Intersolar Europe 2023 - ENGIE at the world's largest solar trade fair

05 September 2023

From practice Energy efficiency Renewable energy Photovoltaics PPA Climate neutrality

Solar energy is one of the most important key technologies of the energy transition. Electricity produced with photovoltaics (PV) offers enormous potential to enable our society to strike a balance between growing energy demand and climate friendliness. Day after day, the sun shines down on the earth for free and provides more energy than humans could ever consume. But if you take a look at roofs and open spaces in this country, you will see that a large part of this energy source has unfortunately remained unused until now.

The German government wants to significantly advance the expansion of PV. According to the Easter package for the expansion of renewable energies adopted last year, the expansion targets amount to 215 gigawatts of PV capacity by 2030. That is almost four times the 2022 figure. So there is a lot for the energy industry to do. And indeed, a lot is happening around photovoltaics. This was proven not least by the large number of visitors and the numerous contributions at Intersolar Europe 2023. With over 106,000 visitors, this year's trade fair broke all previous records.

Leading solar experts united in one place

Intersolar Europe 2023 is the world's largest exhibition for the solar industry. Once a year, the professional world comes together in Munich to exchange information about current trends and business potential in the PV sector. Manufacturers, trader, service providers and other players in the energy industry join forces to promote the idea of photovoltaics. This year's event focused in particular on the combination of different PV utilisation options. The use of the technology now goes far beyond the classic production of electricity for the grid.

At the trade fair this year, the experts discussed, among other things, the supply of electric vehicles via PV wall boxes and the use of solar energy in combination with heat pumps. Many topics revolved around the intelligent interaction of the components. Today, solar power is seen as a key green technology that combines climate-friendly energy production with economical storage solutions and the efficient supply of end-use applications. Hybridisation was also an ongoing theme at Intersolar Europe 2023, meaning the dual use of surfaces with photovoltaic systems. In this respect, the trade fair visitors were able to experience numerous expert contributions and take a look at exhibits relating to modern concepts such as Agri-PV or Floating-PV.

Good to know

The term Agri-PV describes photovoltaic systems that are used on agricultural land. The term floating PV, on the other hand, refers to floating photovoltaic power plants on lakes or at sea. Agri-PV and floating PV, as well as other concepts, solve the classic land conflict of solar energy. Until now, those who decided to use solar power had to forego using their land for other purposes. Modern special constructions for the mounting of PV modules, however, make it possible for farmers and fisheries, for example, to additionally produce green electricity on their fields and water areas.

ENGIE Germany - strong presence at Intersolar Europe 2023

Where to be present if not at Intersolar Europe 2023? For us, the trade fair was definitely a fixed date in the calendar. With our own stand, we provided the trade fair audience with background knowledge. There was a lot to report: after all, a lot is happening in the solar sector, not least at our company. By 2030, ENGIE's PV energy production is set to grow to an astonishing 22 GW.

Our stand: Modern solutions for decarbonisation and energy autonomy

At Intersolar Europe 2023, we demonstrated the practical solutions our customers use to reduce CO₂ emissions and energy costs. Our subsidiary Solarimo showed what is already possible today in terms of production and storage. We presented the trade fair audience with turnkey solutions and services that cover the entire photovoltaic value chain from conception to technical implementation and marketing. This includes our innovative Flexisun® concept - a combination of on-site photovoltaics, battery storage and intelligent energy management. In this regard, we presented an elaborately designed, walk-in 3D model to the trade fair visitors at our stand. Interested parties were also able to find out about the great advantages of PPA contracts. Project development and financing was also a popular topic.

Our technical papers: Highly informative and forward-looking

Experts from the ENGIE Group contributed three successful technical papers at Intersolar Europe 2023:

In the session "Rooftop PV: Achieving Energy Independence", Maria Colom Cifuentes, Head of Distributed Solar at ENGIE Spain (GBU Energy Solutions), spoke about incentives to increase rooftop installations and the related reduction of grid congestion.
The session "Agri-PV: How to exploit the great potential of solar power in agriculture" by James MacDonald, strategist for our subsidiary Laborelec, provided information about the clear advantages of solar power production on arable land. He specifically addressed the US market.
In the session "Large-scale PV III: Solar Power & Sustainability - from project planning to transparency in the value chain", Delphine Cherel-Sparham, Chief Projects & Engineering Officer at ENGIE France, discussed how to achieve optimal results from solar sites for the benefit of investors and the environment alike.

A complete success: Intersolar Europe 2023

We were very pleased about the lively interest in our technical contributions and the crowds at our trade fair stand at Intersolar Europe 2023. Because: We at ENGIE are proud to contribute to the exchange of knowledge in the solar industry, to further develop the idea of solar energy and to advance the energy transition in Germany and Europe. We will again demonstrate how we succeed in this at the upcoming Intersolar Europe from 19 to 21 June 2024 - as usual with our own stand and informative presentations for the trade audience. Until then, we will provide you with exciting information about renewable energies in the ENGIE magazine Zero Carbon.