INDUSTRY SUMMIT PROGRAMME 2026

The session will examine why European equipment suppliers continue to be valued for quality, reliability, process know-how, and industrial integration; why many manufacturing decisions are nevertheless shifting toward Chinese equipment; how new industrial alliances are emerging across India, Africa, the United States, and Europe; and why investors — rather than only CTOs or factory operators — increasingly determine technology and equipment choices. The discussion will move beyond traditional scientific conference formats and focus on the industrial reality of PV deployment: gigawatt-scale manufacturing execution, bankability and industrial risk, manufacturing ecosystem competitiveness, supply-chain resilience, cybersecurity and strategic autonomy, and how Europe can remain relevant in the global PV production economy. Particular attention will be given to emerging collaborations between European R&D centers, equipment manufacturers, and new manufacturing regions seeking to develop alternative industrial ecosystems outside the dominant Chinese supply chain. The session will also address a critical missing dimension in the PV ecosystem: how to engage investors in manufacturing decisions that increasingly shape technology selection, industrial resilience, and long-term strategic autonomy.

Europe has set ambitious targets to rebuild a resilient solar manufacturing value chain, supported by the Industrial Accelerator Act and the Net-Zero Industry Act. Yet, despite growing policy support, capital is not flowing at the pace required. Why? This session explores the bankability gap in European PV manufacturing. It will bring together manufacturers, investors, public finance institutions and policymakers to examine what is missing to unlock investment at scale.
Key questions include: - What risks prevent private capital from entering manufacturing? - Are current instruments (Innovation Fund, resilience auctions, state aid) sufficient? - How can demand visibility, pricing structures and industrial policy improve bankability?
The session aims to identify concrete pathways to make Europe’s solar industry investable and competitive.

The session will examine how artificial intelligence is changing the practice of research in the topic of PV materials, manufacturing and the management of PV energy systems: from accelerating literature review, experimentation, modelling, and data interpretation to improving yield and fiscal forecasting, asset monitoring, grid integration, and overall portfolio management. It will explore where AI already adds measurable value, where expectations remain inflated, and what is required to move from promising tools to reliable workflows. The discussion will move beyond generic AI enthusiasm and focus on operational reality: research productivity, model transparency, data quality, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, governance, human oversight, and the strategic implications of AI for innovation capacity, cyber-security risks and solar energy decision-making. The aim is to connect scientific practices with implementation challenges across research organisations, asset owners, and energy system management. Particular attention will be given on how we can build trustworthy AI capabilities that support both scientific excellence and the system-level energy transition. The session will also address a critical dimension of the AI discussions: how to align technological capability with research integrity, system - level adoption, and strategic governance so that AI strengthens rather than fragments decision-making in renewable energy management and production.