Solarplaza Summit | Nordics

Anna Werner has a PhD in Physics and has a degree from the Stockholm School of Economics. She has worked for five years with energy policy issues on the Swedish Home Owners Association and is since October 1st 2019 CEO of the Swedish Solar Energy Association.

Nicola Kopij Zanin is an Independent Consultant at Solarplaza. He covers the role of Chief Financial Officer at Solartech, a Polish-based solar & storage EPC, development & investment company. Nicola holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business from LUISS University in Rome, a Master's degree in Finance & Investments from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and has obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 Certificate.

Dr. Johan Lindahl holds a PhD from the Uppsala University and has a long experience in working with PV market and PV policy questions, both at national and international level. Mainly from working as a Swedish representative in the international organization IEA PVPS over the last nine years. The work of the national experts in IEA PVPS task 1 is about compiling the annual changes in installation volumes, price development and regulations at national level and together analyse the global trends. Until recently Johan was also the spokesperson of the Swedish Solar Association.

Morten Pindstrup is the International Chief Engineer for the Danish transmission system operator, with a background in a thermal generation company. He focuses on designing the future market framework for offshore grids, ensuring transparency, equal access, and scalability while providing clear investment signals to offshore wind developers. Morten participates in the implementation of network codes for electricity in Europe, the integration of renewable energy into the electricity system, and the development of markets for cross-border energy trading. Recently, he has supported system operators in India, Colombia, and Mexico in their efforts to integrate wind power into their electricity systems. Previously, Morten was tasked with representing Energinet in the European joint grid development under the European Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E). His main contribution was to the bi-annual Ten Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP). He has extensive experience in system analysis and market modeling, both from a generator's perspective and from a transmission system operator's point of view. Additionally, Morten works on the market rules for infrastructure projects and has been responsible for developing the business case for the Viking Link project, a 1400MW HVDC interconnector between Denmark and England.

Andreas is Member of the BoD Obton Group Holding A/S, Partner and Co-head of acquisitions and financing at Obton A/S. He joined Obton as employee nr. 5 at Obton 11 years ago, which now counts over 300 people. Previously, Andreas has served as Board Member for Koncenton from 2016 to 2021. He is involved in solar since 2009.

Mark is Chief Investment Officer in Better Energy and a solar energy finance expert with over ten years of experience in pioneering finance for solar energy across Europe. Global experience has provided Mark with great insight into how renewable project finance and the power markets work. He brings fresh perspectives and a deep understanding of global energy market dynamics and economic influences. Prior to co-founding Better Energy, Mark served several years as advisor in solar energy finance in London and as M&A Advisor at KPMG in London. He has more than 20 years of international business management experience, with particular expertise in international partnerships, mergers, acquisitions and divestments. Mark holds two graduate degrees, one in Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School and a second in Financial and Management Accounting from the University of Southern Denmark. In addition, he holds a Diploma in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Monterey International Institute, California.

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Christoffer has more than 13 years of experience from the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors as a financial adviser. Before joining DNB Markets’ Investment Banking Division (based in Stockholm) in 2018, he worked for about eight years with PwC’s corporate finance team in Stockholm and London, with a particular focus on energy infrastructure. DNB Markets is one of the leading Nordic investment banks with a global focus on renewables, infrastructure and ESG, and an extensive transaction experience within the sector. In his role at DNB Markets, Christoffer is covering renewables and infrastructure primarily across Nordics, Baltics and Poland, including opportunities within e.g. wind, solar, battery storage etc. as well as the wider infrastructure space.

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Dr Overholm is the CEO and co-founder of Alight, the leading solar PPA company in the Nordic region. He is a former venture capitalist in the cleantech sector and has advised the WWF and the Swedish Government on solar energy topics. Dr Overholm is an Associate with the Stockholm Environment Institute, a leading global sustainability think tank; a former board member of the Solar Energy Association of Sweden; and a member of the International Energy Agency’s workgroup on solar business models. He earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge with a thesis focused on solar diffusion.

Nikolaj Holtet Hoff is founder and CEO of Nordic Solar. Nikolaj holds a Master of Economics and has throughout his career worked in M&A, strategy, business development, and private equity. Nordic Solar was founded in 2010 and operates out of Copenhagen. The company develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale solar parks across Europe. Nordic Solar operates solar parks with a total capacity of almost 500 MWp and has projects under development and construction of approx. 2.7 GWp, covering 12 European countries. The Company is owned by approx. 725 shareholders and employs more than 140 employees.

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.

Khalid Mannan is currently serving as a BESS Junior Product Manager for JinKo, where he specializes in product management for commercial battery energy storage systems. With a background in energy engineering from the University of Huddersfield, Khalid brings a wealth of technical expertise to his role. Prior to joining JinKo, Khalid held positions as a Technical Product Manager and Junior Product Manager, where he honed his skills in managing various renewable energy solar products, and participated in trade shows. His experience also includes roles as a Technical Support Engineer and Solar Technician, contributing to his comprehensive understanding of the energy sector. Khalid's dedication to skill development is evident through his academic achievements, including a Bachelor's degree in Energy Engineering from the University of Huddersfield and a (BTech) Electronic Engineering from Uxbridge College

Thor Stilling is Sales Manager for Sungrow Nordics, responsible for the utility scale PV inverter and battery storage units. He joined Sungrow in 2022, as the first employee in Denmark. Sungrow is a global leading PV inverter and energy storage system provider with over 515 GW of power electronics converters installed worldwide as of December 2023. The company has established itself as one of the most trusted solar inverter brands globally, with an impressive track record of projects, products and services, covering residential, C&I and utility-scale purposes. The company is continuing its expansion into the Nordics with a knowledgeable local team, with support covering project management, commissioning & operations and maintenance.

As part of the PVO International team, Renate van Zetten contributes to utility-scale solar projects throughout Europe. Her extensive experience in utility projects allows her to support developers and EPCs in overcoming market challenges. Renate’s focus on ESG efforts, coupled with her commitment to quality, reinforces PVO's dedication to providing top-tier solar components and service, helping the company and its partners thrive in a rapidly changing market.

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Mikkel joined Our New Energy as a Partner in 2019, and heads up the Nordic and UK markets. He came from a position as Head of Origination at Danske Commodities, where he was responsible for their +6GW renewables PPA portfolio. Our New Energy is the leading European PPA advisor having closed +2.5 GW of long term PPAs for unsubsidised assets across Europe. Mikkel Kring is a strong believer of hybrid projects (wind+solar), and predicts a rapid expansion of solar in particularly in Sweden and Denmark.

Zacharias Karlsen joined EQT’s headquarters in Stockholm in March 2016 as an Investment Professional. Between 2019 and 2021 he was based in EQT’s New York office. Prior to joining EQT Partners, he worked at Citigroup's London and Stockholm offices in the Power & Utilities Team and the Nordic Coverage Team. Zacharias holds a B.Sc. in Business and Economics from Stockholm School of Economics and a Master of Laws from Stockholm University.

Corentin graduated in engineering at an engineering school in Paris (Ponts et Chaussées) and studied his master in sustainable energies at the Imperial College in London. Corentin has joined Clean Horizon in 2016 and is now partner, he is heading market analysis activities. As such, he acts as project manager on key market analysis projects as well as price forecasts efforts of the company. Additionally, Corentin is the commercial director of Clean Horizon.

Ghada Alafranji is a seasoned technical sales professional working alongside the business team at RatedPower, a deep tech company that offers a cloud-based software to instantly carry out the design and engineering of solar plants and reduce energy costs, ultimately maximizing project profitability. With a background in sustainable and renewable energy engineering, Ghada blends her business acumen with solid technical knowledge. At RatedPower, she is responsible for the Nordics region (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden), ensuring exponential growth within these markets and the development of RatedPower’s technology.

Francisco Estela, an engineer with more than 25 years in the solar industry, has developed his activity in different areas such as R&D for balance of systems, solar cell manufacturing, large grid-connected photovoltaic projects in private investment funds, and self-consumption RCI photovoltaic systems. He joined LONGi Solar in 2020 as Technical Director for the Middle East, and currently is the CTO for Europe II.

With a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management from KTH, Jenny joined Flower as employee nr.6, which now counts over 100 people. As part of the Strategy Office at Flower, Jenny is responsible for the solar power business. Besides Flower, Jenny has, for example, been involved in research about solar power in Sub-Saharan Africa. Flower is a Swedish greentech scale-up enabling the energy system of tomorrow. Founded in 2020, Flower is backed by senior and well-known investors, such as the venture capital firm Northzone, distribution system operator Ellevio, and H&M chairman Karl-Johan Persson. Flower's flexible asset portfolio combined with the in-house machine learning-based optimization platform enables a reliable and fossil-free energy system. As one of the leading Nordic flexibility providers, Flower participates in a variety of ancillary service markets as well as wholesale trading by taking on the Balance Responsible Party (BRP) role for solar power and other asset types, while also being a PPA off-taker.