Panel Discussion

To achieve the proclaimed CO2 emission reduction targets and support the move towards a 100% RE scenario in the long run, there will be an enormous demand for space to deploy all the future PV capacity. Apart from further expansion of ground-mounted and rooftop installations, solar PV has the unique advantage that it can be integrated with infrastructures such as buildings and enables the dual use of spaces, be it on sealed surfaces (e.g., carparks), water bodies, or agricultural land.

For “Integrated PV”, however, there are many more stakeholders that need to be involved, which could have other or even conflicting interests. One example is the deployment of “floating PV” on a multi-purpose reservoir, which serves as hydropower facility and is also used for drinking water and irrigation. Complexity already starts with the (presumably simple) question of “who owns the water surface” and hence has the rights over it. Very quickly, there are several ministries involved. Similarly, for “agrivoltaics” the question arises who the ultimate beneficiary of a combined PV and agricultural facility will be and how to align the various interests. Over and above these technical and regulatory questions is the need for sustainable business models which allow investors to make reasonable returns over the entire lifetime of the integrated PV system.

The panel will address these topics in a holistic way and provide views from different stakeholders, in order to pave the way forward and unlock the tremendous potential of “Integrated PV”.