New ‘value-added EPC’ discipline emerging to serve PV revamping and repowering boom

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A BayWa r.e. solar project.
‘It is a business which keeps evolving, year after year,’ said Tomaso Charlemont Image: BayWa r.e..

The need to optimise the performance of solar PV projects in the long-term will require a skillset beyond that which traditional engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms possess, which can best be described as “value-added EPC”.

This is a key takeaway from PV Tech Premium’s conversation with Tomaso Charlemont, head of revamping and repowering in the EMEA region at German renewable power giant BayWa r.e., published today. Revamping and repowering are paired processes that aim to optimise electricity generation in the long term. The former seeks to return an ageing plant to its original capacity, while the latter aims to build on the original asset’s capacity.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

However, as revamping and repowering must be completed while solar projects are connected to grids and in commercial operation and will involve the replacement of older components with cutting-edge technologies, such work can be highly complex.

“It is a business which keeps evolving, year after year,” said Charlemont. “It is important to understand that revamping and repowering is a complex construction business. It is not a quick fix, where you go in, replace a few components, and you are done.”

“We are an EPC, by doing engineering, procurement, contracting [and] construction, but with the added value of doing all that in the context of an existing plant on top. It is a new discipline, and that is what brings this complexity to the table.”

Charlemont also noted that the picture is muddied further by the range of policy frameworks across the regions in which BayWa r.e. operates, including Germany and France, which add complexity for companies keen to engage in value-added EPC work.

However, Charlemont also suggested that the potential value of modernising existing solar projects, and taking advantage of project components such as land and grid connections, means that there is likely to be a “huge wave” of interest in revamping and repowering, despite these complications.

“Plants [that are not revamped] will need to be dismantled at the end of their designed life; what remains is a piece of land, for which a building permit has already been established and a grid connection,” said Charlemont. “This will trigger a new momentum that will be the huge wave of repowering; building a new plant where there has been one previously.”

Read PV Tech Premium’s full interview with Charlemont here.

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

June 9, 2025
Sonnedix has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Renfe to supply 420GWh of renewable energy annually for its commercial operations.
June 6, 2025
Eternal Sun has acquired German solar simulator provider Wavelabs, which has resulted in the formation of a new subsidy, Wavelabs Eternal Sun.
Premium
June 6, 2025
Europe must secure the 'strategic segments' of the solar supply chain, according to experts at a PV Tech panel at this year's Intersolar event.
June 5, 2025
Investment in clean energy and grids will reach US$2.2 trillion in 2025, double the expected investment into fossil fuels this year, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
June 4, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Enlight Renewable Energy is expanding its Gecama Wind Project in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, by integrating solar PV and battery energy storage systems.
June 3, 2025
A joint venture featuring global oil major bp will begin construction on a 240MW solar PV project in Azerbaijan.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece