Unlocking the Potential of Renewable-Storage Hybrids

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Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe 2025 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 13:60 .

BayWa r.e. Explores Hybrid Renewable Energy Projects and Grid Optimization Strategies in Global Markets

BayWa r.e., a development company specializing in solar, wind, storage, and hybrid energy solutions, is focusing on the planning and operational aspects of hybrid renewable projects. In the U.S., nearly half of 18-19 gigawatts of renewable assets are paired with storage; most involve solar coupled with batteries for firming renewables and grid services like peak shaving. Tax credits have been significant drivers in this market. Europe is emerging as a key player too—160 gigawatts worth of queued projects show strong investor interest across countries like the UK (Cleve Hill project), Spain (150-megawatt battery co-location), and Germany (600 megawatts through innovation tenders). BayWa's examples include PV-wind hybrids in Germany utilizing overbuilding strategies to maximize scarce grid resources without oversizing connections. The complexity lies in managing site selection based on resource availability while considering legal structures that vary by country regarding asset ownership configurations under single or multiple SPVs. Hybrid systems require careful management due to their intricate nature but present lucrative opportunities if executed well without unnecessary grid interconnection expansion.

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Ulrike Gunnemann
Head of Storage & Hybrids
BayWa r.e. AG
Germany

Grid congestion, curtailment and increasing occurrence of negative electricity prices have spread across Europe as the growth of intermittent renewables has reached significant levels and continues to grow.A key to solving these challenges lies in flexibility. Hybrid PV power plants -which combine solar with wind and storage - are emerging as a critical solution for both existing and new projects. This session will explore the market potential, framework conditions, and outlook for hybrid solar-based energy systems in Europe. This session will provide: Key drivers for hybrid solar plant development in Europe Challenges and opportunities for project implementation Policy frameworks supporting solar-based hybrid power plants in the EU Market outlook for hybrid PV power plants.

Further Talks of this session:

Speaker

Bruce Douglas
CEO
Global Renewables Alliance
Belgium

To Talk

Speaker

Carlos Perez Linkenheil
Head of Market Analysis Germany
AFRY Management Consulting
Germany

Video is not available.

Speaker

Rebecca McManus
Research Associate
Aurora Energy Research
Germany

To Talk

Speaker

Cecilie Kristiansen
Research Associate
Wood Mackenzie
United Kingdom

To Talk

Speaker

Rebecca McManus
Research Associate
Aurora Energy Research
Germany

Cecilie Kristiansen
Research Associate
Wood Mackenzie
United Kingdom

Ulrike Gunnemann
Head of Storage & Hybrids
BayWa r.e. AG
Germany

Bruce Douglas
CEO
Global Renewables Alliance
Belgium

To Talk

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Photovoltaic prices have fallen continuously in recent years - a trend that should translate into a growing market for off-grid solutions. Declining costs are crucial for rural electrification in particular, making sustainable energy supply economically viable in remote regions. However, so far many of these price advantages have not yet reached the people that need them most. Do existing framework conditions to foster rural electrification still work in this new market reality? Which measures are needed to ensure that cost reductions reach our target group? This session discusses strategies for improving the availability of low-cost off-grid solutions, financing and innovative business models. A look at successful practical examples shows which political, economic and technological levers need to be pulled to make off-grid PV accessible on a large scale.

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