Solarplaza Summit | Baltics

Paweł is a graduate of the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology and holds a scholarship to Automotive Engineering at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. He has several years of experience in sales in the technical industry in well-known international companies. From 2022, Pawel is Key Account Manager at Sungrow Polska responsible for direct sales of PV and ESS products to projects. Privately, he is a sports and automotive enthusiast.

Giedrius is a Loan Officer at European Investment Bank focusing on Project and Structured Finance transactions in geographical area covering Nordic countries, Baltic Sea area, and Central and South Eastern Europe. With more than 10 years’ experience in Project Finance, Giedrius participated in financing of a number of flagship infrastructure PPP projects in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Poland. In his current position, Giedrius is also actively involved in the renewable energy projects in the area, including the leading role in structuring and financing of several solar PV and onshore wind projects in Poland. Prior to joining the EIB, Giedrius worked as a Senior Manager in Project Finance at Nordic Investment Bank in Helsinki.Giedrius holds a Master in Finance and Banking from Vytautas Magnus University.

Renewable energy consultant and project developer with more than 10 years of experience working with renewables. 100 % renewable future is the goal.

Rytis Kėvelaitis is a founder and CEO of Energy Unlimited, a renewable energy advisory and development company in the Baltics. Rytis is an entrepreneur with an experience in renewable energy project management and public policy in both private and public sectors. He is a former Vice Minister of Energy of Lithuania for renewable energy & energy efficiency policies.

Alexander Esser founded and heads the dedicated Nordics & Baltics team based in Stockholm with 15 team members, offering advisory and forecasts for energy markets in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Norway. He has been with Aurora for 7 years and Previously, he led the continental commercial team and was part of the initial team building up the Berlin office. In his currently role, he oversaw more than 30 transactions and debt financing of wind, solar, battery and electrolyser assets and portfolios, as well as strategic projects such as the first project finance of an electrolyser for green steel in Sweden and the evaluation of capacity markets for Finland.

Vaidotas Puklevicius has over 20 years' experience representing private and institutional clients in M&A transactions, corporate and general commercial law matters. During recent years besides working as general corporate lawyer, Vaidotas has been focusing on energy law and general commercial practice (franchising, distribution, retail and consumer protection).

Andrius Karazinas has been actively working in the solar industry since 2012 and has deep knowledge of the Lithuanian RES market. He is a president of the Lithuanian Solar Energy Association; which unites almost 100 Lithuanian companies: all scale solar PV EPCs and developers mainly. Andrius is also CEO of the international EPC company “Solet” with its market share in Lithuania, Denmark and Finland.

Vytautas Žilys has been actively working in the banking industry for the past 16 years and is experienced in cooperation with corporate customers. He is responsible for renewable energy financing portfolio development at Luminor Bank.

Arnoldas Gaudiešius, Head of Large Corporates Department in Swedbank Lithuania, has almost 20 years of relationship with large local and international corporates, and broad experience in structuring financing of their investments.

More than 12 years of experience in the energy sector. Since 2012, provides financial advice and project management services to the largest private and public sector electricity and natural gas consumers in Latvia, as well as renewable energy producers. Project evaluation and management, issues relating to the regulation of the circular economy, the development of EU and national policies in the energy sector.

Nicola Kopij Zanin is a Project Manager for Solarplaza, part of Finance & Innovation team, contributing to the company's growth in markets worldwide. Prior to joining Solarplaza, he gained experience with EU development financing, having set up his own organisation. In the past, he held positions in different industries across Italy, Poland and the UAE. Nicola holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business from LUISS University in Rome and a Master's degree in Finance & Investments from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

Jelena is a Board member of the National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) as of 2021. The core focus areas of her work concerns renewable energy issues, including permitting and regulation of alternative fuels. Jelena is also currently a Vice-Chair of the Renewable Energy Committee at the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA). Jelena has a Master's degree in Law, and prior to becoming a Board member of NERC, she worked in the Ministry of Economy and Innovation on regulatory improvement and legal analysis.

Johan Lindahl has extensive experience of market and regulatory topics concerning the PV market. Partly from the work as Swedish representative in the international organization IEA PVPS the last twelve years, but also from the current role as the Secretary General of ESMC, the European PV manufacturing industry association, and his previous role as the Swedish PV industry associations spokesperson. Johan also holds a Ph.D. in thin film solar cells of the type CIGS from Uppsala University, Sweden.

Andrius is an expert in energy law, regulation, policy, strategy and management. He has practiced in the energy sector since 2005 and specialises in the fields of electricity, gas (including LNG), renewable energy sources, nuclear energy, energy efficiency, energy markets, climate change management and other related areas. Providing wide-ranging services in the energy sector – from law-making to daily business operations – Andrius is always able to offer clients tailor-made, complex and non-standard solutions.

I received my university degree in the field of renewables at the Kaunas University of Technology completing bachelor's studies in renewable energy and master's studies in electrical energy systems. I also completed 4 years of post-degree studies at Kaunas University of Technology and Helsinki Metropolia University where I gave lectures and proceeded with research related to the integration of solar and wind power plants into the existing energy infrastructure. In my professional practice, I count more than 10 years of experience in the field of energy in general. My carrier spectrum covers everything from being a design engineer, design division manager, asset manager, product owner and project development manager in the renewables area. In addition to academic and professional activities, I also participate in social activities related to renewable energy.

Margarita Escobar is a regulatory delivery expert, master in law and economics, working at the OECD as a policy analyst and project manager. She coordinates European funded projects in regulatory reforms in Italy (mostly related to food safety and environmental inspections), and projects to streamline licensing process in other European countries, in particular for energy transition. She has a substantial professional carrier in public administration, governance, and the enhancement of the regulatory cycle, with a specific focus on regulatory enforcement. She has worked at several key institutions of the Colombian government in policymaking and regulation for more than sixteen years, in several areas including health, finance and development as Chief of Legal Office at the Ministry of Finance, Superintendent of Health on enforcement, and legal advisor of the Presidency of the Republic. Her expertise, at national and international level, covers regulatory delivery, risk-based regulation, enforcement systems and the articulation of regulation and emerging technologies. She is the author of several articles on regulatory delivery, risk-based regulatory enforcement reforms, occupational and health safety inspections, and has been lecturer on the same topics in the Better Regulation Advanced lectures at the Jean Monet Chair (LUMSA, Italy)

Vigars Kaktinieks has an experience of 15 years in the renewable energy area, developing green projects in Latvia and Europe. Vigars is the author and shareholder of PurpleGreen, managing not only company development but all essential technical and legal aspects of the project development process.

Forbes Baltics in 2021 named Tadas Navickas as one of the pioneers of wind energy in Lithuania. With over 15 years devoted to transforming Lithuania's energy landscape, Tadas brings a wealth of experience to the table. His portfolio includes managing mergers and acquisitions, development, financing, and successful execution of multiple wind and PV projects in Lithuania and Poland. Notably, he led the 4energia companies in Lithuania until 2018 when it was acquired by Enefit Green, a subsidiary of Eesti Energia. In 2019, Tadas, along with his co-founders, established Sunly, the company swiftly becoming one of the most promising renewable energy startups in the Baltic States and Poland.

Edvardas Norkeliūnas has accumulated a diverse professional background over the years. He spent two years working as an energy regulator, followed by a decade-long tenure in trading, specializing in financial energy trades, Guarantee of Origins, and energy wholesale trades. Currently, Edvardas has been with Fusebox Energy Software for over a year, focusing on Virtual Power Plants, Flexibility, and Demand Side Response.

PhD Paulius Zapolskis is a Partner and Head of Energy Industry Group at TGS Baltic. He has more than 15 years of legal work experience and specializes in energy law, commercial contracts, international commercial arbitration and related fields. Paulius advises companies in public and private sectors on commercial law, public law issues also represents the companies in negotiations and international commercial arbitration. Paulius provides legal consultations on issues related to oil and gas (including LNG) sectors, long-term supply contracts, project development regulatory matters, also advises developers of renewable energy resources projects and renewable energy producers. The most influential and prominent international legal directory The European Legal 500 rank Paulius as a New Generation Lawyer in energy law.

Nerijus Virbickas is a Head of Innovation at Green Genius with over 20 years of extensive experience in the global energy sector. He is also a mastermind behind the InnoSolveGreen project, which has been recognized by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) for its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition of European industries towards a carbon-free economy.

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