Michael Schmela is the Executive Advisor and member of the leadership team at SolarPower Europe, the association of the European solar and battery storage sectors. As Director of Market Intelligence, he is responsible for the market research team of the lobby group. Schmela is also the managing director and founder of TaiyangNews, a digital solar technology news platform. He also heads MISCHCO, a strategy and technology consulting firm. As Chairman of the Committee of the Intersolar Europe Conference, Schmela is responsible for the content of the annual event. Schmela was involved in setting up the Global Solar Council, which was founded during COP21 in Paris, and served as the Executive Advisor to the first Chairman of the GSC. Schmela has been active in the solar industry for over 25 years. After co-founding the Photon publishing house, he held various positions within the Photon Group for over a decade, primarily as editor-in-chief of Photon International.