Solarplaza Summit | Agri-PV Europe

Andrea D’Amico has over twenty years of experience in research, innovation, and business development, working with universities, research centers, and the startup ecosystem. With a background in economics and a Master’s degree from the School of Information Management Systems (SIMS), University of California, Berkeley, he has worked across multiple industries, including automotive, oil & gas, energy, and ICT, supporting technology transfer and international growth. In 2021, he co-founded i-Pergola, an innovative benefit corporation pioneering advanced agrivoltaic solutions through R&D and experimental projects in collaboration with leading academic and industrial partners. He also serves as a Board Member of AIAS (Italian Sustainable Agrivoltaics Association), promoted by ENEA, where he contributes to shaping the future of sustainable agrivoltaics in Italy and internationally.

Tomasz Nowosielski is Managing Director of BE Energy GmbH, Austria’s leading developer and operator of renewable energy projects. Since joining in 2021, he has overseen the country’s largest portfolio in wind and ground-mounted PV, with battery storage soon to follow. Active in the renewable energy sector since 2006, Tomasz has held managerial roles in eight countries with industry leaders including Vestas Wind Systems, Verbund, and the Triton-owned energy infrastructure company EQOS Energie. Under his leadership, BE Energy aims to evolve from Austria’s No. 1 in renewables to the No. 1 in flexible renewables.

Elina Bosch holds a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering and has been working since 2019 as a Senior Analyst at the Becquerel Institute, a Belgian consultancy company specialized in solar photovoltaics. Her expertise spans key aspects of the solar PV sector, including market dynamics, regulatory frameworks and techno-economic analysis for conventional and emerging solar PV applications. She is actively involved in research and consultancy projects, supporting research centers, organizations, and companies across various countries by providing strategic insights, analyzing the competitiveness of PV business models, and tracking regulatory developments affecting the sector.

Since 2021, James coordinates global agrivoltaics innovation and projects for the ENGIE group via their R&D&I center Laborelec in Belgium. Interacting with project developers, farmers, engineers, equipment manufacturers, public authorities, civil associations, researchers, and other stakeholders in multiple languages, James assists ENGIE’s various teams develop national + regional strategies while steering agri-PV projects from early development to operations. James has worked in the PV and agri industries on 3 continents since 2005. In 2023, he completed a PhD on agrivoltaics + ecovoltaics at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, building on prior postgrad studies in renewables grid integration, controlled environment agriculture, as well as a graduate diploma in linguistics.

Marwa Jemai is a Solar Techno Manager with extensive experience in photovoltaic (PV) systems design, energy optimization, and project management. With a background in industrial chemistry and process engineering, she has developed a deep expertise in optimizing solar power plant layouts, ensuring compliance with industry standards, and supporting strategic technical decisions. Marwa started her career as a Technical and Business Development Engineer, where she gained hands-on experience in PV system design and business development. She later took on roles in energy optimization, conducting audits and implementing efficiency solutions for commercial and utility-scale projects. Her experience in the H2VERT.TUN project further expanded her knowledge in green hydrogen and Power-to-X (PtX) technologies, working closely with The Tunisian the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) to develop feasibility studies, standards, and training programs.

After leaving his hometown Bremen in the North of Germany to study at TU Munich (IT and Finance), with experiences in renewables from commercial roof-mount PV systems and strategy consulting in the energy industry, Nicolai decided to bring the idea of Agri-PV to life along with his co-founders Nils and Marco. Since late 2023, they are developing and realizing large-scale Agri-PV plants all over Germany.

Paz Díaz Bauluz is a Partner in the infrastructure team at Demeter Investment Managers, which she joined in April 2024. She brings over 14 years of international experience across the energy and infrastructure sectors, spanning investment, development, and procurement. She began her career at Acciona as a Procurement Manager before transitioning to project finance, holding roles at IDB Invest and IFC (World Bank Group), where she focused on infrastructure and energy investments across Latin America and other emerging markets. In 2020, she joined Matrix Renewables, a renewable energy investment platform backed by global alternative asset manager TPG. Paz holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and earned an MBA from IE Business School. She also holds a Master’s degree in Engineering in the Management and Treatment of Water, Soil, and Waste from AgroParisTech, and a Master’s in Industrial Engineering from ICAI – Comillas Pontifical University.

With a master degree in physics from the University of Bonn, Matthias has over 15 years of experience in the RE industry. He has been active in various international sales and business development roles, introducing innovative products across EMEA and APAC in the field of PV inverters, batteries and components. Matthias is based near Cologne, he was impressed by the powerfulness of the Next2Sun approach and joined Next2Sun´s Sales team at the beginning of 2025.

Tatiana Boudrot has been a member of the Paris Bar since 2016. She specializes in public law, more specifically renewable energy (onshore and offshore wind, solar, hydro, and biomass), urban planning law, environmental law, and classified facilities law. In this capacity, she assists and advises companies on the implementation of renewable energy projects, such as wind, photovoltaic, and biomass, and acts in litigation.

Dionys joined the Zimmermann PV-Steel Group in early 2024 as a project manager, focusing on fixed tilt and agrivoltaic systems. With a solid background in construction management and prior experience as a project lead in structural deconstruction, he brings a practical, site-oriented approach to the planning and execution of PV projects. His background enables him to confidently navigate the complexities of agricultural integration and structural implementation. As a speaker, he shares practical insights into the challenges and opportunities of Agri-PV, driven by a commitment to sustainable infrastructure and efficient project delivery.

Stephanie is Solar Technical Manager at Akuo Energy. She holds a double degree in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic School of São Paulo and École des Ponts et Chaussées in France, as well as a Master’s in Energy Transition. At Akuo, she specializes in the technical development of solar projects, with experience ranging from Agri-PV and floating solar in France to large-scale fixed and tracker systems in Latin America. Stephanie is also active in Environmental and Social Community, helping integrate IFC performance standards for greater project sustainability. She has contributed to the European SERENDI-PV project, working with international partners to enhance the performance and integration of advanced photovoltaic technologies, including floating and bifacial systems

Kari Tikkanen is Head of Revenue at Aukera Energy with 15 years’ experience in real assets and infrastructure. He is a commercially driven engineer and has been structuring offtake transactions for renewable generation and flexibility assets since 2017. Before joining Aukera was Kari the global power markets and PPA lead at DIF Capital Partners (now CVC DIF), an infrastructure fund manager with over 16 bn EUR assets under management, and offtake lead at renewables developer OX2. Kari started his career in real estate before transitioning into renewable energy and has worked on over 3 GW of renewable energy and flexibility projects across many European markets, including GB, Nordics, Germany, Poland, Italy and Romania. For BESS specifically has he been responsible for negotiating and executing some of the first long-term solar PV and BESS agreements in Europe.

David Denker is a Senior Business Development Manager at Solargik, where he oversees Solargik’s growth in North America and Northern Europe. Prior to joining Solargik, David led a business segment unit in the corporate strategy department at SolarEdge. He has served in a variety of roles in the software industry, economic development consulting, and the public sector. David holds an MBA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a BSFS from Georgetown University.

An environmental Engineer, David Lecoufle spent 20 years as project manager to plan and implement PV and Hybrid Power plants in Sub Saharan Africa. In 2021, David converted to being a farmer in organic Agroforestry on a 12ha farm in Southwest France. Since that time, David also develops AgriPV systems from a farmer perspective both for continental Europe and Sub Saharan Africa. David is convinced that AgriPV is a real solution to bring a number of benefits to agriculture in particular with respect to climate change.

With a degree in forestry engineering, Emilien has over 15 years of experience in climate-tech and renewables industries. He has been active in the field of agrivoltaics since 2015, he has contributed to bringing several sites to operation as well as collaborating on entrepreneurial projects across Europe, LATAM y APAC. Emilien joined Lightsource bp in 2023 as Head of Agrivoltaics EMEA and leads the activities of the company to further progress the integration of agricultural initiatives alongside energy production.

Stefano joined the NextEnergy Group in 2016 and he is currently responsible for the Italian pipeline of Starlight across various technologies (solar PV, batteries and wind). Previously he was Investment Director at NextEnergy Capital, actively contributing to the deployment of the capital raised by NextPower II, a private equity fund managed by NextEnergy Capital which was successfully exited at the end of 2021 after having invested €232 million in operating solar PV assets in Italy. Stefano has extensive experience in the renewable energy sector with a focus on M&A, asset management and structured finance transactions for both debt and equity side. He began his career with 5 years of experience in a financial advisory boutique and he then progressed working as Investment Manager in Enfinity and then Elicio, both renewable energy independent power producers operating internationally, and further as advisor managing several portfolios of solar PV assets in Italy for different institutional investors. Stefano holds a master’s degree in Economics at Bocconi University of Milan in 2004.

Greg is the Founder and CEO of DoubleLand (doubleland.com), an innovative startup providing patented, movable, farmer- and rancher-friendly solar systems. Greg has worked in the U.S. and African clean energy industry for over 25 years in a wide variety of roles ranging from sales and business development to strategy and finance. Prior to DoubleLand, he ran an advisory firm, High Noon Advisors, which advised a wide range of companies, government entities, foundations, and non-profits on clean energy finance and deployment strategies. Prior to that, he structured several hundred million dollars worth of clean energy equity and debt investments as the first Chief Investment Officer at Mosaic, and for Citibank and Union Bank (now part of US Bank). He got his start in solar before that pioneering U.S. solar project finance at PowerLight and SunPower. Greg holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jiří Bím was born in Mladá Boleslav. He finished FEE CTU with Bc. in 2017 in Electrotechnics, energetics and management study program. In 2020 he finished his Masters degree in the study program Management of energetics. Since 2021 he is PhD. student and researcher at CTU and studying topic Economics aspect of RES. He has focused on agrivoltaics and is also active in establishing legislation for agrivoltaics. From 2022 he is the Head of agrivoltaics section in Czech Solar association.

Since 2020, Dr. Matthew Berwind has been a scientist at the Fraunhofer ISE leading public and private projects in the Agrivoltaics and Solar Power Plants groups as the subject manager for photovoltaic simulations. His thematic focal points at the Fraunhofer ISE are the maximization of dual-yield in tracked agrivoltaic systems, leading two public projects in this direction, as well as the digitalization of and data analytics for integrated PV power plants.

Fabio Amico is a Founding Partner of GreenGo and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. With over 25 years of experience in engineering, construction, and asset management of renewable energy plants, he has played a key role in permitting more than 1.000 MW and constructing over 200 MW of renewable capacity. Before co-founding GreenGo, he held senior roles for big Italian IPPs including Technical Director at Aren Electric Power, and Head of Engineering & Construction at PLT Engineering. He holds an MSc in Industrial Engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin.

Through his deep understanding of local markets and challenges, Rémi acts as a strategic partner. He is committed to helping companies optimize land evaluation and design to de-risk their projects from the earliest stages. His objective is to enhance efficiency and communication, ensuring the qualitative and quantitative growth of his clients' portfolios.

Philip Hansen is a Technical Manager at JA Solar, with a background spanning both nuclear and renewable energy. He began his career in France at the Institute Laue-Langevin, contributing to reactor systems research, before returning to Germany to focus on solar innovation with roles at WSTECH, Siemens, and now JA Solar. Trained as a physicist-engineer with a specialization in renewables from FH Aachen, Philip brings a deep technical foundation to his work. His experience makes him a key voice in assessing the real-world performance and ROI of emerging Agri-PV technologies.

André is an engineer specializing in renewable energy systems with over ten years of experience in the development, planning and implementation of complex renewable energy solutions. He is an alumnus of Technische Universität Berlin and has also contributed to academia through research and teaching in the field of sustainable energy systems together with energy and process technologies. Currently, he leads the ENERGYNIOUS division at VSB Group, with a strategic focus on hybrid projects integrating photovoltaics, battery storage, and customized energy concepts regarding industrial customers, heat, and hydrogen solutions. His role involves applying scientific knowledge to practical project implementation aimed at supporting a sustainable energy future.

Sandro Esposito has always been passionate about innovation and new technologies. Bilingual in Italian and German, he has been promoting the business development of foreign companies in these fields in Italy since the beginning of his career in 1996, offering business consulting to German-speaking partners and interlocutors. In 2006, he started working in the renewable energy sector, recognizing its great potential. He developed initial projects, first with an external office, then with his own company, until he encountered the German company Enernovum, for which he developed several photovoltaic ground-mounted systems. This led to a joint venture between Enernovum and the Austrian company Clean Capital, resulting in the creation of the Italian CCEN for the development of photovoltaic projects in Italy, with Sandro Esposito as Managing Director. This marked the beginning of CCE Holding, whose operational company CCE Italia (formerly CCEN) is also led by Managing Director Sandro Esposito.

Chris Hegadorn is President of the Consortium for Sustainable Agrivoltaics (C4SA) Foundation – a Paris-based non-profit that promotes growth of the agrivoltaics sector in Africa and other developing markets. Mr Hegadorn is Adjunct Professor of Global Food Politics at Sciences Po University in Paris where he teaches graduate courses on food security, food systems and the inter-linkages between agriculture, climate change and sustainability. Mr. Hegadorn also custom designs food system crisis simulation exercises (“Food Alert” Workshops) for policy-makers and experts to stress-test food systems with the aim of fostering systemic resilience. A retired U.S. diplomat, Mr. Hegadorn spent over three decades in international development and multilateral jobs, serving tours in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Near East and the United Nations, including nearly four years as Executive Secretary of the UN’s Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in Rome. He is the father of three and presently resides with his partner in Paris, France.

Winfried Blank is Managing Director of solar-in-motion GmbH & Co KG, where he leads the development, planning, and financing of large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic systems. With over 25 years of experience in solar energy and a background in RF and data technology, he brings deep technical and operational expertise to the renewable energy sector. Since 1999, Winfried has overseen PV system design, and since 2008, has specialized in technical operation and management (O&M)

Christian and his parents have been running an organic fruit farm for over 20 years. Thanks to a research project (Fraunhofer ISE), the first agri-PV system for apple cultivation was installed in one of his fields. Since 2021, he has been enthusiastic about the many positive effects of PV modules on trees and fruit. He is convinced that PV modules can only reach their full potential when mounted above trees and berry bushes. Only a focus on the needs of the plants, the living environment, and the protection of crop yields will ensure that all stakeholders are "happy".

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Dominik Ley is a German engineer with a degree from RWTH Aachen and experience in renewables from commercial solar through the startups Sunvigo and Enter. Together with Jonas Kaczmarczyk, he founded the Cologne-based Agri-PV startup AckerKapital, which focuses on the standardization of 2.5-hectare Agri-PV systems. By combining renewable energy generation with agricultural use AckerKapital promotes sustainable land management and empowers landowners to participate in the energy transition with profitable and pragmatic solutions.

Fabian Neu was born on a farm in the West of Germany and has over 12 years extensive experience in agricultural processing. After his studies in agricultural economics and working on a 5,000 acres grain farm in Australia with innovative irrigation systems, he gained 2 years political experience in the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Since 2021 he has gathered a deep experience in the field of Agri-PV contributing to a future of green and climate resilient agriculture. In his role as a Senior Expert for Agri-PV at RWE Renewables Europe & Australia GmbH he supports the global Agri-PV activities by optimizing the technology and economic aspects of Agri-PV to adopt this technology in further utility-scale solar projects. Fabian is a member of the DIN SPEC 91492 consortium in Germany to define standards of livestock-specific requirements in the field of Agri-PV in Germany.

Dee Yon Chng (pronounced Dion) is a project manager for Solarplaza spearheading the following events in chronological order: Agri-PV 2023, Floating-PV 2023, Energy Storage Spain 2023, Romania 2024, France 2024. Prior to Solarplaza she helped co-found a "floating" coaching company, and worked as sustainability consultant. She is a strong believer in knowledge sharing around sustainability topics, with 10 years of chairman experience in facilitating a collaborative and fruitful discussion.