OPENING SESSION

Anita Mohan Goel is a Mechanical Engineer with an M.Tech in Energy Engineering from NIT Jaipur and brings over 17 years of experience in the renewable energy sector. She began her career in 2008 as a CDM Analyst and joined the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in May, 2012, where she has contributed across solar, wind, hybrid, and storage-based projects of varied scales. In her current role as Deputy General Manager (Projects – Power Systems), Ms. Goel has led the execution of Solar PV projects, driven the development of SECI’s Wind and Hybrid portfolio, and is spearheading Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) initiatives to ensure reliable clean power supply.

Dr Zhang graduated his PhD degree from the Australian National University and possesses over 10 years experience in the photovoltaic industry. He is currently serving as the General Manager of R&D at Jinko Solar. Dr Zhang has extensive experience in technology development and implementation, particularly in the area of Si photovoltaic solar cells, Si ingot growth. With over 100 patents to his name, he has led his team to achieve multiple world-record-breaking breakthroughs in high-efficiency photovoltaic cell technologies. He is also serving as a committee member of the International Electrotechnical Commission.

Teresa Barnes is a Principal Scientist, the Director of the DuraMAT Consortium for module materials research, and a Distinguished Member of the Research Staff at NREL. DuraMAT focuses on PV module and system reliability, including accelerated test development, materials and interface modeling, reliability forecasting, sustainability, and field performance. Teresa has worked in PV at NREL for 20 years on thin-film PV, flexible devices, reliability and sustainability. She is currently on detail to the Loan Programs Office of DOE as a technical advisor on clean energy manufacturing and deployment. She is a Chemical Engineer with a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines and a BS from the University of Maryland.

Walburga Hemetsberger, winner of this year’s Becquerel Prize, has been the CEO of SolarPower Europe since 2019. She has been working in Brussels for more than 20 years in different positions, most of the time in the energy sector. Before joining SolarPower Europe, Walburga headed the VERBUND Representation Office in Brussels and was a Board Member of Hydrogen Europe. Walburga holds a degree in Law and Business Administration from Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck. She speaks German, English, Dutch and French.

José Donoso is an economist and has been linked to the renewable energy sector for more than 30 years. Currently he is CEO of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), an association that brings together more than 800 companies of the sector in Spain. He is also President of the Spanish Photovoltaic R&D Platform (Fotoplat) and member of the Advisory Council of the Electricity Market Organization (OMEL). Internationally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Solar Council (GSC), the global photovoltaic energy association; representative of national and European associations on the SolarPower Europe Board (SPE) and member of Task 1 of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Dr Torsten Brammer is a physicist (PhD), entrepreneur, and advisor with over 30 years in the solar industry. He has co-founded and led multiple ventures that grew into international technology leaders, combining scientific expertise with entrepreneurial execution. His focus is on turning research into scalable industrial solutions and supporting organizations from start-up stage to global market presence. Dr Brammer also hosts The Solar Journey podcast, where he speaks with leading experts about innovations, business models, and the future of solar energy worldwide.