Five Trends from Intersolar Europe 2026: A Column by Oleksandr Bilyi for NV Business

Alexander Bilyi, head of iSolar Partner Hub, shared with NV Business the key insights from Intersolar Europe 2026—the world’s largest solar energy trade show.

In his column, he explained why energy storage is becoming the foundation of modern power systems, how the market is shifting from selling equipment to offering comprehensive solutions, what role EMS and artificial intelligence play, and why solar energy is having an increasingly significant impact on the economy and business development.

Read the full article at the link or below.

From June 23 to 25, 2026, Munich hosted Intersolar Europe 2026 — the world’s largest trade show dedicated to solar energy. This year, the event brought together more than 2,650 companies from 52 countries and over 105,000 visitors from 163 countries.

The main takeaway from this year’s Intersolar is that the energy sector is shifting from the development of individual technologies to the creation of comprehensive energy ecosystems. While just a few years ago competition centered on solar panels and inverters, today the focus has shifted to energy storage, digitalization, energy management, artificial intelligence, and the integration of various technologies into a single system.

Below are five trends that will shape the development of the global and Ukrainian energy markets in the coming years.

1. Energy storage is evolving from a supporting technology to the backbone of the power system

One of the most notable trends at Intersolar Europe 2026 was the rapid growth in the role of energy storage systems. While just a few years ago solar generation and storage were viewed as separate solutions, today battery systems are increasingly determining the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of an entire energy project.

During the exhibition, manufacturers focused not only on increasing battery capacity. The spotlight was on the ability of storage systems to interact with the grid, manage load, ensure power system balancing, and increase the flexibility of the power supply. That is precisely why energy storage is gradually transitioning from an optional feature to an essential component of modern energy infrastructure.

According to SolarPower Europe’s forecasts, the volume of energy storage system installations in Europe could increase nearly fourfold by 2030. This indicates that the market is increasingly focusing not only on electricity generation but also on the ability to manage it effectively during different periods of consumption.

This trend is particularly significant for Ukraine. As the share of distributed generation grows and the need to enhance the resilience of the power grid increases, energy storage systems are becoming a tool that not only provides backup power but also enables more efficient use of the electricity generated. In essence, this involves a shift from a “generate as much as possible” model to a “generate and use as efficiently as possible” model.

What is emerging today as one of the key trends in the European market could become an important element in Ukraine’s efforts to modernize its energy system and achieve energy independence.

2. The economy is becoming more important than the environment

Just a few years ago, solar energy was primarily associated with reducing emissions and combating climate change. At Intersolar Europe 2026, it became clear that the focus is shifting.

Today, manufacturers are increasingly talking about cost-effectiveness, cost predictability, payback period, and energy independence for their businesses. For companies, the key selling point is not only the environmental friendliness of solutions, but also their ability to reduce operating costs, protect against price fluctuations in the energy market, and enhance the stability of production processes.

This trend is particularly relevant for Ukrainian businesses, as energy supply issues today directly affect the continuity of operations, competitiveness, and investment attractiveness.

3. The market is shifting from equipment sales to integrated solutions

Until recently, most companies in the market competed with individual products: solar panels, inverters, or energy storage systems. Today, however, there is growing demand for comprehensive solutions that combine generation, storage, digital management services, financial instruments, and local service support.

At Intersolar Europe 2026, it was particularly evident that the market is shifting from a model based on equipment supply to one centered on long-term energy partnerships. Customers are increasingly looking not for a single product, but for a company capable of handling the entire project lifecycle—from design and financing to energy consumption management and after-sales support.

In such conditions, it is not a single product that provides a competitive advantage, but rather the ability to integrate various technologies into a single, managed ecosystem. EMS platforms and artificial intelligence tools play a key role in this process, helping to analyze consumption, forecast demand, and automatically optimize the operation of energy infrastructure.

That is precisely why the market’s largest players are actively combining power generation, energy storage, digitalization, artificial intelligence tools, and services into a single offering for customers.

4. Electric vehicles and parking lots are becoming part of the power grid

The exhibition also clearly highlighted a trend toward integrating electric vehicles into the energy infrastructure. Thanks to bidirectional charging technologies, electric vehicles are gradually becoming mobile energy storage units that could help balance the grid and make more efficient use of renewable energy in the future.

Another interesting trend that is rapidly gaining traction in Europe is the use of parking lots as full-fledged sites for solar power generation. While building roofs used to be the primary surface for installing solar panels, today more and more attention is being paid to canopies over parking spaces.

France plays a particularly important role in the development of this sector. In 2023, the country passed a law requiring large open-air parking lots with an area of more than 1,500 square meters to cover at least 50% of their area with solar canopies. This approach makes it possible to simultaneously generate electricity, protect cars from the heat, and create infrastructure for charging electric vehicles.

Combined with the growth of electric vehicles, these solutions are shaping a new type of energy ecosystem, where parking lots become not only a place to park cars but also a source of energy generation and management.

This area also holds significant potential for Ukraine. Even today, some businesses are implementing similar solutions on the premises of their facilities, shopping centers, and commercial properties. With the growing popularity of electric vehicles and the development of distributed generation, solar parking lots can be expected to gradually become part of the new energy infrastructure in Ukraine as well.

5. Solar energy is becoming a driver of the economy and energy security

One of the interesting takeaways from Intersolar Europe 2026 was that, in Europe, the development of solar energy is increasingly being viewed not only through the lens of climate goals. In Germany, the industry is already directly linked to approximately 440,000 jobs, economic growth, sustainability, and national security.

For Ukraine, this approach is no less relevant. Solar energy is already driving demand for new technical professions, creating high-paying jobs, and stimulating the development of vocational and technical education. At the same time, the industry remains open to hiring veterans, internally displaced persons, and people who want to quickly learn a new profession.

We see this in practice as well: through iSolar’s educational initiative—the iSolar Academy—future professionals can learn the trade of solar power plant installer in just one month and gain the opportunity for future employment in the industry.

Therefore, for Ukraine, the development of solar energy today is not just about additional power generation. It is also about creating new opportunities for people, developing the economy, and strengthening the country’s energy resilience.