New Solar POWER-GEN Conference & Exhibition, dedicated to advancing the large-scale solar power market.
PennWell Corporation announces a new annual conference & exhibition for the large-scale solar power market. Solar POWER-GEN Conference & Exhibition, which will premiere in Long Beach, CA on Feb. 14-16, 2012, will be co-located with the 9th annual Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America. The new event will delve into the specifics of developing, supporting and growing large-scale solar power in North America.
"PennWell Corporation sees large-scale solar power as an area poised for explosive growth in the power markets," said Dick Rauner, Group Publisher North American Renewable Energy Group for PennWell Corporation. "The large-scale solar market is expected to double in the next year and costs are projected to be cut in half by 2020," he said. "Solar POWER-GEN Conference & Exhibition will be
THE place to watch the market evolve and continue to expand in the years to come." Solar POWER-GEN Conference & Exhibition fills a void in the market by offering an annual event dedicated to large-scale solar power. Conference participants will learn about large-scale solar policy, markets, finance and technology through discussions covering a wide range of topics such as the expanding role of solar power across North America; how policy is driving innovation; technology breakthroughs in solar power equipment; utility ownership of solar and much more. Attendees will enjoy educational seminars, product demonstrations, exhibits and entertainment.
Exhibitors will reach attendees from North America, Europe, and Asia – a truly worldwide audience. Solar POWER-GEN Conference & Exhibition will provide a dynamic conference program, expert speakers and high-level discussion all set in one of North America’s most forward-looking solar energy markets — California. Attendees and exhibitors will meet in Long Beach to discuss and debate large-scale solar energy development issues such as:
Market Growth – In 2010, the U.S. solar power market grew more than 100%, with 28% of installations considered large-scale – over 1 MW. There are now more than 700 MW of utility PV projects under contract and 11 GW of concentrating solar power plants in various stages of development.
Falling Costs – Industry analysts predict the costs associated with development of large-scale solar power plants will be cut by 50% by 2020, if not sooner.
Greater Demand – With global events like nuclear disasters and growing concern over C02 emissions, water shortages and energy security, solar power will be the go-to energy source in the next decade.
Large-Scale Solutions – Large-scale solar power is not without its own environmental, financial, political and technical challenges, all of which will be explored and discussed at Solar POWER-GEN Conference & Exhibition, a conference dedicated to the growing large-scale solar power industry.
How will the industry overcome the backlash against large solar projects?
Is financing readily available given the technical challenges of installing large-scale projects?
Will limited water supplies favor PV over CSP?
Can costs continue to drop as fast as they have been?
Which local, state and federal policies favor large-scale solar over distributed solar?
Will the need for more transmission impact the industry?
How can the North American, European and Asian large-scale solar players learn from each other’s successes – and failures?
Rauner went on to mention, "PennWell also produces the world’s largest annual power event, POWER-GEN International and plans to draw on its same strengths to create a world-class educational and networking event. We’ll package Solar POWER-GEN with our successful Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America event for even greater exhibitor and attendee appeal across the solar power generation spectrum."
