Solar Technology I - Solar System Product Innovations to Keep Cost Reduction in Line with Falling Prices

Nadine Wade is a product manager at K2 Systems GmbH. She is responsible for the pitched roof system product area and has been involved in the development of new mounting systems for photovoltaic systems in various functions since 2013. Before joining K2 Systems, she worked on the calculation of LCOE at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE as part of her master's degree in Renewable Energy Management.

Manuel Jimenez Castro is a multidisciplinary professional with extensive international experience in renewable energies, specializing in photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and green hydrogen solutions. Currently serving as a Global Application Engineer at Siemens AG, Manuel excels in product and solution definition, market research, design, review, verification, and validation according to relevant standards. Manuel holds a Master's Degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Universidad de Sevilla and has worked with leading companies such as Siemens Gamesa and Power Electronics. His contributions to the field include developing application notes, analyzing PV plants, and providing technical support for clients. Manuel is also an active participant in international summits like Intersolar and SPI, where he shares his knowledge and insights on the latest trends and innovations in the solar industry. Additionally, Manuel is a voting member of the UL1741 Committee, contributing to the development and maintenance of standards for inverters, converters, controllers, and interconnection system equipment used in distributed energy resources.

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.

Gianluca Coletti (PhD), is Adjunction Professor at University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia and Chief Technology Officer at FuturaSun Italy. He has been chairman of the tandemPV workshop held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on June 25th 27th, 2024. He has 25 years of experience in solar energy across industry, research institutes, and academia. His expertise in the field of innovative architecture for silicon solar cells and modules extends from fundamental research to successful technology transfer. Gianluca is a leading expert in tandem solar cell and module technologies, focusing on bridging fundamental research, upscaling, and application-driven innovation to serve diverse market needs. He has led advancements in this field and has formerly served as Program Manager of Photovoltaic Tandem Technology and Applications at TNO in the Netherlands, overseeing research, strategy, budgeting, and international collaborations.

Alejandro Cardona Vélez is currently working as Corporate Engineering Director at Soltec. He is responsible for the global product strategy and designing process for utility scale solar plants. Prior to this, Alejandro served as an Advisor to the Viceministry of Energy and Coordinator of the Energy Sector Management Group at the Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy. And worked before that as a Leader of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at NYU University as part of the project Invest NYC SDG in collaboration with the New York Mayor's Office of Sustainability, ConEdison and other organizations.

Liam Coman is a solar research analyst within the Clean Energy Technology research team at S&P Global. He researches the global PV inverter market within the solar supply chain. He works with suppliers to analyse trends, produce market forecasts and assess the competitive landscape of the solar inverter industry. Prior to joining S&P Global, Mr. Coman worked for an engineering consultancy specialising in environmental regulation and policy compliance. He holds an M.Eng in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from Trinity College Dublin.