Solarplaza Summit | Floating PV Europe

Mr Nowé is the managing director of Profloating. He is active at Profloating since September, 2022 and has experience with engineering, production and management in technical and innovative environments. Before joining Profloating, Mr. Nowé held positions such as innovation director, manager R&D, manager technology and manager engineering in plastic and steel production and greenhouse construction and automation.

Dr. Sebastian Gölz studied psychology at the University of Heidelberg and completed additional training as a process manager (ComTeam) and systemic consultant (IF Weinheim). He completed his doctorate in 2016 at the Philipps University of Marburg on Feedback seeking as an active, goal-oriented behavior - A psychological reframing of energy consumption feedback. He has been working at Fraunhofer ISE since 2002 as an expert on all non-technical aspects of renewable energies and hydrogen in the energy transition. His focus is on the social-scientific evaluation of innovative energy supply concepts and the analysis of user behavior and participation. Since October 2010, Dr. Gölz has headed the User Behavior and Field Tests team in the Energy System Analysis department at ISE. Project-relevant expertise: Social-empirical research in the field of acceptance of the energy transition, Floating PV and AgriVoltaic, Design and implementation of participation and communication approaches in projects for Floating PV and AgriVoltaic.

Hélène Gelas advises on public law, environmental law, urban planning law and energy law, in the field of energy and real estate. She holds a doctorate in law and assists her clients, from large listed groups and investment funds to small and medium-sized French and international companies, with advice and litigation before the administrative courts and in all stages of projects, whether for major real estate development projects or for renewable energy projects (wind, photovoltaic, hydraulic, methanization, hydrogen or storage...). She assists clients in all matters relating to the obtaining of authorizations (development strategies for complex projects, implementation of construction under appeal, etc.), and also, for energy projects, connection or even power purchase contracts.

For 3 years Christoph Kutter has been an R&D Engineer at BayWa r.e. EMEA, driving innovation in Floating-PV system technology. With prior experience at Fraunhofer ISE, he steered the development of vehicle integrated PV-System technologies and PV solar module designs. Christoph holds degrees in Renewable Energy and Environmental Engineering and is an active voice in the PV research community.

David is Chief Product Officer at Ocean Sun AS, a technology leader in floating solar power (FPV). With a background in marine engineering and over a decade of experience as CTO and co-founder in the offshore energy sector, he has led technology development and delivery of large-scale projects across the LNG and renewable energy industries. At Ocean Sun, David is responsible for product strategy, R&D, and performance optimization of the company’s patented FPV system. David holds an MSc in Marine Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and National University of Singapore (NUS), and an Executive MBA in Strategic Management from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and is based in Oslo, Norway.

He has been involved into FPV since 2017 with the background of fluid dynamics, and also working experience of PV module, PV system suppliers. Keeping integrating knowledge from other industries into FPV, to make the transition happen.

Felix Mezger joined the ZIMMERMANN PV-Steel Group in 2021, taking responsibility for the technical and commercial management of floating PV projects. Felix has a strong academic background in civil engineering and project management and brings extensive experience from his years in turnkey building construction. His in-depth knowledge of structural engineering, coupled with a strategic mindset, enables him to overcome the technical and financial challenges associated with large-scale FPV projects. As a speaker, he offers valuable insights into the practical implementation of FPV systems, drawing on real-world experience and a passion for sustainable innovation.

CEO & Founder of Solarif Group. Industry leader & expert in the world of insurance, banking, sustainable energy and investments. Harry Wolkenfelt is a worldwide known entrepeneur, investor, speaker and trade missionary. His major contributions to the solar industry and smart, solid insurance solutions are greatly appreciated by a wide range of business organizations, governments and the larger society.Due to his broad experience in investment banking he has a solid background in finance. Over the decades, he managed several large teams and businesses in order to keep growing and conquer both large scale & niche markets.The Solarif Group is unique and known for its excellence and variety in service.By prodiving smart solutions for large scale solar investments, a connection is made between sustainability and economic growth. Whether you are in need of a professional, specialized Solar Insurance, Risk Management of your products & projects, finding the right amount of investments or by Smart Financing your project: we are here to help you grow!

Willem Stitselaar is a former investment banker with over 25 years of experience in the infrastructure investment industry. He has an extensive background in financing large infrastructure development assets, with a strong focus on the Energy and Digital Transition sectors. Until recently, Willem served as Senior Managing Director at Macquarie Capital, where he spent 17 years building and leading strategic initiatives. During his tenure, he founded and scaled development platforms and businesses that played a key role in advancing the European energy transition and digitalisation efforts. He has a proven track record in capital raising, investing, and managing successful exits. Prior to joining Macquarie, Willem held positions at ABN AMRO Infrastructure Capital Europe and PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. He holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

Marcei is an Associate at Tevali Partners, an M&A and project finance advisory firm specialized in the energy transition and infrastructure sectors. He has broad experience across Europe and Latin America, having contributed to or advised on numerous solar (floating, ground-mounted, and rooftop), wind, storage, biomass, and hydro projects. He holds an M.Sc. in International Finance from HEC Paris, an M.Sc. in Energy Engineering from Mines Paris – PSL, and a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of São Paulo.

Karolina Baltins co-leads the Photovoltaic Power Plants group at Fraunhofer ISE, which comprises over 14 scientists and numerous students. Within the group, she is responsible for advancing topics related to integrated photovoltaics, with a particular focus on Floating Photovoltaics (FPV). In this context, she oversees research areas such as yield simulation and monitoring, potential analysis, environmental impacts, and feasibility studies. Karolina Baltins holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Environmental Protection as well as a Master of Science in Geography of Global Change. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Freiburg. Her dissertation, titled “Global assessment of environmental stress factors for solar technology application using Geographical Information Systems,” examined global environmental stress factors for the application of solar technology.

With more than 20 year experience in renewable energy, Julieta started in 2002 as consultant in INEGI and moved to MEGAJOULE, a consultancy company focused in renewable energy in 2006 where she became board member in 2014 and has remained until 2020. In 2021 she integrate Voltalia as Head of development in Portugal.

Dr Sacha de Rijk is a senior researcher at Deltares, a Dutch research institute for water management, and an expert in water quality and water-related biodiversity. At Deltares Sacha is coordinating a team of experts working on the environmental impact of floating solar, both onshore and offshore. Furthermore, her research focuses on lake restoration and the impact of climate change on water quality and biodiversity. The research is done is strong cooperation with experts from other knowledge institutes, governments, private companies, and NGOs. In her work, she strives to find practical applications of scientific-based knowledge to contribute to more sustainable use of water resources and the protection of biodiversity.

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Sofia is a PhD researcher studying the impacts of floating solar panels on water bodies such as lakes and reservoirs. More particularly, her project utilises the Delft3D hydrodynamic and water quality model to assess these impacts. Previously, she applied the same model to understand a reservoir's spatial distribution of evaporation as part of her MSc degree. Before starting the PhD, she worked for several years as a Civil Engineer in the industry, specialising in the design of drainage systems, raw and treated water pipelines, sewage and water distribution systems, as well as dam recovery projects and security inspections. In addition to her technical expertise, she led teams responsible for overseeing the execution of these projects, ensuring efficiency, quality, and compliance with industry standards. Her research interests include lake modelling, hydrodynamics, hydrology, climate change, and water resources management.

Andrés is CEO of ISIGENERE. Born and raised in Colombia, Andrés studied Computer Science and holds an MBA by the Kellogg Graduate School of Business in USA. Andres started his career working in software startups. After his MBA he worked for the consultancy McKinsey & Company in Spain where he advised clients in strategy and technology projects. Later on he moved to Santander Bank where he led the growth of the subsidiary of the bank from 1 country and managing 80 million euros of spend, to 11 countries and 8000 million euros of spend. Now in Isigenere, Andrés is leading the growth of the company in utility scale and self-consumption projects while continuing the innovation by creating new and better versions of ISIFLOATING, its floating solar system. the pioneering company in floating solar systems since 2008 when their first floating solar system was designed and installed in Alicante (Spain).

Stanislas is a Senior Solar PV Consultant in Multiconsult, Norway, with more than 10 years of experience. He is currently undertaking an Industrial Ph.D. (2019-2022) together with Multiconsult and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology on the design and optimization of hydropower-connected floating solar PV plants. Stanislas has been one of the founding members of Multiconsult’s solar energy advisory team, specializing in solar PV projects in emerging markets. He has extensive international experience from solar projects ranging from Eastern/Southern Africa to Central/Southeast Asia. He has been awarded the prizes ‘Norway’s Young Consultant of the Year’ by the Norwegian Association of Consulting Engineers in 2017 and ‘Europe’s Young Professional of the Year’ by the European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations in 2018.

After finishing his master degree in business economics at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Harold started his career as commercial banker in 1996. Harold has worked at several Dutch banks, and has fulfilled rolls in relationship management, structuring management buy outs, risk management and general management. After a post-doc study Corporate Social Responsibility at Erasmus Universiteit, he joined the Triodos Renewables Energy team. Harold’s main focusses are solarprojects and heat- and coldstorage projects in the Dutch market. As Triodos is a frontrunner in renewable energy since their origination in the 1980s, Harold is very interested in financing new technologies. His main goal is to contribute to fighting the climate change.

Polina, an environmental entrepreneur with dual Masters degrees in Chemical Technology and Renewable Energy (Ocean), possesses over 20 years of experience in the energy sector and is the solo-female founder of a hardware startup. As an active traveller (exploring 71 countries) and deep-sea diver (reaching depths of 100 metres), Polina saw many beautiful places ruined by negative anthropogenic impacts and based on her inner feelings, she decided to change her life. After a successful 14-year career in the oil & gas industry (ex-Schlumberger), Polina made a fundamental career move from the "black" side of fossil fuels to the "green" side of renewables. Guided by her academic background and extensive professional journey, she founded HelioRec, an innovative company focused on floating solar technology for near-shore locations where half of the global population lives.

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

Jonathan is graduated with Master’s Degree in Mechanical Modeling of Materials & Structures from the French Engineering School « Ecole Centrale Marseille ». When he joined Bureau Veritas, he worked as a Structural Naval Engineer for different types of offshore floating O&G assets, then he was in charge of the commercial development of the Offshore Floating projects at Bureau Veritas. Jonathan is now market leader for marine renewable energies, which main objectives are to support the Business Development network for market intelligence, prospection and offers, but also to advise on R&D needs and to ensure a transverse view of all BV activities on these markets.

Md Mosfiqur Rahman is an experienced engineer with over a decade of experience in the Oil & Gas and Renewable industries. He has a strong focus on renewable energy projects, particularly in floater motions, coupled analysis, mooring analysis, marine operations, and subsea installation analysis. Mosfiqur has contributed to several high-profile projects, including the Floating Wind Reliability JIP, Floating Solar JIP, Floating Substation JIP, and the Hywind Scotland pilot park project. Mosfiqur holds a Master's degree in Marine Technology and has held senior engineering positions at TechnipFMC and Semar AS.

Feïrouz is an experienced technical manager with over a decade of experience in renewable energy. Holding an engineering degree, she has worked with developers, EPCs, and manufacturers in Spain and France. Passionate about solar energy, she has dedicated her career to the photovoltaic sector. With a focus on ground-mounted systems, she has played a key role in numerous projects, contributing to plant design, cost estimation, yield assessments, and project coordination. She has also been involved in the development of floating solar projects throughout her professional path. Fascinated by innovation and the energy industry, Feïrouz is now a member of the JA Solar European Technical Team in charge of the French market.

Hamed Roozdar is an expert in floating solar technologies and currently heads the Floating PV Department at Bata Energy Solutions. With an academic background in corporate law, Hamed transitioned early in his career to the renewable energy sector - driven by a strong vision for sustainable development. Over the past years, he has been actively involved in the realization of over 30 floating PV projects across Europe with three different floating systems. His expertise spans the full project lifecycle, having worked from the perspectives of developers, manufacturers, and EPCs. Hamed’s & Bata Energy Solutions’ work reflects a deep understanding of both the technical and strategic/commercial dimensions of floating PV, making them trusted partners in one of the industry’s most dynamic and fast-evolving fields.

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.