At SolarPower Europe’s recent annual members’ gathering, two new Board Vice-Presidents were appointed, along with the election of seven new Board Directors.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, welcomed the new Board with great enthusiasm, highlighting that it embodies the dedication and vitality of the solar sector. She emphasized the team’s continued commitment to driving a flexible and solar-powered energy transition across Europe.
The newly elected Vice-Presidents, Francisco Beirão of Lightsource BP and Susannah Wood of Statkraft, join the ongoing leadership team comprising President Aristotelis Chantavas (Enel Green Power) and Vice-President Alexandra Sombsthay (Akuo Energy).
Following elections, the current SolarPower Europe Board composition is as follows (Except where otherwise specified, the positions held by Board Members are Director of the Board of SolarPower Europe):
| Newly-Elected | Re-Elected | Continued Mandate |
|---|---|---|
| Juanma Fernandez (Sonnedix) | Karsten Schlageter (ABO Energy) | Aristotelis Chantavas, President (Enel Green Power) |
| Duarte Bello (EDP) | Susannah Wood, Vice-President (Statkraft) | Alexandra Sombsthay,Vice-President(Akuo Energy) |
| Alexander Zahariev (Sunotec) | Jörg Ebel (IBC Solar) | |
| Philippe Faine (ENGIE) | Celine Tran (BayWa r.e.) | |
| Francisco Beirão, Vice-President (Lightsource BP) | Fredrik Adrén-Sandberg (RWE Renewables) | |
| Christian Pho Duc (Smartenergy Group) | ||
| Katharina Eickleberg (SMA Solar Technology) | ||
| Pia Alina Lange (Trina Solar) | ||
| Iker Calvo Parra (Iberdrola) | ||
| Thomas Rührlinger (Fronius International) | ||
| Christian Westermeier (Wacker Chemie) | ||
| José Donoso, National Association Committee Chair (UNEF) | ||
| Nikola Gazdov, National Association Committee Vice-Chair (APSTE) |
The structure of the SolarPower Europe Board includes a ‘minimum seat’ policy, ensuring that at least four of the 20 Board seats are designated for representatives from solar manufacturing companies. Of these, three positions are specifically reserved for companies headquartered in Europe. Currently, these seats are held by Fronius International, SMA Solar Technology, Wacker Chemie, and Trina Solar.
Additionally, four Board seats are allocated to ‘small’ companies, defined as those with an annual turnover below €1 billion. In the present Board configuration, seven companies meet this criterion: IBC Solar, Akuo Energy, Smartenergy Group, Fronius, Sonnedix, ABO Energy, and Sunotec.
SolarPower Europe also values the role of national solar associations and reserves two Board seats for the Chair and Vice-Chair of its National Association Committee. These positions are elected within the Committee and confirmed by the General Assembly. They are currently held by José Donoso of Spain’s UNEF and Nikola Gazdov of Bulgaria’s APSTE.
