Utility-Scale Solar Power I: Trends in Development, EPC, O&M, Asset Management

Dr Julián Ascencio-Vásquez has more than eight years of experience in the field of PV yield and O&M optimization, currently as Senior Staff Engineer at the Solar Centre of Excellence (CoE) of Envision Digital, and is an active member of the International Energy Agency - Task 13 PVPS Programme. His primary R&D activities include designing and implementing performance and risk modelling and assessment algorithms of PV systems operating worldwide. Before Envision Digital, he worked for several renewable energy companies in Chile, Belgium and France. His academic background includes a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, received in 2021, a B.Sc. in Civil Electrical Engineering from the P. Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile, M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Sustainable Development from the ESIEE-Amiens, France, and M.Sc. in Automated Systems Engineering from the University of Picardie Jules Verne, France. He is the first author and contributor of over 30 scientific articles and reports and a participant and speaker at the most prestigious solar R&D international conferences.

Mr. Stefan Müller is Co-founder, shareholder of Enerparc AG and since end of 2008 as a board member responsible for the international and operational business. After his diploma theses in 1992 in Solar Energy he gained international experiences in difference roles and various countries. He worked nearly 10 years for BP Solar in Europe and Asia and was 5 years in the role of the MD of Conergy Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Enerparc is an international specialist in the whole value chain of large-scale photovoltaic power plants. The company was founded in 2008 and have 450 internationally experienced employees with offices in Hamburg, India, Australia, France, Spain and a number of registered partner. The service ranges from the technical design (EPCm) to the turn-key delivery (EPC) and finally to the operation (O&M) of the power plant. In the last years the Enerparc Group successfully connected globally more than 4.500 MW to the grid and it meanwhile operates 3.000 MW of own PV power plants. Based on the IHS research, Enerparc is in the Top 10 in global ranking of EPC companies and number 1 in Germany. In addition to this the Enerparc Group is ranked No. 1 as IPP Player in Europe based on Solarplaza's research 2022. Enerparc AG as one of the major investor and leading service provider knows how to combine the different needs and expectations competently, always aiming for a sustainable and successful integration of photovoltaic power plants into the global future energy supply. Stefan Müller is voluntarily active in various organizations, like the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the VDI (German Association of Engineers).

Johannes Linder is Head of System Design and Innovation at Belectric GmbH. Before he joint Belectric in 2013 as an International Project Manager delivering utility scale projects in Europe, Australia and India, he worked for several start-up-companies and developers in the industrie and was certified PV expert by TÜV Rheinland.

Mr. Timo Moeller is the Chief Growth Officer of NovaSource Power Services, responsible for Sales and Marketing, Product Development, Product Management, as well as M&A globally. Prior to joining NovaSource, Mr. Moeller served as Head of Commercial and Revenue of First Solar's Energy Services division, where he had the mandate to grow the market leadership position in the solar O&M space in North America. Mr. Moeller started his renewable energy career in 2006 when he joined First Solar in Germany. He moved to the United States in 2011 to establish a global post-sales service organization for First Solar. In 2021, Mr. Moeller, his wife and two daughters relocated to Lyon, France. Mr. Moeller has an Electrical Engineering degree from the Technical College Worms, Germany and a Business Management degree (MBA equivalent) with specialization in Information Management from the Academy of Administration and Business Management Mannheim, Germany.

Ulrike Jahn graduated in physics and leads various R&D projects in the Division Power Plants and Systems of VDE Renewables in Alzenau, Bavaria, Germany. Her work focuses on quality assessment of PV and wind projects. She is project manager of an international expert group, Task 13 of the PVPS programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA), dealing with technical and financial issues of PV performance and quality. She coordinates this network of 60 international experts in 23 countries in their joint efforts to assess and improve the performance, operation and reliability of PV systems over their lifetime. Since 2018, Ulrike is a Member of the Steering Committee of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV).

Guido Agostinelli is the Sector Head for Solar Energy in the Global Energy Infrastructure team at IFC, where he deals with the corporation's investments in Solar PV and Distributed Generation solutions. He created investment opportunities and worked on projects for the World Bank Group totaling more than $2 billion. Prior to joining IFC in 2014, Guido has been managing partner at Syntegra Solar, an international business advisory firm, and senior partner in the venture capital team at Good Energies, a fund focused on renewable energies that backed some of the most successful IPOs in the solar sector in the late 2000s. Earlier in his career, he has held managing positions and served in the advisory boards of leading international R&D institutes such as IMEC and CSEM. Guido holds a PhD in engineering from the University of Gent and an MBA from SDA Bocconi in Milan.