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Is Europe’s solar market hitting a wall, or entering its next phase? In this episode of Soliverse | The Future of Solar, host Peter Pongracz speaks with Antonio Arruebo Lacleta, Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe and the Battery Storage Europe Platform, about why solar installations are slowing, what negative power prices are telling us, and why battery storage is becoming essential for the future of the energy transition.

Antonio explains how curtailment, grid congestion, permitting delays, and weak flexibility markets are starting to drag on solar growth across Europe. He also breaks down why hybrid solar plus storage is quickly becoming the new default, which battery markets are moving fastest, where Europe still lacks manufacturing depth, and what policymakers need to fix to unlock the next wave of deployment. This is a grounded conversation for anyone working in utility scale solar, battery storage, project development, policy, or energy finance.

About this episode:
Learn more about Battery Storage Europe
Explore the Market and Policy Navigator
Read the EU Battery Storage Market Review 2025
Read the Mission Solar 2040 report
Battery Storage Europe, policy and action plans
Connect with Antonio Arruebo Lacleta on LinkedIn

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

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What happens when energy policy plans the future grid, but leaves storage out of the equation? In this episode of Soliverse | The Future of Solar, host Peter Pongracz sits down with Dr Radovan Kopecek, Co-Founder and Director at ISC Konstanz, to unpack why the next phase of solar depends on battery storage, local manufacturing, and clearer industrial strategy across Europe, the US, India, and China.

Dr Kopecek shares a sharp global view on solar manufacturing, hybrid projects, battery economics, European industrial policy, cybersecurity, and why space may become one of the most unexpected frontiers for crystalline silicon. This is a grounded, wide-ranging conversation for anyone working in utility scale solar, energy storage, renewable manufacturing, or the future of the grid.

About the guest
Dr Radovan Kopecek is Co-Founder and Director at ISC Konstanz, the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz. His work spans high-efficiency solar cell technology, PV manufacturing strategy, battery-adjacent energy systems thinking, training, and emerging solar applications including space.

Guest links
ISC Konstanz
ISC Konstanz, solar cells for satellites
LinkedIn
TikTok
PV Trainings
Important PV events

Referenced organizations and events
ESA, European Space Agency
DLR, German Aerospace Center
IEEE PVSC

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek

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What does it really take to build, finance, and scale solar projects when policy keeps shifting, capital is more cautious, and grid constraints are getting harder to ignore? In this episode of Soliverse | The Future of Solar, host Peter Pongracz sits down with Benoy Thanjan, Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and host of the Solar Maverick Podcast, for a grounded conversation on where the solar market is actually headed across the U.S. and beyond.

They unpack the real-world state of solar in 2025 and beyond, from agrivoltaics and floating solar to community solar, storage, project risk, data center demand, recycling, repowering, and the long-term challenge of competing with China. Benoy also shares what developers, investors, and industry leaders need to understand now about energy independence, market messaging, and why creativity remains one of solar’s biggest competitive advantages.

If you work in solar, storage, development, project finance, or clean energy investing, this episode gives you a practical look at the forces shaping the next phase of the energy transition.

Connect with Benoy
Website
Solar Maverick Podcast
Podcast page
LinkedIn

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek

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What really slows down utility-scale solar projects, bad engineering, weak execution, or the red tape nobody budgets for early enough?

In this episode of Soliverse, Peter Pongracz sits down with Phil Horwitch, co-founder of AMH Holdings, to unpack how the best solar teams handle permitting delays, stakeholder friction, QA/QC problems, and the hidden communication gaps that quietly derail projects. With more than a decade in utility-scale and distributed generation, Phil shares a grounded operator’s view on what separates teams that keep projects moving from teams that lose months, money, and momentum.

Phil explains why realistic timelines matter more than optimistic ones, why local relationships can speed up approvals, and why “buildable” engineering always beats “perfect” engineering on paper. They also get into battery storage trends, the growing need for solar education, and the kind of cross-functional thinking young engineers need if they want to build a long career in renewables.

If you work in solar development, EPC, engineering, project delivery, battery storage, or renewable infrastructure, this conversation is packed with practical insight on how successful teams think before the first shovel hits the ground.

Guest & Episode Links
Phil Horwitch, Co-Founder, AMH Holdings
LinkedIn
AMH Holdings LinkedIn

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek

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On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Gijsbert Huijink, co-founder of SOL Romania, to unpack why Romania might just be Europe’s most underrated solar and battery market.

Gijsbert shares hard-won lessons from developing 1 GW+ of projects—from grid hacks and battery-first strategies to why Romania is moving faster than Germany or the Netherlands on BESS deployment.

They discuss:

• Why Romania is a sleeper hit for hybrid projects

• The “cooperative-to-gigawatt” journey behind SOL Romania

• Grid access, flexibility, and why BESS is easier in Bucharest than Berlin

• The downsides of poorly run CAPEX subsidies

• How they permitted a 350 MWp hybrid plant in under 12 months

• What other countries can learn from Romania’s pragmatism

• Why their team will stop at 1 GW and go windsurfing

⚡

Guest & Soliverse Links:

🌐 SOL Renewables Romania: https://www.solrenewables.ro

🔗 Gijsbert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gijsberthuijink/

🎧 Soliverse on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA

🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy

🔗 Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek

Send us Fan Mail

On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with David Spieldenner from Terabase Energy, to expose the massive bottlenecks holding solar back—and why smarter performance modeling might be the key to unlocking the next Terawatt.

David doesn’t hold back as he makes the case for PlantPredict over legacy tools like PVsyst, and highlights why accuracy isn’t enough—realism is what developers, EPCs, and banks really need.

They cover:

⚠️ Why PVsyst is holding the industry back

🧠 Why “realism” > “accuracy” in yield estimates

🔁 How sub-hourly and 3D modeling reshape performance forecasts

🔋 Why terrain-following trackers can actually boost energy yield

📈 How hybrid plants and dispatchable renewables will reshape grid planning

📊 What banks, IEs, and EPCs really need from energy modeling tools

🚀 Why Terabase is betting on AI, automation, and integrated design-to-SCADA workflows

🧩 What most solar designers miss when modeling plant performance

David also shares an exclusive offer on PlantPredict + PV Radar bundles and reveals why data centers and the AI boom are pushing solar innovation into overdrive.

Referenced Tools & Links

🌐 Terabase: https://www.terabase.energy

🔧 PlantPredict: https://www.plantpredict.com

🧩 Pricing: www.plantpredict.com/pricing

📊 PV Radar: https://www.pvradar.com

Connect with David Spieldenner

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspieldenner/

📨 Email: support@plantpredict.com

Connect with Soliverse

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA

🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy

🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/soliversepodcast

🔗 Peter Pongracz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterp

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek

Send us Fan Mail

On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Andreas Bach, a senior EPC executive and advisor with 15+ years of solar and storage experience, working across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa.

From burned MC4 plugs and untrained labor to winter construction delays and 300,000 tons of PV waste on the horizon—Andreas shares hard-earned lessons on what goes wrong when projects are rushed, and how to build solar like you’ll actually own it.

They discuss:
🔌 Why cheap MC4 connectors quietly kill performance (and insurance won’t cover it)
📉 1.7 TW of clean energy stuck in grid queue limbo
🛠️ 15 classic EPC mistakes—and how to fix them before they bankrupt your project
🧱 Why concrete foundations are the silent killers of solar ROI
♻️ What nobody’s budgeting for: the €2.7/panel recycling time bomb
📊 Why owner’s engineers and quality sign-offs are mission-critical
🇪🇺 How Europe can lead by example—if it learns from its early scars

Connect with Andreas Bach:
🌐 Website: https://a-bach.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-bach-solar

Connect with Soliverse:
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA
📨 Email: peter@soliverse.energy
🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/
🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/
🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek

Send us Fan Mail

On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Daniel Domingues, Founder & CEO of Planno.io, the Geospatial AI platform that’s fixing one of distributed solar’s biggest bottlenecks: finding the right commercial and industrial rooftops.

After years developing rooftop solar projects across the Middle East and Europe, Daniel saw firsthand how slow, manual, and incomplete the prospecting process really was.

So he built Planno — combining satellite imagery, AI rooftop detection, business intelligence, and market insights into one platform that turns months of hunting into minutes of clarity.

They discuss:

🏢 Why 90% of viable C&I rooftops are still being missed

🛰️ How AI + geospatial data can map entire regions overnight

🌍 Europe’s data-rich but fragmented rooftop landscape

🏭 Why the Middle East is an untapped goldmine for C&I solar

🎢 The “solar coaster” dynamics of the U.S. market

🔍 How property + business intelligence transforms pipeline quality

⚙️ Why better prospecting leads to better engineering & better returns

🧠 What solar prospecting will look like by 2030

If you work in BD, EPC, development, or distributed solar strategy — this episode will change the way you think about rooftop pipeline building.

Connect with Daniel / Planno

🌐 Website: https://planno.io

🔗 LinkedIn – Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-domingues-a42a5b155/

Connect with Soliverse

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA

📨 Email: peter@soliverse.energy

🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/

🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/com

Today’s Partner: Enerdatics

Looking for better deal timing and granular M&A insight in solar and storage?

Enerdatics helps renewable energy professionals identify transactions early, track trends, and price assets with real deal data.

Use code SOLIVERSE10 for 10% off Enerdatics products and services.
Terms apply.

Explore Enerdatics

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure.

Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem.

Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster.

📌 Explore more from Soliverse

Explore our partners:
Enerdatics, renewable energy market intelligence
PVX.AI, utility-scale solar design software

📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates:
Peter on LinkedIn
Soliverse Instagram
Soliverse X (Twitter)
Subscribe on YouTube

🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly.

Produced by APodcastGeek