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From East to Vienna to the USA: Lorrak Labbafi's Path in European Solar, Storage, O&M, and the Rise of VPPs
Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast!
Emmitt visit Vienna Austria and has a laid back socail conersation with Laarak Labbafi a PV engineer who jumped from physics to hands-on and technical support in solar, launching her career in Iran before moving to Austria. They unpack:
- How gender dynamics can shape early career experiences, and how to push through
- Iran’s solar story: sunshine abundance vs. sanctions, FiTs, and ROI whiplash
- Why Europe is all-in on batteries and self-consumption
- What O&M looks like from a distributor’s troubleshooting desk (Energy3000 + Huawei fleets)
- The U.S. grid squeeze, EV loads, and how Virtual Power Plants actually work
- Practical advice for women and newcomers entering PV, plus networking tips (NABCEP, Women in Solar)
- Lori’s next chapter: mastering ESS and bringing PV access to underserved regions and America
Links
- Watts Up Solar: https://www.solarenergyforconsumers.com
- S.E. Power Consulting: https://www.sepowerconsulting.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wattsuppod
- Orgs: NABCEP, Women in Solar
Chapter Marks (for players that support them)
00:00 Vienna intro
• 00:32 Why PV
• 02:28 Early career & barriers
• 06:24 Solar in Iran
• 07:55 Sanctions & ROI
• 10:01 Residential vs. utility
• 11:16 Batteries & self-consumption
• 12:58 Europe path
• 16:12 Energy3000/Huawei O&M
• 20:18 ESS goals
• 22:14 VPP explained
• 24:15 Career advice
• 25:44 California move
• 29:35 Networking
Call to Action
Subscribe, leave a rating, and share this episode with someone considering a PV career or an ESS upgrade at home.
Episode Keywords
NABCEP, solar, photovoltaics, energy storage, ESS, VPP, O&M, Austria, Iran, women in solar, NEM 3.0, Huawei, Energy3000, virtual power plant, career advice, troubleshooting
Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting
S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.
Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder.
Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more.
S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.
View all episodes
By Emmitt MucklesSend us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast!
Emmitt visit Vienna Austria and has a laid back socail conersation with Laarak Labbafi a PV engineer who jumped from physics to hands-on and technical support in solar, launching her career in Iran before moving to Austria. They unpack:
- How gender dynamics can shape early career experiences, and how to push through
- Iran’s solar story: sunshine abundance vs. sanctions, FiTs, and ROI whiplash
- Why Europe is all-in on batteries and self-consumption
- What O&M looks like from a distributor’s troubleshooting desk (Energy3000 + Huawei fleets)
- The U.S. grid squeeze, EV loads, and how Virtual Power Plants actually work
- Practical advice for women and newcomers entering PV, plus networking tips (NABCEP, Women in Solar)
- Lori’s next chapter: mastering ESS and bringing PV access to underserved regions and America
Links
- Watts Up Solar: https://www.solarenergyforconsumers.com
- S.E. Power Consulting: https://www.sepowerconsulting.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wattsuppod
- Orgs: NABCEP, Women in Solar
Chapter Marks (for players that support them)
00:00 Vienna intro
• 00:32 Why PV
• 02:28 Early career & barriers
• 06:24 Solar in Iran
• 07:55 Sanctions & ROI
• 10:01 Residential vs. utility
• 11:16 Batteries & self-consumption
• 12:58 Europe path
• 16:12 Energy3000/Huawei O&M
• 20:18 ESS goals
• 22:14 VPP explained
• 24:15 Career advice
• 25:44 California move
• 29:35 Networking
Call to Action
Subscribe, leave a rating, and share this episode with someone considering a PV career or an ESS upgrade at home.
Episode Keywords
NABCEP, solar, photovoltaics, energy storage, ESS, VPP, O&M, Austria, Iran, women in solar, NEM 3.0, Huawei, Energy3000, virtual power plant, career advice, troubleshooting
Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting
S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.
Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder.
Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more.
S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.