SPEAKERS

We are blessed to be able to welcome a fantastic selection of speakers to this years’ Plug-In Solar Conference. These experts will give a broad insight into a rapidly growing market, define challenges and provide solutions and ideas for the success of plug-in solar in the EU and abroad.

Barbara Metz

Barbara Metz is Executive Director of Environmental Action Germany (Deutsche Umwelthilfe) since 2022. Born in 1981, she began her career at the environmental and consumer protection organisation in 2007. Focus of her work are circular economy, CO2 reduction in the transport sector and energy efficiency in buildings and heating. From 2014 onwards, she build up the subject area energy efficiency, where her main focus lays on sustainable and socially responsible renovation.

Metz has long been a strong advocate for the energy transition from below. For years, she has been actively campaigning to improve policies on plug-in solar devices. Together with her team at Environmental Action Germany, she has initiated pioneering projects with housing companies to fully equip buildings with balcony power plants, while also fighting for legal reforms in this area through strategic model lawsuits.

Antonia Ginsberg-Klemmt

Antonia “Toni” Ginsberg-Klemmt, a German-American innovator and CEO of GismoPower, is making waves in renewables by putting balcony solar on steroids. A mechanical engineer graduated from UC Berkeley’s Fung Institute, she patented the MEGA (Mobile Electricity Generating Appliance) a portable, powerful (6Kw), plug-in PV-EV charging carport designed to provide affordable and accessible solar energy without the high costs of permanent installations. Her invention, has earned her the American Made Solar Prize and a SBIR DOE Phase II grant.  She is recognized as one of the Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Inspired by a childhood spent on a sailboat, Ginsberg-Klemmt is committed to making solar energy more accessible. She challenges traditional energy monopolies, and envisions a future where renewable power is the norm. As a trilingual engineer, her diverse background further shapes her unique perspective on the global need for sustainable energy solutions.

Joseph Bergner, MA

Joseph Bergner is a researcher at HTW Berlin. For several years, he has played leading roles in studies on plug-in solar technology. In 2022, he was a key contributor to two pivotal studies on the market development and user structure of plug-in solar. Most recently, he published a recalculation on the actual grid load caused by plug-in solar devices, aligning with Germany’s new legal power limits.

Additionally, Bergner has been invited as an expert on plug-in solar by the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy for professional discussions. He also represented the chair of renowned energy scientist Volker Quaschning as a speaker at the Plug-in Solar Conference in Berlin in 2024.
(Image: © HTW Berlin/Camilla Rackelmann)

Robert Pabierowski

Robert is a true pioneer in the plug-in solar sector. As one of the first providers in Poland, he has been committed to breaking down restrictive structures in the Polish energy market since founding his company, OneStep.Solar, in 2023. His primary focus is on establishing a simple procedure for registering plug-in solar with DSOs to ensure access to the advantageous prosumer system in Poland. Additionally, he advocates for ensuring that plug-in solar users can benefit from the same tax benefits as those available for traditional rooftop solar, i.e. reduced VAT rate and tax reliefs.

Pabierowski also has unparalleled knowledge of the broader obstacles hindering the spread of plug-in solar in Poland. His expertise provides deep insights into a market that is still in the process of opening up to this innovative technology.

Alexander Krenek

Alexander is a EU policy expert with a focus on energy and industrial policy. He has a knack for finding solutions to complex problems which he has been able to demonstrate in different institutional settings like as Scientific Researcher at WIFO institute in Vienna or as Policy Advisor / Accredited Parliamentary Assistant for the European Parliament.

Currently, he is Policy & Government Affairs Manager for Enphase, the leading western manufacturer for microinverters. In his role he provides pivotal insights concerning European regulation for plug-in solar to research projects and policy makers alike.

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