Global Solar PV Brain Trust
The Global Solar PV Brain Trust is a loose association of experts committed to the future of solar power worldwide. It is a non-profit group supported by the Reiner Lemoine Foundation in Berlin, Germany.
The Foundation was established by Reiner Lemoine shortly before his death in 2006. Reiner was one of the leading figures in Germany’s early development of solar PV technology. He was born in 1949, studied aerospace engineering in Berlin and went on to found several companies in the solar sector, including Solon in 1996 and Q‑Cells in 1999. The Foundation awards scholarships to doctoral students who wish to study renewable energy technologies.
As part of its work, the Foundation funds a range of projects on the energy transition, including the German-language group, the “PV Think Tank”, as well as the work of the Global Solar PV Brain Trust.
About the Global Solar PV Brain Trust:
- The PV Brain Trust is independent and acts informally
- Participation is pro-bono, and invitation-only
- The PV Brain Trust follows Chatham House Rules
- We are solutions-oriented and publish short reports on the trends and developments shaping the global solar sector.
- (Mis)forecasting Solar PV: Why accurately forecasting solar PV matters
Third publication of the Solar PV Brain Trust
This short paper discusses the repeated failings of leading forecasting agencies to accurately forecast the growth of solar PV, and what can be done to improve the global dialogue on the future of solar power. With solar PV now ranking as the lowest-cost source of new energy supply worldwide, the share of solar PV assumed in future energy scenarios has a significant impact on the overall costs of the energy transition, and ultimately, on public support. Significantly, as low-cost storage and power-to‑X spreads, there are fewer and fewer limits on how much solar can be realistically deployed. If the major forecasting agencies, as well as the IPCC, continue using outdated cost assumptions and forecasts for solar PV, it is the global climate system that risks paying the price.
- Solar PV Curtailment — drivers and solutions
Second publication of the Solar PV Brain Trust: Solar PV curtailment
This 12-pager provides a primer on the topic of curtailment. With the share of solar PV growing in many power markets around the world, the amount of solar power being curtailed is starting to grow. This short analysis provides an overview of curtailment, what it is and why it matters, and highlights some of the solutions being developed to mitigate it.
- State of play of the global solar PV sector
First publication of the Solar PV Brain Trust: State of play of the global solar PV sector
This 2‑pager provides a brief summary of the current state of play of the global solar PV sector, including a few highlights about the historic expansion of solar power that occurred worldwide in 2023.