Recording of Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | The smarter E Europe 2024 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 18:09 .

Solar Industry Veteran Reflects on Four Decades of Evolution, from Astro Power to Nextracker and the Potential Return of Vertical Integration

Howard Wenger reflects on his extensive career in the solar industry, starting from his early days at Astro Power in 1984. He details how Astro Power was a major US manufacturer of photovoltaic panels, producing up to 26 megawatts annually with an efficiency of about 11-12%. The cost per watt back then was significantly higher than today's prices. Currently working at Nextracker, he celebrates shipping 100 gigawatts since its founding in 2013 and discusses the evolution of solar technology over four decades. Wenger's advice for newcomers emphasizes resilience and positivity amidst the volatile nature of the solar market. He stresses focusing on value creation by driving down Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) and embracing hybrid solutions like digital energy storage. He recounts the shift from vertically integrated companies like SunPower to specialized firms driven by scale and technological advancement. Despite this trend toward specialization, Wenger notes a possible reintegration where customers seek complete solutions from single providers—a notion he finds both challenging yet potentially beneficial due to evolving market demands.

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Speaker

Howard Wenger
President
Nextracker
Spain

Talk of session: Hybrid PV Power Plants I: Providing Flexible Generation for the Energy System

Hybrid power plants play a crucial role in addressing the flexibility limitations of variable renewables. Solar and wind and/or battery storage systems improve grid-stability, allow to integrate more renewable energy and offer potential additional revenue for power plant operators.

This session will include:

• Hybrid solar power plant case studies
• Status and developments of hybrid solar power plant systems
• Policy frameworks for a solar-based hybrid power supply

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome and Introduction

Speaker

Jenny Chase
Lead Solar Analyst
BloombergNEF
United Kingdom

To Talk

Hybrid Wind-Solar in the Age of Saturated Grids

Speaker

Kyle David Ryan
Senior Project Engineer, Solar Engineering
RWE Renewables Europe & Australia GmbH
Germany

To Talk

Impact on Co-Located BESS on Utility PV System Designs

Speaker

Johannes Linder
Director System Design & Innovation
BELECTRIC GmbH
Germany

To Talk

Zerbst: Developing Germany's Largest Hybrid PV-BESS Project

Speaker

Laurent Talbot
Head of Energy Storage
Statkraft Erneuerbare GmbH
Germany

To Talk

How Optimized Schedules & Revenue Stacking Make Hybrid Plants Profitable

Speaker

Isabella Caschetto
Product Manager Digital Services
SMA Solar Technology AG
Deutschland

To Talk