Recording from Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | Intersolar Summit Romania | Language: English | Duration: 70:09 .

From Standalone Projects to Hybrid Power Plants: Co-Location of PV and Storage in Practice

Vasiliki Sionti, Advisory Senior Associate at Aurora Energy Research, moderated a discussion with Mariyana Yaneva, Chief Operating Officer at IPS; George-Alexandru Drobot, Managing Director at SUNOTEC; and Paul Moldovan, Founder at Parapet. Yaneva described Bulgaria’s battery-storage expansion, explaining how solar growth, midday price declines and evening peaks created a need for storage, while funding, permitting reforms and market rules helped drive installations to 6 gigawatts of battery power by the end of September. She said storage has helped move surplus solar energy into evening demand, supported solar capture prices and reduced negative-price days, while emphasizing that investors must account for operating costs, performance under site conditions, cybersecurity, maintenance and changing regulations. Drobot presented SUNOTEC’s approach to integrated energy systems, arguing that coordinated engineering, grid infrastructure, storage and lifecycle management matter more than delivering disconnected assets; he highlighted long-term service agreements, capacity and availability guarantees, efficiency, augmentation and grid-code compliance. In the panel, the speakers discussed risks at the PV-BESS interface, including grid connection, control systems, SCADA integration and divided responsibilities among suppliers, and stressed that projects should be designed for future market and grid requirements rather than only for rapid commissioning. Yaneva said future hybrid projects will depend on partnerships across hardware, software and operations, and pointed to grid-forming inverters, local capabilities, public engagement and coupling generation with demand such as data centers as areas to consider. In closing, the speakers recommended careful design, independent engineering review, planning for long-term operation and maintenance, and choosing a reliable grid connection.

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Speaker

Vasiliki Sionti
Advisory Senior Associate
Aurora Energy Research

Mariyana Yaneva
Chief Operating Officer
IPS

George-Alexandru Drobot
Managing Director
SUNOTEC

Paul Moldovan
Founder
Parapet

Increasing grid congestion, rising price volatility, and growing requirements for system stability are driving the development of photovoltaic projects in combination with battery storage systems.

In fast-growing markets such as Romania in particular, the co-location of PV and BESS is gaining importance against the backdrop of increasing grid constraints, higher solar penetration, and greater market volatility. This session highlights PV + BESS co-location as a key development trend in the market.

Topics include technical design strategies, key economic decision factors, and regulatory frameworks for hybrid projects. A central focus is the question of under what local conditions co-location improves bankability, and how can project developers successfully transition from traditional PV plants to hybrid assets.