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AIQS Alumni presents its first course: Business Model and Promotion of Photovoltaic Parks

The current moment is one of energy uncertainty, especially in the electricity sector. This is due to several trends that it is advisable to examine in detail:

• The EU’s requirements to curb climate change are reflected in
  various guidelines with objectives for 2030.
• The rise of Renewable Energies as a response to the above and the need for their integration into the current electricity grid.
• The expected increase in electric vehicles means the ‘electrification of the transport sector’.
• The increasingly pressing need for massive storage means the only way to make Renewable Energies fully useful.
• The need for a new concept of the electrical network, which takes into account the flow of power in both directions, from a generator to consumption and from consumption to the network. This entails moving from a power network to a more sophisticated integrated power and communications network; what is being called Smart Grids.

All of this translates into a new electrical paradigm that must be faced intelligently.

Within this new energy framework, there are fortunately opportunities for new businesses, such as the development of large photovoltaic or wind parks, projects that no longer have to be led by the current large electrical structures but are accessible to various promoter or industrial investor groups.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a possible investor or developer of these new electricity generation systems.

What would be the main questions they would ask themselves? Some possible questions would be:

• What are the best technologies to use?
• Where to locate them? What should be the recommended characteristics of the location?
• How to start? What permits and approvals will I need and who will give them to me?
• How to sell the energy produced by my system in the best possible way? What agreements should I achieve before starting? With what deadlines?
• How to find the financing necessary for the entire project and how to structure the debt?

The course that we present below aims to answer these questions and others that will undoubtedly arise.

Objectives

The main objective of this course is to give a realistic and practical vision of the different activities and stages that are necessary to develop a large-scale Photovoltaic Solar Plant, both from a technical and mainly business point of view.

Consequently, it is aimed at both technical and non-technical people who are interested in this energy field and who wish to know both the technical parts (engineering necessary for its start-up) and the administrative parts (obtaining permits) and business, including commercial options for the sale of electricity (PPAs, sale to Spot Market, Futures, etc.), basic concepts associated with financing (Equity, Debt, etc.), as well as all the steps necessary to implement a project of this type.