Large Scale Solar USA 2025 Agenda

The US added a record 49GW of new solar capacity in 2024, with renewables surpassing 1,000TWh of the country’s total electricity generation for the first time. Despite the lack of clarity around the future of tariffs, tax credits and transmission buildout, solar remains the nation’s fastest growing energy source, underpinning a $60 billion industry, and the momentum driving deployment shows no signs of waning.

As we mark the first 100 days of the new presidency, explore critical insights and potential implications for utility-scale and distributed solar and storage pipelines.

• How trade policies and tariffs are shaping supply chains and project economics in 2025
• The latest on IRA incentives and the implications for utility-scale and distributed solar projects
• Strategies for maintaining growth and resilience in the face of policy uncertainty

The grid currently presents the biggest obstacle to deployment across the USA’s rapidly expanding renewable energy sources. With a perfect storm of factors from the rise of extreme weather and cyber-attacks to outdated planning methods and generation retirements threatening reliability, the risks are substantial. Hear the latest analysis mapping the true scale of the challenge and what tools the industry can utilise to overcome it.

• Progress on the DOE Transmission Interconnection Roadmap
• Interconnection queue realities – is the 2TW claim accurate? How much of the proposed pipeline will be actualised?
• Tools for modelling the impact of hybrid project configurations
• Demystifying interconnection costs and timelines

Evaluating different innovative responses to the FERC’s landmark interconnection reform.

• Connect and manage – how possible is it to replicate Texas’ approach elsewhere and what are the potential roadblocks to wider adoption?
• Integrating planning and procurement in SPP – how will cost allocation challenges and interstate co-operation be managed?
• CAISO’s zonal approach has been approved – are developers’ concerns around commercial interest criteria unwarranted?
• PJM’s proposed fast-track Reliability Resource Initiative – will developer opposition result in a change of direction?

• Hybrid resource modelling and ISO requirements
• Optimizing charge/discharge cycles to maximize revenue while avoiding degradation and efficiency losses.
• Adding storage to existing infrastructure – key benefits, technical challenges, and regulatory considerations for upgrading legacy solar assets
• Integrating solar and storage O&M strategies to maximize performance and longevity.
• Revenue optimization – market participation and trading strategies.

VPPs could meet as much as 160 GW of the 200 GW of U.S. peak demand needs in 2030 and reduce power system costs by $10 billion annually. This represents a key route to enabling demand flexibility and managing electrification at required levels of cost and efficiency.

• What are the barriers to integration?
• Interoperability standards – what do these need to look like to enable scalability, affordability and reliability?
• How to incentivize long-term distribution system planning and transparency in utilities?

Our interactive roundtables will facilitate in-depth discussion on the critical roadblocks facing solar deployment.

• Grid – connection process and costs
• Finance – attracting capital and ensuring projects are bankable
• Workforce – building and retaining capabilities in an expanding industry
• Recycling – end-of-life decommissioning. Turning a challenge into an opportunity
• Supply Chain – managing global networks and supporting local economies

The panel will discuss key challenges and opportunities from an off-taker perspective providing unique insights into what buyers want in 2025 and beyond.

• What’s driving renewable procurement in 2025?
• How are buyers’ strategies evolving?
• What are the various methods of procuring renewable energy?
• What are important factors to consider when developing renewable energy strategies?
• How can a diversified approach be used to manage a renewable energy portfolio?

Discover how integrating data centre loads into nodal areas can transform the financial viability of solar projects. Innovative strategies to optimize nodal pricing and unlock new revenue streams for large-scale solar developments, with insights into real-world applications and data-driven models to maximize returns in a competitive energy market.

• Accurately mapping stranded asset risk in a world of increasingly extreme climates.
• Technological solutions and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
• Connecting meteorology to investment planning and operation system management.
• Impact of increasing insurance premiums on the bankability of new utility-scale solar projects.

With subsidies on hold, solar developers must now sharpen their focus on cost efficiency like never before. Discover insider strategies for reducing construction costs early in the development process. From procurement hacks to design optimizations, gain actionable insights to maximize project value without compromising quality and build smarter, leaner, and more cost-effective projects.

• How do permitting requirements differ across states, and what are the implications of centralized versus localized processes?
• What strategies are developers using to accelerate solar project approvals, and how effective are they?
• What are the key features of a successful permit application, and how can developers replicate these?
• How might permitting processes evolve with trends like standardization, stricter environmental rules, and digital tools?
• How can developers prepare to adapt to future changes in permitting regulations and processes?

• Unlocking new revenue streams and enhancing land productivity
• Implementing best-practice sustainable management strategies
• Overcoming barriers to scaling up innovative approaches
• Leveraging payment schemes for ecosystem services
• Optimizing planning and consenting through sustainable development

• How to differentiate your project to attract capital in a crowded and competitive market
• Factoring in the full life-cycle – including repowering, decommissioning, and long-term expansion – to strengthen investment cases
• The role of storage in unlocking new revenue streams and boosting project value
• Data driven decision-making – how are increasing automation and digitalization being used to optimize performance, mitigate risk and maximize returns