In order to foster the development and integration of PV systems in Europe and beyond, more efficient, reliable and profitable operation and maintenance (O&M) strategies need to be found. In this context, SOLARIS will gather 15 partners (6 research-oriented partners, 8 industrial partners including 2 start-ups & 3 SMEs, and a municipality) for 48 months to develop and demonstrate a complete set of physical and digital tools for improved forecasting, operational performance and maintenance, resulting in high performance index (90%) and availability (>98%) of PV plants, and decreasing the levelised cost of energy by 10%. SOLARIS will provide operators with reliable forecasting (short and long-term weather and power production); accurate monitoring and inspection techniques through novel wind, dust and impedance sensing, as well as automated multi-spectral PV inspection using drones; early fault detection (incl. preventive maintenance); improved lifetime of strategic components through adapted responses (self-protection, power electronics’ reconfiguration, storage strategies); and energy trading via an AI-based tool. Demonstration data will be gathered in an IoT platform, feeding one of the main tools proposed to PV operators, i.e. the PV asset management software. All developments will be demonstrated and assessed in 8 use-cases (utility- and small-scale ground-mounted, rooftop, floating, agriPV) across Europe. Demonstration datasets and labelled data on the different use-cases, as well as long-term PV potentials for regions of demonstration will be shared publicly to foster developments of other initiatives. The uptake of SOLARIS developments will be enhanced by the wide dissemination of demonstration and assessment results to relevant stakeholders, i.e. PV systems owners and O&M firms, as well as technology providers. It will be further facilitated by the creation of a Stakeholder Forum, accompanying all developments towards commercialisation.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are considered essential to solving the climate crisis. They have the potential to simultaneously address climate change, biodiversity loss and human wellbeing and development, by providing different ecosystem services. However, the typically small size of NBS projects, the difficulties to measure and monetize their co-benefits as well as the long time frame for investment returns and the risk profile, undermine their attractiveness for funding. In comparison to NBS alone, the combination of NBS and ecosystem-based approaches, physical measures and technological measures is able to provide measurable outcomes quicker, reducing the risk profile and facilitating faster implementation and long-time maintenance, broadening opportunities for ecosystem innovation and increasing investment attractiveness. Aiming for bankability-by-design, RISE-IN will assess a set of climate resilient solutions (CRS), including NBS and ecosystem- based approaches and physical measures, by mapping and quantifying their co-benefits and identifying innovative financing and investment opportunities accordingly. Co-creation and participatory processes with local stakeholders, including investors and businesses, will enable the screening of the most adequate solutions for each site, in terms of functionality and funding and within a framework of just resilience. The assessment will be complemented by 3 climate risk assessment models that will reduce uncertainty regarding risks associated with extreme events, water run-off and capital loss. RISE-IN will demonstrate this concept for flood management (most costly type of disaster in Europe) in Cesena (IT), Christchurch (NZ) and Póvoa de Varzim (PT). RISE-IN demonstrations will be further tailored for replication in Ghent (BE), Zhytomyr (UA), Kadikoy (TR) and in 3 additional sites of Demonstrator Cities (Demo Cities) to prove the impact of the concept to facilitate bankability and upscale implementation across EU and Internationally.