With 1,354 exhibitors, 100,000m2 of exhibition space and around 50,000 visitors from 162 countries, Intersolar Europe – the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry – is celebrating another successful year along with its three accompanying energy exhibitions.
From PV production technologies to hybrid inverters to subsidy-free business models, the topics explored at the 2019 event were highly diverse and well received by the crowds of visitors. Attendees also had the chance to learn more about current trends, innovative business models and international markets at the Intersolar Europe Conference. Intersolar Europe is part of the smarter E Europe, the continent’s largest platform for the energy industry, which covered a total of ten exhibition halls in 2019 – two more than at the event’s debut last year.
Last year saw deployment of 11.2GW of photovoltaic power (PV) on the continent, which represents impressive growth of 21% over the previous year. This information comes from the latest edition of the Global Market Outlook, presented by SolarPower Europe at this year’s Intersolar Europe Conference. The outlook is just as promising for 2019. The industry association expects to see 20.4GW of newly installed capacity this year, an increase of more than 80%. The most influential European solar markets in 2019 are Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, France and – for the first time – Ukraine.
Looking forward to 2020, SolarPower Europe expects the Europe-wide solar market to grow by 18% with new PV installations adding 24.1 GW of capacity. This would surpass the current record deployment seen in 2011, when newly installed PV capacity in Europe totalled 22.5GW. And solar power isn’t just on the rise in Europe, but worldwide. On a global scale, the association forecasts new PV capacity of around 128GW in 2019, which would represent growth of 25%.
“Great things are happening on the market, and that dynamism is reflected at the exhibition. Our members are reporting solid new deals, a great deal of confidence, and full order books. The message from Munich is unmistakable – the solar and storage industry are prepared for much more rapid expansion and ever-smarter solutions in the electricity, mobility and heating sectors for power plants of all sizes around the world,” says Carsten Körnig, CEO of the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar).
The driving forces behind this boom include the continuously falling cost of generating solar power, cheaper energy storage, the growing competitiveness of PV in comparison to conventional energy sources, and the importance of new subsidy-free business models for financing solar farms based on power purchase agreements (PPAs).
The Intersolar Europe Conference focused on global markets, technologies and financing for PV projects once again in 2019. In addition to the market trends in Europe, experts shined a light on markets in Africa and in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). Other sessions explored the interaction of PV and storage systems – the latest hot topic in the industry. Attendees gained valuable information about new applications including solar installations in façades, on agricultural land and on water (floating PV). The participants also learned more about the opportunities afforded by digitalisation for the operational control of PV installations.
Intersolar Europe and the parallel exhibitions ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power will all take place from June 17th to 19th 2020 as part of the innovation hub the smarter E Europe at Messe München.
Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.
Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.
