Advanced PV Technologies and Manufacturing

Dr. Lili Wang is Senior Director-Renewable Energy Materials of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Research Centre of Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi. She received her bachelor's degree on Materials Chemistry in Fudan University in 2005 and was awarded Ph.D. on Materials Chemistry and Physics in Chinese Academy of Science in 2010. Before joining TII, she worked as Director of Process Technology and served as Member of Patent Review Committee in Solaria, a solar module manufacturer based in the US, California, a pioneer developing high-density shingle module technology (acquired by Maxeon in 2023). During 2018-2019, she led the development of upscaling process of perovskite thin film PV technology in Energy Everywhere Inc., a startup company in Berkeley, California. Prior to starting her journey in the US solar industry, she worked on perovskite solar cell development as a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellow at Michigan State University and a visiting researcher at Case Western Reserve University respectively. Her research at TII is focused on materials and process development for advanced solar PV (cell and module) technology including emerging thin film PV and c-Si.

Dr. Puzant Baliozian is the VDMA PV Equipment Group's project manager since September of this year. He is involved in techno-economic studies for manufacturing capacity of PV along the value chain and represents the interests of European PV equipment manufacturers internationally. The PV Sector Group at VDMA also publishes the yearly international technology roadmap for photovoltaics (ITRPV) showing highly relevant technology projections and trends. Dr. Baliozian studied physics at the American University of Beirut (BSc., 2014) and has a specialization in renewable energy (MSc. 2016) from the university of Freiburg. From 2016 until recently, he worked at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg in the field of photovoltaic production technologies where he also did his PhD. He is best known for developing the passivated edge technology for separated industrial solar cell concepts, to boost cell and module efficiencies.

Michael Heilig is the CEO of SwissWatt One AG, with 17 years in the PV industry and 22 years in direct sales and business development. He spent 14 years at SunPower / Maxeon, managing key markets in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and parts of the Middle East. Additionally, he lived and worked for 8 years in Southeast Asia, gaining deep industry expertise. His strengths include account management, revenue growth, distributor network expansion, and strategic market planning. He has represented SunPower and Maxeon at global trade fairs and conferences. Michael holds a Diploma in Business Informatics and has extensive experience in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He is fluent in German (C2) and English (C1).

Dr. Hamed Hanifi holds a PhD on Electrical Engineering and Photovoltaics from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. His career spans from 2013-2021 at Fraunhofer CSP in the groups of Module Technology and Module Reliability. Between 2021-2024, he has been leading the Research and Development department and since 2025, he acts as the Global Technical Director at AESOLAR. His group is dedicated to pioneering PV modules, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring durability, especially in extreme climates. Apart from standard modules, he focuses on PV applications such as Agrivoltaics, Shade-resistant, and PV-Thermal modules.

Vish Iyer is Managing Director for India & Middle East at Caelux Corporation, a U.S.-based innovator in perovskite-silicon hybrid tandem solar technology backed by Khosla Ventures and Temasek. With 20+ years across renewable energy, industrials, manufacturing, and private equity, he is driving Caelux's adoption and scaling next-generation solar manufacturing across India and the Middle East.Vish has built and led over USD 1.7 billion in renewable energy platforms, developed 4.5+ GWp of renewable and energy storage assets, and raised approximately USD 750 million in clean energy capital. A Rising Star Finalist at the S&P Global Platts Energy Awards, he has held leadership roles at Siemens, L&T Construction, Mahindra Partners, Sterling & Wilson, and Jakson Green, and is a frequent speaker at global forums including Infrastructure Investor, BNEF, IFC, and Intersolar Europe.