2023 Agenda
Interested in speaking on a panel, or giving a presentation?
Get in touch with the Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe conference producer, Moses Makin to discuss speaking opportunities.
09:00 -
09:15
Keynote
09:15 -
09:50
PANEL DISCUSSION
Difficulties in obtaining grid connections slows down the growth of solar deployment in Central and Eastern Europe. This panel addresses this issue by discussing practical steps to overcome this challenge, including:
- How the private sector could improve access to the grid by developing grid infrastructure.
- How can developers effectively collaborate to make better use out of connection points?
- Navigating bureaucracies to obtain a grid connection.
- Best practice for cable pooling.
- Which technologies are available to maximise the use out of existing connection points?
Speaker
10:10 -
10:45
Room One
PANEL DISCUSSION
Permitting processes add uncertainties as to whether projects can be developed from a greenfield stage, draining the time and resources of stakeholders involved in the development large scale solar projects. This panel discusses the best approaches to solar deployment that impact permitting across Central and Eastern Europe, including:
- How to balance the time-sensitive nature of permitting with environmental risk management.
- The best practice for working with local authorities to certify projects.
- The impact of adding technologies such as storage, wind or hydrogen to PV projects on permitting processes.
- The nuances of each country’s legal framework for permitting.
Moderator
Speaker
Offtake and Revenues Stream
Development & Markets Stream
11:15 -
12:00
Room One
PANEL DISCUSSION
The offtake structure decided upon can impact the profitability of PV projects and the feasibility of obtaining project finance. This panel discusses the merits and drawbacks of different offtake structures like feed-in-tariff, PPAs, CPPAs, the CFD system and merchant offtake in the context of:
- The level and length of offtake agreements.
- The impact of price caps and regulations.
- The risk appetite for the merchant revenues.
- How platforms and brokers can match generators with the most lucrative offtake revenue streams.
Moderator
Speaker
11:15 -
12:00
Room Two
PANEL DISCUSSION
- Working with local communities to limit environmental impact of large scale solar projects.
- Choosing the right type of land to build solar projects on to limit negative biodiversity and water-use impacts.
- Turning good environmental risk management into a competitive differentiator for solar projects.
- How much does closer proximity to a substation increase the return on investment?
- Evaluating the technical parameters of the land, including the inclination, size and shape to decide if the land is suitable for PV.
Speaker
12:00 -
12:45
Room One
PANEL DISCUSSION
Energy security issues in the Central and Eastern Europe have meant industrial energy users have turned towards PPAs to de-risk their energy consumption. This panel discusses the key issues that impact a successful PPA strategy, including:
- Assessing and mitigating the different risks that impact PPAs.
- How to structure an onsite PPA to deliver energy.
- How to structure aggregate PPAs for groups of offtakers.
- The varying regulations for PPAs that differ across countries.
- Overcoming legal issues in setting up a direct connection.
Speaker
12:00 -
12:45
Room Two
PANEL DISCUSSION
- Identifying and managing the main operational risks to solar assets.
- Using data and software to increase asset performance and reduce variability.
- Using insurance to mitigate the financial risk of poor asset performance.
Offtake and Revenues Stream
Development & Markets Stream
14:15 -
15:00
Room One
PANEL DISCUSSION
The case for investing into solar projects in Central and Eastern Europe does not sit within a geographic silo. International investors must consider the pros and cons of Central and Eastern Europe vs the rest of the world. This session will help you make that decision by considering:
- What the investment climate and political will is for renewables in comparison to other emerging regions around the world.
- To what extent investment in Central and Eastern European solar assets can substantially diversify an international renewables fund.
- How international financial investors and international utility investors differ on approaching route to market in Central and Eastern Europe.
Speaker
Managing Director and Head of the Private Equity / Infrastructure Transaction Team,
Impax Asset Management
14:15 -
15:45
Room Two
NETWORKING ROUNDTABLES
In these discussion groups, learn how markets for solar are evolving across Central and Eastern Europe. Discussions groups comprise of 8 to 10 people. Each discussion group will last 20 minutes before feeding back to the main group.
- Poland
- Romania
- Hungary
- Bulgaria
- Ukraine
- Croatia
- Serbia
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Estonia
- Slovenia
- Slovakia
15:00 -
15:45
Room One
PANEL DISCUSSION
Deciding how much to invest in or sell a Central and Eastern European solar project for will depend on your approach to M&A. This panel considers this in the context of:
- Modelling how much power is expected to be generated and sold by a PV project.
- What OPEX is expected to run a project
- Refining M&A expectations for different countries given the varying cost, tax and financing conditions in different jurisdictions.
- Financing M&A through debt or equity.
- How to increase the value of your project with new technologies that reduce maintenance cost and improve efficiencies.
Moderator
Speaker
Head of Structured Finance and M&A – Business Development Europe,
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV)
16:15 -
17:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
- Understanding the revenue model for storage co-located with storage.
- Deciding which energy storage technologies to use.
- Obtaining finance to fund storage and PV projects.
- Deciding whether to fund through debt or equity.
Moderator
09:15 -
10:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
The war in Ukraine has severely damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, forcing a rebuilding of it. It leads to the question of what does this mean for solar energy consumers, developers and investors operating in Ukraine and the wider Central and Eastern Europe region? This panel discusses:
- How these stakeholders can continue to support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
- How the rebuilding Ukraine’s electricity market will provide opportunities for investors and developers to accelerate decarbonisation and enhance regional energy security.
- The impact of greater interconnection between Ukraine and Romania on the electricity markets of Central and Eastern Europe region.
Moderator
Speaker
Head of the Council,
Ukrainian Association of Renewable Energy
10:00 -
10:45
PANEL DISCUSSION
- Given EU subsidies for the manufacturing of green technologies, where across the Central and Eastern Europe can best take advantage of local supply chains.
- Understanding the different supply chain regulatory hurdles for markets across Central & Eastern Europe.
- Choosing technologies with a high bankability and resilient supply chain.
- Developing a green and ethical solar supply chain.
- The impact of the Net Zero Industry Act, Repower EU, Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework and Critical Raw Materials.
Moderator
11:15 -
12:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
By 2024, the total PV capacity will have reached 8.3 GW in Poland. This panel discusses the main issues impacting the PV market in Poland and advises on how to seize opportunities in the market, including:
- The outlook for future grid connections, given PV’s competition with wind for connection points.
- How the development of the energy law will impact the selling of energy generated by PV.
- How to navigate local planning regulations will impact PV deployment.
Moderator
Speaker
Managing Director, Corporate & Investment Banking,
Santander Corporate & Investment Banking
12:00 -
12:45
PANEL DISCUSSION
- To what extent are macroeconomic conditions a barrier for smaller investors to partake in Central and Eastern Europe PV projects?
- Addressing currency risks for projects beyond the Eurozone. Are there currency hedges that will significantly mitigate risk?
- How will a changing interest rate influence financing decisions?
- Choosing which currency to finance PV projects in.
- How to structure cross-border PPAs that are impacted by macroeconomic volatility across currency zones.
Speaker
14:15 -
15:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
The Baltics present a fast growing market for solar. At the end of 2021, the three Baltic states had a cumulative installed PV capacity of 785 MW. However, uncertainties persist about:
- The legislation for land use for solar.
- The price expectations for projects.
- The status, value and opportunities for using energy storage as part of PV projects.
- The impact of curtailment.
Speaker
15:00 -
15:45
PANEL DISCUSSION
As solar projects scale there are greater demands on the operations and maintenance of the assets to ensure that the solar farms are productive and run cost-efficiently. This panel discusses dilemmas surrounding this, including:
- How to address human capital challenges.
- Whether O&M should be insourced or outsourced.
- What best practice of working with EPCs looks like and learnings from past experiences.