Solarplaza Summit | Floating PV

Arnaud Ayral joined SolarDuck as the Head of Business Development for EMEA where he is leading the company’s growth in positioning and deploying Offshore Floating PV solutions in key strategic markets for the company. He was most recently Corporate Solutions Director at Blueleaf Energy in Singapore, driving engagement with corporate customers for the wind and PV projects that the company was developing. Prior to that, Arnaud was Business Development Director at Cleantech Solar, the Shell-owned solar PV developer where he helped build in South-East Asia a strong track record for the company of commercial and industrial projects across the region. He had previously worked in Australia, UK, the Netherlands and the Middle-East where he held various positions with Rolls-Royce plc, including most recently that of SVP of the Marine Services division in Asia Pacific, and also Electricite de France (EDF). Arnaud holds a B&A Master’s degree from Normandy Business School and most recently attended the Tuck 2030 Leadership programme at Dartmouth College.

Charles Gery joined RWE in 2023 as a Senior Floating Solar Expert in the department of Product Development and New Technologies. He is currently the Project Manager for RWE’s PV2FLOAT research project located in a former mining quarry in Eastern Germany. Charles has specialized experience in mooring and anchoring specifically for FPV installations. Formerly, Charles worked for Seaflex AB in Umea, Sweden since 2018 as the Global Business Development Manager for FPV. Charles is a contributing member to a number of FPV publications including: SERIS FPV Handbook for Practitioners, FRESHER EU Research project, and two DNV JIP projects including FPV Recommended Practices Guide and the ongoing JIP for Anchoring and Mooring as well as Floats. Although Charles currently lives in Sweden with his wife, daughter and son, he has lived and worked in the United States for most of his life. His background in sales, management and business development comes from his experience in various industries including, automotive, environmental testing, government and logistics. Charles has traveled extensively during his tenure with President Clinton, visiting over 25 countries, attending global summits, and developing contacts with governmental and private entities. Charles has received a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has also attended North Carolina State University as well as Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

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.

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).

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.

Brigitte Vlaswinkel was awarded a PhD in Marine Geology in 2007 from the University of Miami where she focused on coastal ecosystem dynamics. After her PhD she worked at Shell International in The Netherlands. In 2016 she made a career change to apply her skills to contribute to a cleaner world and a cleaner ocean. While setting up a start-up focused on the innovation of offshore floating solar, together with the founder, she worked in parallel as Environmental Impact Lead at the non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup. Presently, she is more than busy running the now successfully scaled start-up Oceans of Energy as Director of Research and Offshore Monitoring. The company is working towards the realization of MW-scale floating solar farms within windparks in the high seas of the North Sea. Brigitte is appointed thematic expert 'Marine Sectors and Blue Economy' for the MSPglobal Expert Group of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

Michele has been working for 5 years on Solar PV and Energy Storage projects, with a particular focus on Floating Solar PV projects. Michele holds a BSc degree in Energy Engineering from Alma Mater University of Bologna (Italy) and a MSc degree in Sustainable Energy Technology from TU Delft (Netherlands).

Aurélien Croq is the CEO of SolarinBlue, the French leading start-up in floating offshore solar. SolarinBlue inaugurated in 2023 the first offshore floating solar farm in France and the Mediterranean Sea, and will extend this first project to 1MW by end 2025. Aurélien graduated from Ecole Polytechnique (X2007, France) and brings together an expertise in Engineering & Economics and an entrepreneurial mindset. Prior to his role at SolarinBlue, he was the successful founder of digital learning start-up and was previously Economist at the Strategy Division of ENGIE and Energy & Transport advisor for the Prime Minister office. Aurélien is dedicated to deploying SolarinBlue’s technology at scale: enabling the first offshore wind & solar co-located hybrid farms.

Vincent Grumetz graduated from an international business school and a mechanical engineering university which enabled him to be a sales expert in technical industries. In 2006, he started working for Airmat Technology as an Export Sales Manager and in 2011 he joined Pronal (in rubber products industry) where he became Sales Director. Looking for new challenges, more in line with his spirit and convictions, he joined Ciel & Terre as EMEA Managing Director to follow the growth of the floating solar market in Europe.

Felix joined the Zimmermann PV-Steel Group in 2021 and responsible for the technical and commercial management of FPV projects. He has an extensive experience in construction management in turnkey building construction for 3 years. Prior to that he studied Civil Engineering and Project Management.

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.

Joe is a research analyst based in London in the S&P Global Clean Energy Technology team. He covers downstream solar PV in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. He also covers upstream analysis of the global PV Tracker and Floating PV markets, along with their respective annual reports. Prior to this, Joe graduated from Oxford University with an MEng in Engineering Science in 2022. Here, he specialized in renewable energy and thermofluids.

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.

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Christophe is coordinating different workstreams, in particular related to “Innovative Solar in Developing Countries” at ESMAP, a World Bank unit that finances studies and TA related to the energy sector. Before, he coordinated the WB Bank Energy and Climate Teams in Beijing and Brasilia, also worked in other regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa, on more than 40 WB energy and climate projects and reports, covering a broad spectrum of topics including rural access, large scale/decentralized - onshore/offshore renewables, energy efficiency, battery storage, smart grids, energy pricing, power sector reforms, utility management, etc. Before joining the WB, he was a Senior Researcher at CIRED, a public research center on Energy and Environment Economics (France). He holds an engineer degree, a PhD in Energy and Development Economics.

YU Jun currently works as the system solution manager of SUNGROW FPV. Graduated from Huazhong University of Science & Technology with master degree and has over 7 years of experience in FPV sector. He will incorporate his experience to realize the vision of ' to be the navigator of FPV'.

Etienne Abadie is the CTO of Ecocean, he has a background in aquatic ecology and biology, specialized in ecosystem management and restoration, he joined Ecocean’s team in 2018 as a project manager. First deployed in the Netherlands, he has been working there two years to develop restoration projects in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. In 2021, he went back to Montpellier, France, in the main office, within the project and scientific team to analyze the ecological data of Biohut and manage different projects in Northern Europe and continental waters. He has developed key project with the Rijkswaterstaat, WWF or Brussels port authorities.

Camélia holds an Energy Engineering degree from the International University of Rabat and an MSc in Renewable Energy Science and Technology from École Polytechnique (X). Over the past seven years, Camélia has been a key member of the DNV Solar advisory services team, specializing in Technical Due Diligence projects, Technology Reviews, Design Reviews, and Construction Monitoring. As the SEMELA Regional Practice Lead for Floating PV, Camélia leads efforts in the innovative field of Floating Photovoltaics (FPV), contributing to the Joint Industry Project (JIP) for cross-industry recommended practices for FPV floats RP-0584, and to the Guideline for Design and Testing for Floats. Camélia's expertise extends to other types of Solar technologies, where she has conducted several bankability studies for r manufacturers and Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

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.

Simon Stark is a seasoned professional in the fields of ocean energy and innovation. As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at DMEC, a prominent knowledge center and accelerator for offshore renewable energy innovations, Simon is at the forefront of advancing sustainable energy solutions. He has dedicated his career to collaborating with technology developers to drive the commercial and technical development of companies in the sector. Simon is leading a dynamic team that specializes in modeling offshore multi-use projects, harnessing the power of wind energy, wave energy, and offshore floating solar energy to pave the way for a greener and more sustainable future

Graduated from the University of São Paulo and Mines Paris, Marcei Setti also obtained a degree in international finance from HEC Paris. After three years as an analyst at Total Eren, he joined the Tevali Partners team in September 2022 as a Senior Analyst, before being promoted to Associate in January 2024.

Corentin SIVY joined Q ENERGY in 2024 as Head of Development France and has more than 15 years of experience in the renewable energy industry. He began his career as a project manager from 2007 to 2009, before co-founding Novéo, a company with which he played a part in the development of the fledgling French solar industry. He joined Baywa r.e. in 2012 as Head of Development and Acquisitions and then Director of Strategy, developing a global strategic vision of the different markets in the renewable energy sector and their segments. Corentin was also one of the experts involved in the French national debate on renewable energies in 2013. He now manages Q ENERGY’s 3.5 GW portfolio of renewable energy projects under development, including an 350 MW FPV pipeline boosted by the completion of the Ilôts Blandin project, Europe's largest floating solar power plant.

With a solid reputation in asset and project finance transactions acting for major Banks and Financial institutions, Sylvie assists many Financial Advisers and internationally based companies in organizing the most efficient debt structuring for various types of projects. She is recognized in the setting up of complex, innovative asset and project finance deals. Over her long experience, she has acted for various actors on both domestic and cross-border transactions as well as in the structuring of off-balance sheet transactions in relation to the leasing of assets and financing various investments, especially in the energy and transportation sectors. In 2017, she created La Plateforme Verte, a do-tank aimed at facilitating the dialogue between developers, funders and regulation actors in order to encourage the energy transition with capital and loans.

For 15 years, Andrea has been committed to the purpose of the transition towards sustainable energy generation. He has gained professional experience in the photovoltaic business, working internationally for different tier-one manufacturers and consultancy firms in the PV industry. He holds a master’s degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Padova and has thorough know-how about the PV market, technology, and quality aspects. Pursuing his way in the solar industry, he participates regularly in roundtable discussions and various public events, sharing his knowledge with the objective of supporting the safe development of the solar PV industry.

Victor has 12 years of experience as a financial advisor on renewable energy and infrastructure projects. Victor has worked on successful greenfield financings, refinancings and M&A transactions in Europe, Latin America and Asia, including in the context of competitive tenders. He has experience raising debt financing across various sources (DFIs, ECAs, commercial banks and capital markets) Victor holds an MSc in international management and a certificate in energy & finance from HEC Paris

After graduated from KTH (Sweden) in sustainable energy engineering, he worked for the technical development of FPV projects in Taiwan and South-East Asia at Ciel & Terre. Currently at INES, he is involved in several european and international projects to promote affordable solar energy and design innovative solar PV systems. He is also managing capacity-building for FPV markets in France and Europe and he is training more than 200 high-level engineers and technicians every year.

Utility Development Specialist for AIKO with a focus on Floating Solar. Since 2020, I've been working as a Sales Manager for a PV module testing company, developing large-scale solar plants.

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.