SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intersolar North America (#isna2020), the first major solar + energy storage event of 2020, today welcomed attendees to the San Diego Convention Center. The conference features more than 25 conference sessions and workshops, the first-ever Solar Games live installer competition, NABCEP-approved continuing education training, and numerous networking opportunities to connect leaders across the solar, storage, and e-mobility industries.
This morning, Wes Doane, Intersolar North America’s Event Director, introduced keynote speakers David Hochschild, Chair of the California Energy Commission, and Danny Kennedy, a solar energy pioneer and Chief Energy Officer of New Energy Nexus, during the Opening Ceremony.
Hochschild described California’s progress to achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2045. At 57 percent carbon free energy, the state serves as a case study for the many other states who have set renewable energy standards in the last few years. According to Hochschild, 30 percent of the US population is living in a state that has committed to 100% clean energy.
“The electric grid in the US is getting cleaner every single year...Fossil fuels are now the alternative energy. Renewable energy is mainstream,” said Hochschild during his keynote speech Tuesday morning. “We’re at the beginning of the end of the coal era. And the question now is what comes next.”
Kennedy illustrated the importance of international innovation to support the transition to clean energy, sharing case studies from New Energy Nexus’s work sparking innovation and accelerating clean energy startups across the globe.
Kennedy called on #isna2020 attendees to find opportunities to support innovation. “What are we going to do about the climate crisis? We think there needs to be a lot more of you: entrepreneurs, business owners, manufacturers—the people who will create, deploy, and support not only existing technologies, but also a whole new set of things that we haven’t yet imagined,” Kennedy said. “The converging story of our future is here, and California is very much the incubator.”
Supporting an expanding solar + storage marketplace
Kennedy and Hochschild set the tone for the event, which features more than 100 speakers who will share insights on the leading trends and cutting-edge technologies that will shape the solar + storage industry in 2020 and beyond. This is particularly important as the industry expands to new markets and deploys thousands of systems nationwide: over the next five years, total installed solar capacity will more than double, with cumulative deployment topping 100 GW by 2021.
Industry in action
Attendees had the chance to experience the solar + storage transition in action during #isna2020’s first ever Solar Games, a live solar + storage installation competition. Teams faced off for the first two rounds of the competition to build a residential solar + storage system on two rooftops. Solar Energy International’s Roger Williams and Brian Mehalic, and California Solar and Storage Association’s Carter Lavin emceed the event while Rudy Saporite from the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) judged the teams on a point system for quality, safety, and speed. The winner will be announced after the third and final round is held Wednesday.
Fostering cross-sector opportunities
The intersection of solar, storage, and e-mobility is a focus during this year’s conference. Wood Mackenzie forecasts that in the next five years, the energy storage industry will grow tenfold—becoming a $5.1B market—to accommodate the increase in solar deployment and support the growing number of electric vehicles on the road. To foster cross-sector development, #isna2020 is facilitating conversations that tackle the biggest challenges both facing each market and the intersection of these industries.
Up next
With the first day of #isna2020 complete, attendees can look forward to the following events on Wednesday, February 5:
- Solar Games Championship comes to an exciting conclusion as one team takes home the championship title—and a $5,000 prize—in the final round at 2:00 PM in the Solar Games stadium
- An Insight Session focused on environmental responsibility and industry sustainability, developed and moderated by pv magazine and presented at 10:15 AM in the Innovation & Application theater
- “Solar + Energy Storage + e-Mobility: Betting on the New Energy Trifecta” whitepaper presentation by Ravi Manghani, Head of Solar at Wood Mackenzie, at 12:30 PM in the Energy Storage theater
- Free happy hours featuring craft beer and local wine on the #isna2020 show floor at 4:00 PM
- Solar Comedy Slam, a stand-up comedy competition featuring solar + storage professionals, at 8:00 PM at Whiskey Girl in the Gaslamp District. Tickets required.
About Intersolar North America
Immerse yourself in the next era of energy at Intersolar North America. With best-in-class conference programming, special exhibits and pavilions, and the Solar Games installer competition, it showcases the industry trends, innovative solutions, and emerging talent transforming the solar, energy storage, and e-mobility markets. For more information on Intersolar North America, please visit: www.intersolar.us.
About Diversified Communications
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 15 industries including: renewable energy, healthcare, natural and organic, food and beverage, and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit: http://www.divcom.com
