Hybrid PV Power Plants I: Providing Flexible Generation for the Energy System

Johannes Linder is Director of System Design & Innovation at BELECTRIC, one of the leading EPC service providers in the development, construction and operation of solar power plants in Europe. His department calculates the basis for a large number of design and technology decisions - including for new photovoltaic applications such as agrivoltaic or hybrid systems. Before joining BELECTRIC in 2013 as an International Project Manager delivering utility scale projects in Europe, Australia and India, Johannes Linder worked for several start-up-companies and developers in the industry and was a certified PV expert by TÜV Rheinland.

Isabella Caschetto is Product Manager at SMA Solar Technology AG, where she is responsible for CAMOPO.com - a commercial optimization software for Hybrid Power Plants. Her focus is on developing digital products and business models for energy market integration and optimized plant operation. She has deep exercise in energy market and energy management and formerly served as energy consultant for industrial customers supporting them in optimizing energy purchasing and usage.

Howard Wenger currently serves as President of Nextracker, Inc., a leading provider of solar tracker and software solutions used in utility-scale and distributed generation projects. An accomplished solar industry business leader and executive spanning 35 years, Wenger brings global commercial and operations management expertise to Nextracker from his prior leadership roles, including president and board member of Solaria Corporation, president and chief executive officer of SunPower Corporation Systems, and executive vice president at PowerLight Corporation. Howard Wenger is passionate about enabling a clean all-electric future powered by a 100% renewable grid and distributed generation. He has worked for more than 35 years in the solar and utility power field, including executive and board member positions - from start-ups to leading multi-billion-dollar public companies. Mr. Wenger founded Wenger Ventures in 2017, an active clean power venture capital fund which has invested in over twenty companies and clean energy funds. During his career, Wenger has led and scaled companies, driven the establishment of public policies to mainstream solar including the first net metering law in the US and first rebate incentive program for grid-connected photovoltaics (California, 1994), and written software programs and tools that are still used today to design and engineer solar power systems. He has authored or co-authored over 75 technical papers and reports principally in the solar power field, most of which have been published and in the public domain. Wenger earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Other Experience: Solaria Corporation as investor and advisor since 2017; board director 2019-2022; and served a 1-year assignment as President. Solaria merged with Complete Solar November 2022 to form Complete Solaria (NASDAQ : CSLR). SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), section 16 executive officer for 10 years, including president and CEO of SunPower Systems Corporation, with global responsibility for the company's residential, commercial, and utility power plant businesses. SunPower (and PowerLight) grew from $20 million to over $3 billion in revenue with over 10,000 employees during Wenger's tenure. PowerLight Corporation, executive vice president and board director. PowerLight was a global leading commercial and large-scale solar power company when it was acquired by SunPower in 2007 for over $300 million. Management positions at Pacific Gas & Electric Company of San Francisco, AstroPower Corporation (acquired by GE) and Pacific Energy Group, a company he co-founded and operated with Tom Hoff (see cleanpower.com).

Laurent Talbot is Head of Energy Storage Germany at Statkraft, based in Düsseldorf. The Energy Storage teams develops battery storage systems for the German market, both stand-alone and co-located. Laurent led the feasibility study for Project Zerbst, Statkraft's first hybrid PV-BESS project in Germany, which was awarded a CfD at the Bundesnetzagentur's 'Innovation Auction'. He joined Statkraft in 2017 to set up the market access and PPA business for French PV & Wind project developers. Prior to Statkraft, he held business development, sales and origination roles in market access, PV modules manufacturing and sustainability strategy, in Germany, the UK and Spain. He is passionate about accelerating the energy transition through innovation, and is a member of the Steering Committee of the German-French Office for the Energy Transition (DFBEW/OFATE). Laurent studied international business in France and in the US, and holds an MBA from the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin.

Jenny Chase is an analyst with BloombergNEF's global Solar Insight Service. She joined BNEF mid-2005 and launched the Solar Insight Service in early 2006, and ran the team from Bloomberg's Zurich office until late 2022. She then stepped down from management and continues to write about and analyze the solar industry as part of the team. Jenny is the author of a book, Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon, published by World Scientific Publishing with a second edition new in 2024. She holds a BA in Physical Sciences and an MSci in Physics from the University of Cambridge, England, and breeds West of England geese. She is on Twitter as @solar_chase and Mastodon as @solar_chase@mastodon.green.

Mr. Kyle Ryan is a Senior Solar Engineer of RWE Renewables. He is responsible for coordinating project engineering activities and expertise during Development, Construction and Operation of solar photovoltaic plants, in Europe and Australia. He is also responsible for creating and maintaining specifications and processes to ensure quality and best practice in solar photovoltaic projects, across the international team. He has actively contributed to solar photovoltaic growth for the company, especially in the United Kingdom and Spain. He is now also the solar lead for hybrid plant design.