S205: Espresso with Radovan Kopecek ☕
Start your Sunday with a long Espresso: an update on the extremely challenging market conditions facing solar equipment suppliers.
This week, Torsten Brammer touches base with solar journeyman Radovan Kopecek from ISC Konstanz, who shares some of the insights he's gleaned from recent travels to key PV conferences in Europe and India. He reports on the manufacturing landscape in 2024 and the dire situation some equipment suppliers are facing.
In this clip, Rado explains how solar tool makers, along with manufacturers, are facing severe oversupply and are willing to cut extremely attractive deals with prospective PV producers.
⬇️ Link to the full Espresso below in the comments.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here:
https://lnkd.in/e9rDjuuU#SolarEnergy#PVManufacturing#RenewableEnergy#SolarTech#CleanEnergy#EnergyTransition#SolarEquipment#SustainableEnergy#SolarIndustry#PVMarket#CleanTech
On this week's episode of The Solar Journey, Ndiarka M., CEO and Founder of Kowry Energy Services, delivers a powerful message about the stakes for off-grid energy solutions in sub-Saharan Africa.
"Now, it is extremely, extremely expensive to be poor. People don't know that, but it is expensive to be poor, because if you only have $10, you prioritize to pay your electricity... So you have to make sure that you install quality material."
Join us for a deep dive into how Ndiarka and Kowry Energy are driving reliable, sustainable energy solutions across Africa, and why quality is non-negotiable when it comes to driving economic sovereignty for the continent's rural communities.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here:
https://lnkd.in/e9rDjuuU
📹 Watch the interview on Youtube:
https://lnkd.in/eQYnW8bm
🌍 S205: "Going Big, Offgrid" with Ndiarka Mbodji 💡
This week's episode of The Solar Journey takes us to sub-Saharan Africa with Ndiarka M., CEO and founder of Kowry Energy Services Energy, as the company rolls out sustainable energy solutions across the continent.
Ndiarka's background in chemistry and business management, plus a 15 year tenure in the corporate world at Rolls-Royce, led her to excel in operational roles. But it was her deep connection to Senegal, and her goal of helping the people there gain economic sovereignty, that led to her career shift to renewable energy. She shares how her experiences of going back and forth between Europe and Africa sparked a realization about the vast disparity in energy access—and why the future of development in Africa lies in affordable, reliable power.
With Kowry Energy, Ndiarka envisions energy as the "new currency for economic development," linking Africa's prosperous past with its bright future. “The number one thing you need is energy,” she emphasizes, discussing her company’s mission to foster economic sovereignty for rural communities through reliable, scalable off-grid solutions.
Throughout the conversation, Ndiarka touches on the challenges and opportunities of running a startup in a market as complex as Africa, how her corporate experience shaped her approach to leadership, and the critical role of quality in delivering long-term impact.
PLUS, in the Espresso segment, Radovan Kopecek touches base to discuss the latest in manufacturing news from India and Europe, along with the IP disputes that are increasingly entangling TOPCon manufacturers.
🎧 Tune in now wherever you get your podcasts:
https://lnkd.in/eHe7ciZh
💻 Full interview transcript is available on The Solar Journey blog:
https://lnkd.in/ei4qJrVu
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S204: Espresso with James Allston ☕
Grab your Monday morning espresso shot of insight into Europe's clean tech scene!
In this week’s Espresso segment, Torsten Brammer catches up with James Allston, co-founder of Orkestra, to discuss the latest from last month's Solar Storage Live event in the UK. They dive into Orkestra’s innovative software solutions and discuss why strategic data insights are the key to unlocking more widespread C&I solar and storage adoption across Europe.
James also shares his thoughts on expanding into the European market, and how distributed solar software can drive the future of energy resilience.
In this clip, James sets out the challenge that Orkestra is addressing: how the distributed segment of the solar industry can scale its processes from those that address homeowners, to larger businesses. And it's a non-trivial challenge!
⬇️ Link to the full Espresso below in the comments.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here:
https://lnkd.in/ejDJgbkt#TSJ#TheSolarJourney#CleanEnergy#SolarTech#EnergyStorage#RenewableEnergy#SolarSoftware#SolarStorageLive#CleanTech#EnergyInnovation
𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗘𝗗𝘅𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻: 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 ☀️🔋
At TEDxBerlin's "Future of Energy" event, solar energy and battery storage proved to be the main stars of the show. With young cleantech innovators and seasoned experts alike, the event highlighted how solar PV and battery energy storage systems are already transforming the global energy landscape.
The Berlin TXL project, hosted at the city's former airport, showcased this transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. Despite the site’s own infancy, the advancements in solar technology left a powerful message: Solar energy is no longer a dream of the future—it’s here, affordable, and scalable.
Key takeaways:
1️⃣ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆: As Alexander Voigt put it, “Renewable energy is now good to go,” with the cost of solar energy plus storage now at just five cents per kilowatt-hour globally
2️⃣ 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲: Gerard Reid emphasized China's dominance in the solar, battery, and EV sectors, noting that China is investing four times more than the U.S. and Europe combined in the clean energy revolution
3️⃣ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽: Europe’s progress has been slow in comparison, and there’s a call for faster action to catch up with China’s lead
💬 Will Europe step up its pace in the clean energy revolution? Let us know your thoughts!
📖 Read the full recap by illuminem Voice Jonathan Gifford, Co-founder and head of content at Climate Copy here: https://lnkd.in/ej5sxJug#solarpower#cleanenergy#batterystorage#TEDxBerlin#energytransition
