The package of measures aims to reduce the red tape associated with solar deployment in order to achieve an annual growth of 22 gigawatt peak from 2026. The latest applications, products and business models for large-scale PV power plants will be on display at Intersolar Europe, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry. It will be held in Munich from June 19-21 as part of The smarter E Europe, the continent’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry. Some 3,000 exhibitors and over 115,000 visitors from all corners of the globe are expected to attend. The event will take place across 19 exhibition halls and an Outdoor Area.

Hybrid power plants consisting of PV and wind power or storage, or both, offer various benefits: Sun and wind complement each other’s generation profiles and can be combined in a system, making optimal use of energy infrastructure such as interconnection points and the space required to implement the system. The combination with energy storage comes with additional advantages: It can smooth out the volatility of renewables, and the stored electricity can be fed into the grid when it is needed - or it can be traded for a profit. Energy arbitrage enables the targeted provision and marketing of solar and wind energy on the energy exchange. The electricity is stored when the price is low or a lot of renewable electricity is being produced. When it is profitable to sell the stored electricity, it is fed into the grid.

The latest technologies in operation and maintenance

Artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage right now. It is also increasingly being used in the solar industry, especially in operations and maintenance (O&M). The AI-driven detection and analysis of incidents and deviations in operations and the standardized creation and selection of tickets are processes in which AI can be used to quickly process large amounts of data. In O&M, AI helps free up human resources for more complex tasks and standardize operations. What’s more, AI-supported software solutions can process weather data and create generation forecasts.

Special solar systems: parking lot PV, agricultural PV and floating PV

With Solar Package I, the “special solar systems” defined in the German Renewable Energy Sources Act EEG now have their own tender segment. These applications are becoming more prevalent and dual land use concepts are coming to the forefront of solar deployment plans. The maximum value for tenders has been raised to 9.5 cents/kWh. The products in this segment are rapidly evolving: carport substructures, elevated vertical and horizontal solar technology with and without trackers for agricultural PV, and mounting solutions for floating PV.

Intersolar Europe

As the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry, Intersolar Europe demonstrates the enormous vitality of the solar market. For more than 30 years, it has been providing a networking opportunity for key players, focusing on the latest trends, developments and business models under the motto “Connecting Solar Business”. Intersolar Europe will take place from June 19-21, 2024 as part of The smarter E Europe at Messe München.