Utility-scale Solar Power II: Digitalization in PV Power Plants - Enhancing O&M through Digital Twinning, Data and Process Integration

PhD in physical chemistry at Technical University Chemnitz - Chemical vapor deposition and insitu process analytic. Experience in high end semiconductor manufacturing processes at Advanced Microelectronic Devices, Globalfoundries and Intel in Germany, Ireland and USA. Since 2016 worked for Research and technology company CTF Solar GmbH in Dresden Germany in the technology development for CdTe thin film PV module manufacturing equipment and processes. Up to now 37 patents and multiple scientific publications.

Dr Radovan Kopecek received his diploma in physics from the University of Stuttgart in 1998 and studied as well at Portland State University (Oregon, USA), where he obtained a Master of Science degree already in 1995. In 2002, he completed his doctoral thesis in Konstanz in the field of crystalline thin-film photovoltaics. Until the end of 2006, he was group leader for n-type cell technology at the University of Konstanz. As one of the founders of ISC Konstanz, Dr Kopecek has been a full-time manager and researcher at the institute since 2007 and was managing director, CTO and head of the Advanced Solar Cells department until June 2023 and head of the Strategy and Education department since July 2023. He is the author of several books and more than 200 articles and holds several patents for the production of n-type PV technologies. He is the organizer of several workshops that he started in Konstanz, such as nPV, bifiPV, tandemPV and BCworkshop. Dr Kopecek was on the board of EUREC (Association of EU's R&D centers involved in renewables) from 2016 to 2021. In 2018, he co-founded ATAMOSTEC - a research and development center for desert modules and systems in Chile and has been on the board since 2022. In 2022, Dr Kopecek was also elected to the board of the ESMC (European Solar Manufacturing Council). Since May 2023, he has been one of the spokespersons for the PV Production Working Group of the BMWK (Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection).

Dr. Puzant Baliozian is the VDMA PV Equipment Group's project manager since September of this year. He is involved in techno-economic studies for manufacturing capacity of PV along the value chain and represents the interests of European PV equipment manufacturers internationally. The PV Sector Group at VDMA also publishes the yearly international technology roadmap for photovoltaics (ITRPV) showing highly relevant technology projections and trends. Dr. Baliozian studied physics at the American University of Beirut (BSc., 2014) and has a specialization in renewable energy (MSc. 2016) from the university of Freiburg. From 2016 until recently, he worked at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg in the field of photovoltaic production technologies where he also did his PhD. He is best known for developing the passivated edge technology for separated industrial solar cell concepts, to boost cell and module efficiencies.

Hydrogen technology and supply have been gaining strategic importance globally. In a context of climate change, supply chain crisis and war, the yet young technology has been put on top of the agenda of all the big economic zones. Europe's first move has been answered by actions of China and lead to reaction by the USA. The session discusses what policy makers should do and effectively do, how industry adapts and adopts, and how this translates into industrial action.