Solarplaza Summit | Floating PV

Andrea Viaro is Head of Sales EMEA at Stäubli Electrical Connectors AG. He holds a master's degree in materials engineering and already has more than 10 years of industry experience with other tier-1 module manufacturers and technical consultancies. Andrea contributes to the company's strategy and, together with his team, strengthens the global leadership position of Stäubli's growing eBOS portfolio. As the world's most installed PV connector, the Original MC4 continues to set new benchmarks in the industry thanks to Stäubli’s pursuit of excellence and innovation.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.