Last month, our Head of Solar Scott Thomson, and Consultant Tom Briscoe flew to Lisbon to exhibit at the 11th edition of the Large Scale Solar Europe conference.
This week Marketing Executive, Charlotte Eastaff caught up with the team to see how they got on exhibiting for the first time, and what key points they have taken away from the event.
How did the conference go?
Scott: For our first time ever exhibiting at a Solar conference, it went well. It was a great opportunity to showcase LSP’s brand, meet new, likeminded people within the industry, as well as finally meet candidates/clients in person who we have been in contact with for many years.
What were your key takeaways from the event?
Tom: With the predicted GW installations growing in most markets, the future of Solar PV within Europe looks good. Countries like Germany are leading the way with the highest solar capacity target, Italy, Portugal, and Spain (although nowhere near the levels of Germany) are pushing hard to develop PV projects and grow their GW portfolio, but there also remains caution about how quickly this can grow due to stringent permitting processes adding unnecessary delays onto projects. However, most markets do expect new legislations to be put in place to speed up processes allowing them to achieve their net zero targets.
Most companies (developers, IPPS and investment companies, have had to put in place large expansion targets due to the growth they are experiencing. They need to find suitable personnel to cope with the speed of the development. Specialised recruitment agencies like LSP Renewables will become even more in demand to hiring managers who won’t be able to cope without external support.
In your opinion, what should we expect from the solar industry in the next 5 – 10 years?
Scott: Stand-alone Battery storage and co-located Battery Storage will be an important topic for many years to come. Prior to Covid, there were so many conversations surrounding subsidy free Solar PV projects which is now a thriving market just a few years later. We’re also seeing IPPs, and funds diversify their portfolios by developing or acquiring Onshore Wind and Battery Storage assets, as well as these companies entering new booming markets in Europe.
Following on from that, how can/are your team supporting the solar industry?
Scott: Many of our clients have already started to diversify and adding Onshore Wind into their portfolios. We have a highly successful and dedicated Wind division who can support the Solar team with these requirements. We have already seen a huge increase in BESS requirements across Europe on both the project and manufacture side; this will only continue to grow as the industry develops. As a Solar team, we have successfully placed professionals across 15 European countries; therefore, where businesses are entering new markets in Europe, we are well positioned to support new market entrants and new technology interests.
For more information regarding the Large Scale Solar conference, or any of the topics covered within this article, please contact Scott Thomson on scott.thomson@lsprenewables.com
