Conference Highlights

Presented by Rogér Balyon (Amazon), and James Nagel (HelioVolta).

America’s top brands are forging new frameworks for O&M and digital asset management as they strive toward groundbreaking sustainability goals. Rogér Balyon of Amazon, one of the nation’s largest corporate offtakers of renewable energy, will discuss asset management strategy with James Nagel of HelioVolta, a solar and storage technical advisory that supports Amazon and several of its Fortune 50 peers.

James and Rogér will highlight the limits of metered energy/SCADA data and break down common O&M expectations. The session will highlight in-field data acquisition tactics and dataset harmonization strategies for holistic evaluations of PV fleet health.

Attendees will learn why SCADA data provides an incomplete understanding of PV fleet health and how to gather key safety and reliability metrics during routine O&M. They will also leave the session with a new perspective on holistic digital asset management that leverages multiple diverse datastreams.

Presented by Joshua Hotvet (Agilitas Energy).

In this session, Josh Hotvet will cover three major electric utility barriers to energy storage, as well as strategies for overcoming them. These include manufacturing, supply chain and cost challenges for lithium-ion batteries, the lengthy interconnection queue, and how the renewables industry can define energy storage facilities more appropriately to eliminate prohibitive tariffs. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how to combat common barriers and how to redefine energy market rules that will effectively bring more clean power to market. Josh will support this session with a real-world case study – how Agilitas Energy worked with Con Edison to finalize the largest non-wire solution project in New York City. By leveraging a use case, attendees will learn about these barriers and solutions in theory, as well as how they work in practice.

Presented by Jason Anderson (Cleantech San Diego).

Learn about the top 10 proven steps on how Cleantech San Diego supports a regional cleantech sector that has a $9 Billion economic impact and supports 40,000 jobs, and how they launched a program to support 100+ startups that have nearly 500 patents, and $500 million in follow-up funding – and is still going strong after 16 years of exciting, successful work!

In this session, you’ll hear from Cleantech San Diego President and CEO Jason Anderson about the organization’s impressive history and how its regionally-focused, collaborative approach continues to bring together the right stakeholders to help accelerate cleantech innovation for the benefit of the economy, the environment, and all members of the community.

Presented by Jon Norman (Hydrostor), Joe Ferrari (Energy Dome), Upma Koul (Sumitomo SHI/FW), and Julia Souder (Long Duration Energy Storage Council).

This session will examine the opportunity for innovative, yet proven energy storage technologies to accelerate the United States decarbonization pathway. From Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) to Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) and Liquid CO2, medium to long duration energy storage technologies are able to reduce curtailment as well as manage system constraints caused by or affecting renewable energy sources.

As states around the country lead the way, the session details what kind of regulatory framework is required to incentivize investment into LDES technologies, lessons learned from an in-depth study of projects currently under development, and a look to how LDES and renewables can work together to strengthen United States decarbonization goals.

This discussion will offer a look into the diversity of storage technologies available beyond lithium ion batteries. It will offer lessons learned from companies who have projects located in North America and abroad.

Presented by Toyah Callahan, Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

Codes and standards are a critical element in our national transition to a clean energy economy. Codes—such as the International Building Code, the International Fire Code, International Residential Code, and the National Electric Code—provide clarity on how clean energy systems like solar PV and battery storage must be installed to ensure safety.

Please join us for a discussion on the safety issues related to energy storage systems (ESS) and solar photovoltaics (PV). This session will explore current code issues and changes and proposals to address these issues.

As case studies, we will discuss recent proposals developed by the Sustainable Energy Action Committee (SEAC), a diverse forum for collaboration and problem solving related to solar PV installation and energy storage.

Attendees will also be invited to take part in future SEAC meetings to continue the discussion.

Presented by Gurmesh Sidhu (Moment Energy).

Presented by Steve Pullins (AlphaStruxure).

Airports are arguably the most mission critical facilities that touch all walks of life. Jet flight, moving airplanes simultaneously, moving and protecting people, securing large buildings, powering dozens of systems, integrating operations, and meeting deep sustainability and resilience goals is a big order. Plus, failing to operate well at one airport in real-time usually has a ripple effect on plans across broad regions or whole countries. The $9.5 billion JFK New Terminal One redevelopment is one of these mission critical facilities with truly global impact. The Terminal turned to a microgrid, rich in solar and energy storage, to meet the sustainability and resilience goals. With 38% reduction in GHG day one, the microgrid actually puts JFK New Terminal One on a path to net zero GHG while at the same time assuring a grid outage will not interrupt the terminal’s service to people and airlines…ever.
This panel will discuss the keys to marrying sustainability and resilience objectives, outline the critical design elements to achieve this, and highlight the JFK New Terminal One model for other airports and seaports.

Attendees will gain an appreciation for how solar and energy storage contribute to mission critical operations for our future.

Presented by Timothy Brightbill (Wiley Rein LLP).

This session will educate attendees about the important trade law and policy developments that affect their business and the solar industry in general. Timothy Brightbill will discuss major developments in solar trade law and policy over the last year and will forecast important new developments and issues to watch in 2024.

Topics will include: 

• Analysis of the solar trade cases, including the solar antidumping and countervailing duty cases, circumvention cases, safeguards measures, and Section 301 tariffs
• Impacts of Inflation Reduction Act funding on domestic solar manufacturing
• Trade and customs enforcement issues, including Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement
• Potential trade negotiations affecting the solar industry in 2024

Presented by Rylan Beisner (Alliant Consulting), Darren Aguon, and Cristina Aguirre.

During this session, attendees will gain valuable insight into how to navigate the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act. By understanding the requirements and how to maintain compliance, attendees will have added confidence to work on IRA projects in 2024 and beyond. This session will also provide Developers and Owners with the information they need to pass along to the contractors on-site to ensure that they receive the increased tax credits offered by the Inflation Reduction Act. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn tips and tricks from industry experts in prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.

People who attend our session will leave confident to take on projects with Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship requirements through the IRA. They will learn how to maintain compliance for their crew and any subcontractors under them.

Presented by Millie Knowlton (CPower).

Distributed Energy Resource (DER) owners, developers, and the host sites they serve are faced with mounting pressures, including fluctuating electric costs, uncertain economic conditions, power disruptions, and net-zero climate policies. DERs can counter these challenges and accelerate the clean energy transition, but only with innovation that unlocks projects’ full financial potential.

This presentation will evaluate optimization approaches in the industry, looking ahead to showcase how businesses are leveraging and scheduling their energy assets, how they can support their community’s resilience and economic activity, and how these approaches can unleash the full potential of DERs in the clean energy future.

The audience will learn how to identify and ensure project financial models include available and obtainable value streams, correctly size DER assets based on available value streams and market rules within different energy markets, manage DER asset project model forecasts for accuracy and achievable results, and more.

Presented by Harry Benson (Standard Solar).

Developing solar projects is a long, capital-intensive process. Early-stage financing is critical for commercial developers to wade through the layers of operational and regulatory complexities. Harry Benson, Director of Business Development, Standard Solar, (#2 US commercial solar installer by WoodMac), will delve into the crucial aspects of securing early-stage financing that empowers commercial solar developers to navigate the complexities of operational and regulatory landscapes, including:

• Finding the right financing partner
• Top financing challenges
• Pitfall avoidance
• Steps to project financing success

This session will deepen attendees’ knowledge of the critical role early-stage financing plays in driving commercial solar project success. They will also learn how to acquire financing at the initial stages of solar development, as well as how to manage those relationships.

Presented by Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies (ACCURE Battery Intelligence).

The BESS revolution is here, and the learning curve is steep. Understanding the role that strategic battery asset monitoring plays in minimizing operational risks, verifying warranty claims, and maximizing battery longevity is an important component of a successful storage program.

Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies, CEO of ACCURE Battery Intelligence, will share the latest advancements in big data, machine learning, AI, and predictive analytics. He’ll explore the role of Battery Management Systems and demonstrate how BESS operators are using cloud-based analytics to better manage risk and grow revenue. Included will be real-world examples of how AI and machine learning-based battery analytics is enhancing the safety, longevity, and performance of energy storage systems.