The smarter E Podcast

Recorded live in Barcelona at the Solar Quality Summit in February, this episode of The smarter E Podcast examines a critical question for the PV industry: are today’s solar modules built for long-term durability?

As manufacturers push for higher efficiencies, larger formats, and lower costs, quality data is flashing warning signs. Drawing on insights from Kiwa PI Berlin’s latest Module Manufacturing Report, we explore a record 3.36% defect rate observed during pre-shipment inspections in 2025, and what’s driving it.

Rear-side breakage in large-format, glass-glass modules is emerging as a major concern, with thinner 2 mm strengthened glass proving more fragile under real-world stress. At the same time, thinner frames, rapid factory ramp-ups, and geopolitical supply chain shifts are adding new layers of risk.

The episode also dives into degradation challenges linked to TOPCon technology, including UV-induced degradation – and module meta-stability, which is proving challenging for accurate characterization.

In the second part of the episode, we turn to polymers – present in the encapsulants, backsheets, and adhesives that quietly influence whether modules last 30 years or fail early. New materials like POE and TPO are improving performance in some areas, but increasing complexity across the bill of materials. Meanwhile, emerging tools such as near-infrared field analysis and AI-supported inspection may help be a helpful root-cause analysis tool and enabler of predictive maintenance.

If solar is scaling at unprecedented speed, quality assurance must keep up. Covering a wide range of the important quality topics at hand, our live conversation Barcelona puts the spotlight on what it will take to ensure today’s modules truly stand the test of time.

✉️ Have comments or questions? Get in touch at [email protected]

Battery capacity is getting bigger, storage duration longer, and batteries more central to how power systems operate.

In this episode of The smarter E Podcast, we look at what’s driving the surge in battery capacity and why expectations for storage are shifting so quickly.

Projects that would have seemed unrealistic just a few years ago are now moving into planning and achieving financial close. Lithium-ion batteries are expanding well beyond traditional short-duration applications, as falling costs and ongoing technical progress make longer discharge durations commercially viable.

At the same time, rising renewable penetration is exposing a new challenge: extended periods when the power output from wind and solar output is low, for extended periods, and at the same time (the dreaded Dunkelflaute). These events are forcing system operators, utilities, and policymakers to rethink how much storage is needed – and for how long.

The episode also explores the structural side of the transition: how market design, revenue certainty, and permitting timelines could ultimately decide how fast large-scale storage rolls out, and which technologies win the arms race.

If the last decade was about proving that storage can, in fact, work – the next may be about proving that it can actually play a central role in helping manage power systems.

✉️ Have comments or questions? Get in touch at [email protected]

In this episode of The smarter E podcast, we unpack how bidirectional EV charging is reshaping Europe’s energy and mobility landscape, from market signals to real-world deployment at scale.

We begin with a policy perspective, speaking with Adriana Fricke from Hubject – a company that is working at the intersection of e-mobility, regulation, and energy systems.

As Europe pushes toward electrification, regulatory standardization and cross-industry alignment are emerging as critical enablers of bidirectional charging. And with hundreds of billions already invested into the EV ecosystem, the sector is moving beyond theory to now positioning EVs as the mobile energy assets that will support grid stability, cut system costs, and strengthen energy resilience across Europe.

In the second part of the episode, we speak to Robin Berg, the Founder and CEO of We Drive Solar, about the shift from concept to practice by exploring how V2G is being deployed on the ground. We look at the rapid scale-up of bidirectional EV fleets in the Netherlands and what they reveal about the future of distributed storage.

Fleet vehicles – stationary for most of their lifetime – are proving uniquely suited to providing grid flexibility, helping manage winter demand peaks and absorb excess solar during high generation periods. As projects scale from pilots to hundreds of vehicles, they are offering a glimpse of how V2G could become a core part of future power systems.

These conversations show how V2G is transitioning from experimentation to commercial rollout – and why standards and policy clarity will be crucial to shaping how fast it scales.

🎧 Follow The smarter E podcast for expert insight into solar, storage, e-mobility, and the global energy transition – and don’t forget to rate and review if you enjoy the show!

✉️ Have comments or questions? Get in touch at [email protected]

In this episode of The smarter E podcast, we unpack how bidirectional EV charging is reshaping Europe’s energy and mobility landscape, from market signals to real-world deployment at scale.

We begin with a policy perspective, speaking with Adriana Fricke from Hubject – a company that is working at the intersection of e-mobility, regulation, and energy systems.

As Europe pushes toward electrification, regulatory standardization and cross-industry alignment are emerging as critical enablers of bidirectional charging. And with hundreds of billions already invested into the EV ecosystem, the sector is moving beyond theory to now positioning EVs as the mobile energy assets that will support grid stability, cut system costs, and strengthen energy resilience across Europe.

In the second part of the episode, we speak to Robin Berg, the Founder and CEO of We Drive Solar, about the shift from concept to practice by exploring how V2G is being deployed on the ground. We look at the rapid scale-up of bidirectional EV fleets in the Netherlands and what they reveal about the future of distributed storage.

Fleet vehicles – stationary for most of their lifetime – are proving uniquely suited to providing grid flexibility, helping manage winter demand peaks and absorb excess solar during high generation periods. As projects scale from pilots to hundreds of vehicles, they are offering a glimpse of how V2G could become a core part of future power systems.

These conversations show how V2G is transitioning from experimentation to commercial rollout – and why standards and policy clarity will be crucial to shaping how fast it scales.

🎧 Follow The smarter E podcast for expert insight into solar, storage, e-mobility, and the global energy transition – and don’t forget to rate and review if you enjoy the show!

✉️ Have comments or questions? Get in touch at [email protected]

In this episode of The smarter E podcast, we unpack how bidirectional EV charging is reshaping Europe’s energy and mobility landscape, from market signals to real-world deployment at scale.

We begin with a policy perspective, speaking with @Adriana Fricke from @Hubject – a company that is working at the intersection of e-mobility, regulation, and energy systems.

As Europe pushes toward electrification, regulatory standardization and cross-industry alignment are emerging as critical enablers of bidirectional charging. And with hundreds of billions already invested into the EV ecosystem, the sector is moving beyond theory to now positioning EVs as the mobile energy assets that will support grid stability, cut system costs, and strengthen energy resilience across Europe.

In the second part of the episode, we speak to @Robin Berg, the Founder and CEO of @We Drive Solar, about the shift from concept to practice by exploring how V2G is being deployed on the ground. We look at the rapid scale-up of bidirectional EV fleets in the Netherlands and what they reveal about the future of distributed storage.

Fleet vehicles – stationary for most of their lifetime – are proving uniquely suited to providing grid flexibility, helping manage winter demand peaks and absorb excess solar during high generation periods. As projects scale from pilots to hundreds of vehicles, they are offering a glimpse of how V2G could become a core part of future power systems.

These conversations show how V2G is transitioning from experimentation to commercial rollout – and why standards and policy clarity will be crucial to shaping how fast it scales.

🎧 Follow The smarter E podcast for expert insight into solar, storage, e-mobility, and the global energy transition – and don’t forget to rate and review if you enjoy the show!

✉️ Have comments or questions? Get in touch at [email protected]