Overview

A comprehensive, up-to-date and business-focused roadmap to success in delivering solar power growth, today and tomorrow

Attendees will gain a good understanding of the key factors from an integrated, multidisciplinary and commercial viewpoint, including: target market analysis, economic competitiveness, channels-to-market, financing influences and risk, project development processes, best practices and emerging technologies.

The course schedule includes illustration of key project development considerations, including energy yield, financial and other simple calculations, along with the chance to discuss key planning and market environment considerations.

In keeping with the business-focused theme of the course, these illustrative exercises are designed to provide time-efficient clarification of the key course takeaways, aimed at commercially-focused business developers and investors. They are therefore accessible to nonexperts, not designed to replicate the complex or in-depth detailed planning undertaken – over much longer periods! – by engineers and technical teams.

Benefits of Attending

• Speak the language of solar energy: terminology and concepts
• Understand the key variables determining the economics of solar PV projects
• Review current and emerging market opportunities for solar PV, including integrations such as energy storage
• Navigate the typical project development requirements, processes and risks
• Learn how financial returns and risks arise in PV projects
• Be better able to converse with project partners, suppliers, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders
• Know what to look for when evaluating PV project opportunities
• Identify key investment and project performance risks
• Analyse and critique current and emerging business models
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Live Online Course – How It Works

The structure of our virtual learning program is designed to keep the same levels of engagement and networking as our on-site public courses. Course content is delivered through our easy-to-use online learning platform and is supplemented by case studies and practical exercises.

Like our classroom-based public courses, you will have live interaction with our course facilitators and other participants. Our live online courses are led by our experienced instructors, who will provide you with easily digestible content, using knowledge learned from many years in the industry, during scheduled times. Delegates will receive copies of the course materials electronically.

This course is scheduled to take place over 5 live online sessions using virtual learning technology.

Course Agenda

Session 1: 6 February 2023, 7am – 10am GMT+0

What makes a solar power plant?

• Solar farm components and performance
• New technology and solar power plant trends

Session 2: 7 February 2023, 7am – 10am GMT+0

Solar resource assessment & project design

• The importance of understanding the solar energy resource
• From solar resource to energy output (and revenue generation)

Session 3: 8 February 2023, 7am – 10am GMT+0

Solar power ‘on the ground’: project development and delivery

• Processes, milestones and location choice
• Illustrated example: stakeholder identification and management
• Environmental impact assessment: examining an example document
• Key contracts and risk transfer

Session 4: 9 February 2023, 7am – 10am GMT+0

Selling solar power

• Selling utility-scale solar electricity: the growing channel-to-market options
• Direct sales: corporate buyers and PPAs (examples from the US, Europe and Asia)
• Understanding the changing value of solar electricity
• Curtailment, negative prices and the myth of “free solar electricity”: examples from the US and Europe
• Capturing capacity-based revenues from solar power projects (including contracting examples)

Session 5: 10 February 2023, 7am – 10am GMT+0

The economics and financing of solar power projects

• Project financial analysis
• Excel model illustration: Reviewing the cash flow and risk/return variables behind a successful solar power project business case
• Examining key trends and future resilience from a financial perspective
• A checklist for undertaking opportunity and risk analysis for solar power projects

FULL AGENDA