Monday, 14 September, 08:30–09:30

Here we start our “Sneak Preview” with the Plenary session on Monday, 14th September, which opens the conference week. We would like to see everyone at this early time of the day, as the presentations are “Setting the Scene” of this conference. To save you time at the registration desk, we do not require you to wear the badge on Monday morning.

So what is the role of Photovoltaics in the Energy System? Or should we already say “The PV Energy System”, given the dramatic increase of PV as the one of the cheapest energy sources.

The first plenary talk by a multinational group is titled consequently “Limitless PV in Grids: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies”, will be given by Pierre-Jean Alet of CSEM, and we expect nothing less than a detailed roadmap for the transformation towards a PV Energy System. The talk is based on a comprehensive work of the European Technology and Industry Platform (ETIP-PV). The presentation will explain the nine measures ETIP has elaborated which shall be seen as a pre-requisite for PV deployment (almost) without limits. Their approach introduces a framework along the dimensions of the core requirements of the power system and the different stages in the life cycle of a PV system. We expect a perfect start into the week.

The second plenary presentation will be given by Jef Poortmans of IMEC and addresses the other new engine which drives PV on all levels: Artificial Intelligence. AI is the talk of the day, but listen to “AI for PV and PV for AI: Linking Nanoscale to TeraWatt(h)”! The surprise are the two parts of the presentation. On one part “AI for PV” we will learn how far AI is pushing PV forward an all levels, from advanced solar cells to PV Systems, from physics-based modelling to big data analysis. The second part “Energy for AI” is describing high power demand of AI data centres, making the claim that PV is in competition even with the Small Modular Power Reactors-hype, but also analyses in detail how PV would outperform other energy sources, if the choice of battery storage is well elaborated. Maybe data centres could move their workload even following the sun around the globe? Or, as one of the reviewers of the conference abstracts noted: “Not only they use AI for optimizing PV System modelling, but applying these models to power AI data centres, that is smart!”

To close the plenary session, Koen Kok of the Eindhoven University of Technology will give as the talk “Smart Grid and Intelligent Energy Systems”. The term “smart grid” is around since about 15 years, but only recently it became more than a heading for new research programmes. In fact, a smart grid is now a necessary requirement to cope with the increase of PV, because where the grid is neither smart nor intelligent, only curtailment is offered as a somewhat stupid consequence of the slow development of an Energy System Intelligence. We expect that the talk will also highlight the opportunities sectorial changes like heat and transport need to be addtionally taken into account, together with battery electric storage. The presenter is from the Netherlands, a country which has taken severe curtailment measures, and competent to outline the smart and intelligent alternatives. He was among the European smart grid pioneers, with involvement in early developments and field deployments. Application of intelligent software in the operation of (local) electricity systems and in market trade, against the background of the unfolding energy transition, is a key focus of Kok and his team. We are also looking forward to see an example of the smart grid: the “PowerMatching City”, the first living-lab smart grid community in the world.
This last talk will certainly answer your many questions about where the electricity system could and needs to move given the massive deployment of PV.

What now follows after the Coffee Break will be the award ceremony for the Becquerel Price, and the opening addresses of some very influential personalities. Then, the Conference will return to the topic of the last plenary talk with the moderated panel discussion around “Grid Congestion management and the perspective of The Netherlands”.

This concludes our Monday Plenary preview, and we hope you are getting an appetite to come and join us in Rotterdam. We will continue soon to make you curious with the upcoming Wednesday Plenaries preview.