Alexander held a senior position in the legal department at Uniper, where she was responsible for licensing, energy and antitrust law as well as regulation. Prior to that, she worked as an antitrust expert at a major international law firm in Cologne.

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.

MARIA THERESA 'TETCHI' CRUZ CAPELLAN is a newly elected Secretary-General of Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association, founder and Chairperson of Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance, CEO and President of SunAsia Energy Inc. and a former Undersecretary of Department of Agriculture. The rush to clean energy began in the Philippines in 2006 with the help of a woman who used solar energy to light 10,000 homes in the remote areas of the country. Like many, she didn't start out in the career she would later be famous for. She completed her degree in Behavioral Sciences at a Catholic -run Maryknoll College, then completed her Master in International Development at Harvard University. In 1990, she became the youngest and first woman to serve as Assistant Secretary in the Philippine Department of Agriculture for six (6) years. She became Undersecretary in 2002, a post she held for four years! Her work as Undersecretary left a lasting legacy as she founded commodity boards notable of which are the meat, coffee, and seafoods boards. These private led organizations paved the way for strategic program like 'pork-in-a-box' - a product created by the meat sector to transform sale of live animals to the marketing of high-value pork cuts. Her other achievement is the introduction of vannamei shrimp in the aquaculture sector - a move to arrest the decline of prawn production in the country. She migrated from agriculture to energy when she was appointed as Chief of Party for the rural electrification program of the USAID-funded AMORE. After lighting 10,000 homes in Southern Philippines, she joined SunEdison USA in 2010 as Country Advisor for the Philippines. That same year, she founded the Philippine Solar Power Alliance, a not-for-profit industry association pushing for the enactment of the Renewable Energy law in the country including its implementing rules and regulations. In 2013, she launched her own solar company - SunAsia Energy Inc - and was responsible for developing the 3rd largest power plant in the Philippines. She received the Most Outstanding Scientist Award in Singapore in 2016, and was recognized in Shanghai as the one of the 2018 World's Developer for Solar and Storage. Recently, she concluded the partnership with the top global company BlueLeaf-Macquarrie Capital to build the largest floating solar energy portfolio of 1.2Gw in Asia. Today, she continues to work in the renewable energy space as CEO of SunAsia Energy, Chairperson of the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance and newly elected Secretary General of Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association. She travels around the world, serve as thought leader in conferences and conventions, relentlessly promoting the benefit of solar and how the technology helps people's lives and save our planet.

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).

Vegard Vollset is Vice President and is leading the EMEA part of Rystad Energy's Renewable Energy Research team, with more than a decade of experience working within the energy industry. He has broad experience in energy modeling, M&A, and strategy work, and has worked closely with clients spanning the entire energy sector, from renewable energy companies and service companies to governmental organizations, investors, and NGOs. Prior to joining Rystad Energy, Vegard worked in Engie, Total Energies, and Equinor. He holds an MSc degree from the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim and an MSc degree from the University of Stavanger.