EP.1
Enabling Multi Terawatt PV Deployment: Technical and Social Dimensions

Welcome to our last preview of the Plenary Session of the 2023 EUPVSEC in Lisbon.

On Friday, 22nd September, the Conference will conclude with its last plenary session 5EP.1, titled Enabling Multi Terawatt PV Deployment: Technical and Social Dimensions. This plenary reflects the contribution of Photovoltaic technology to the global energy supply, which is steadily rising together with Wind Energy towards a significant share of emission free electricity supply.

But before going in the details of the Friday presentations, we provide as an addendum the titles of two plenary presentations on Wednesday, 20th September, which haven’t been mentioned in the last preview.

One (CP.1.4) starts at 8:30 and is titled Raising the Limits to PV Penetration: Why We Need Battery Swapping for the Future Energy and Transport Systems. The University of Lisbon will present solutions to issues of a large PV rollout, and the time it takes for re-charging batteries.

The second one, CP.3.4 Opportunities for thin-film PV in the next decade in Europe will be at 10:30 and is presented by the largest producer of thin-film modules (First Solar). Will there be opportunities for materials beyond CdTe? We are all curious about the role the presenter will foresee for other thin-film technologies like Perovskites or organic materials.

Coming now back to the last plenary session of the conference, starting Friday at 10:30. For its first presentation we are looking forward to the plenary talk 5EP.1.1 Using On-Line PV Inverter Measurements to Determine the Hosting Capacity of Distribution Grid. The somewhat dry title does not quite reflect the importance of the authors’ work for large grid penetration of PV. They propose to use the inverter voltage signals to indicate the capacity of the grid to distribute PV energy. This is thought as a counterweight to the grid operator’s assessment of available capacity for PV installations. The authors want to break down the traditional asymmetric knowledge between customer and grid operators when it comes to grid constraints. And if the grid-capacity is continuously monitored on the PV inverter side, positive effects on voltage quality and control of power flow from battery coupled PV systems can be achieved.

A thorough analysis of available space for PV installations is presented in 5EP.1.2 Roofs, Roads, Reservoirs - The Potential for Applied PV in Europe. Using existing infrastructure for the installation of photovoltaic plants can provide many benefits, not least the use of already developed land. In particular, this talk will look at the large potential of installations on European rooftops, motorways, and reservoirs. The methodology employs geospatial, satellite-based and statistical data sources combined with the energy production estimation capabilities of the PVGIS tool. The potential energy production using these resources is of the order of hundreds of TWh, the authors claim!


If you own a PV System on your house, have you ever thought of sharing surplus electricity with your neighbour(s), especially when you are on holidays? Then this is the presentation for you: 5EP.1.3 Collective Self-Consumption: The Next Step in PV Prosuming Policy to Foster Citizen Engagement? You will be briefed about the meaning of the “Prosumer” chapter of Europe’s Renewable Energy Directive in practice. The talk expands into collective use of PV systems, leading to an entire new social challenge to get citizens directly involved in the energy transition. The authors will present results on the analysis of different variants of a collective self-consumption policy and detail also the optimal PV system size in residential areas. We think that this plenary talk will also give you a good take-away about where PV is heading:  becoming citizen’s energy!

The very last presentation of the EU PVSEC will be 5EP.1.5 Photovoltaics at Multi Terawatt Scale: Waiting is not an option. This talk will expand on an article recently published in SCIENCE, authored by a multinational group of more than 50 PV scientists. It is based on the recent milestone of 1 TW world-wide installed capacity. Whilst this may sound huge, it is still only 5% of global electricity generation. The talk will therefore call for clearer communication on the needed size and speed for future installations, as time is running out for taking action on a large scale to significantly cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The presentation will also review the assumptions or mistakes in modeling which continuously were and still are underestimating the growth in PV.
We think that after hundreds of presentations this concluding plenary will certainly convey a clear message to allparticipants: be inspired to continue your good work, communicate clearly what is so special about PV and trust in the success of PV.

This concludes our plenary “sneak” preview. Within the next weeks, we will also preview latest news presentations, as they come into the programme.

Don’t miss the conference closing, just after the plenary. As is tradition, it will feature the Conference Highlights, given by the Programme Chair, a Keynote speech by the Conference General Chair and the award ceremonies for the best student papers and best posters. Expect the farewell around 13:10.

We are confident that your interest to come to Lisbon for the EUPVSEC 2023 is heightened, and are looking forward to meeting you in this sunny European capital.