In a special extended episode of The Solar Journey, Torsten speaks with influential industry voice, Gunter Erfurt, former CEO of Meyer Burger, in his first interview since parting ways with the European manufacturing giant.

From his beginnings as a student of physics to one of the most well-known faces in Europe's solar manufacturing segment, Gunter's solar journey has taken him to unexpected places. He opens up about Meyer Burger’s bold pivot to solar cell and module production, how policy delay and eventual inaction represents a missed opportunity for Europe, and his vision for the future of solar manufacturing (spoiler: he's still hopeful).

Despite his persistent optimism, he doesn’t shy away from discussing the tough lessons learned, how younger German solar companies opposed pro-manufacturing policies, and why China’s solar dominance represents a risk to global energy security.

Informed and insightful, Gunter does not take a backwards step in defending the strategic decision to transition Meyer Burger's business toward making modules. "I decided let's go for it, and I have never regretted it."

PLUS: On this week's Espresso, Torsten speaks with Ivona Kafedjiska, a PV research strategy and policy consultant with the HZB Berlin, on the sidelines of the EU PVSEC event. She shares some of her key takeaways from the leading European academic conference for clean technology and gives her view on why hopes for a revival of solar manufacturing on the continent may not be lost.

In our second episode of the season, Torsten is joined at The smarter E in Munich by trailblazing solar analyst Jenny Chase, who was the first member of the BloombergNEF solar analyst team. Jenny, who has spent over 17 years shaping solar market intelligence, shares her journey from studying physics at Cambridge University to leading one of the world’s top sources for solar data and analysis.

Jenny walks us through the early days of solar, back when the price of polysilicon was astronomical and when installing half a terawatt of PV in one year (as we are on track to do in 2024) would've been unthinkable. She reflects on how solar has evolved to become an essential driver of the global energy transition and discusses the many challenges of analyzing an ever-changing and rapidly evolving market.

An extremely engaging conversation, sprinkled with her signature wit and no-nonsense approach, Jenny speaks to the joys of building a team, the perils of management, and the importance of doing what you love (which may or may not include tending to a flock of multi-generational geese).

PLUS: On the Espresso segment, Sven Albersmeier-Braun reports from the new Solar & Storage Live Zürich event. Sven is from upstart Chinese power electronics and battery supplier Sigenergy, and he describes how the residential battery market in Switzerland is undergoing a transition, as fears of power shortages begin to fade.

We're kicking off Season 2 of The Solar Journey with solar industry leader Howard Wenger, President of Nextracker! In this episode, host Dr. Torsten Brammer dives deep into Howard's incredible 40-year journey, from waiting in gas lines during the 1970's oil crisis to leading one of the world's most innovative solar tracker companies. Howard shares how he fell in love with photovoltaics (spoiler: he may bleed silicon!) and never looked back. He walks us through the early days of solar, when costs were sky-high, and people thought he was chasing a pipe dream. Fast forward to today, and Nextracker is celebrating 100 gigawatts of solar trackers shipped. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what drives Nextracker's success and hear Howard's insights on what it will take to push solar energy and clean tech to the next level. PLUS: On the Espresso segment, Radovan Kopecek from ISC Konstanz joins us live from Anaheim, California – from the RE+ trade show and conference. He provides an update on solar manufacturing in the US and how intellectual property issues are creating challenges for prospective cell producers in the country. He also hints at an opportunity for non-Chinese cell makers that may present a profitable sales channel in the currently challenging market situation.