#TSEP 230 How We Power Through: Key Takeaways from The smarter E Europe 2025025

The final episode of Powering Through, The smarter E podcast’s
special feature series, takes a look forward, by looking back. It
revisits the most compelling insights and recurring themes from
the wide-ranging conversations that shaped the series.


The key highlights include:


-       How solar power is meeting
surging electricity demand, and, when coupled with energy
storage, delivering reliable, affordable energy in emerging
economies


-       The challenges of scaling
solar deployment in Europe, and the growing need for flexibility
and storage


-       How battery energy storage
can strengthen electricity networks, with lessons from the April
28 Iberian blackout


-       The future of flexibility
in Europe and the market reforms needed to unlock it


-       Hurdles in battery
manufacturing and increasing industry capabilities


-       The rapid growth of
e-mobility, China’s expanding EV adoption and exports, and the
role of electric transport in supporting renewable integration


-       The rise of China’s PV
manufacturing dominance and the importance of global
collaboration


The episode also takes listeners onto The smarter E trade show
floor to capture fresh perspectives from attendees – what
they learned, what surprised them, and which developments they
see as having the greatest impact.



About the Speakers


Abigail Ross Hopper is the president and CEO of
the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national
trade organization for America's solar and storage
industry.
Jenny Chase is a solar analyst with BloombergNEF
having founded its solar team in 2006.


Julian Jansen is the Growth and Market
Development Director for the EMEA region at Fluence. He has spent
his career in the clean energy sector, with a strong focus on
advancing energy storage and technology.

Michael Schreiber is Head of Flex for the German
market at Octopus Energy, where he oversees a portfolio of
customers with flexible assets including electric vehicles, heat
pumps, and home storage batteries. He also develops tailored
products for these customers.


Walburga Hemetsberger has been the CEO of
SolarPower Europe since 2019. She has been working in Brussels
for more than 20 years, predominantly in the energy sector.


Josefin Berg is a Research & Analysis
Manager for Solar & Energy Storage at S&P Global
Commodity Insights.


Ivan Saha is the CEO of Renewable Manufacturing
at Reliance Infrastructure (Rinfra).


Adele Zhao is the Head of Marketing, Product
& Service, Europe, for Solar Energy & Storage, at Trina
Solar. She has been with the company for 16 years and has been
based in its Zurich, Switzerland office since 2015.


Thomas Raffeiner is the founder and CEO of The
Mobility House. His goal is a zero-emission energy and mobility
future at no cost for all of us to achieve this net-zero vision.


Gerard Reid is a leading global expert and
financier in the energy transition space.


Martin Green is a Scientia Professor at the
University of New South Wales and a globally recognised leader in
solar technology.