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 With a perfect storm of factors from the rise of extreme weather and cyber-attacks to outdated planning methods and generation retirements threatening reliability, the risks are substantial.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.

Our interactive roundtables will facilitate in-depth discussion on the critical roadblocks facing solar deployment. Each roundtable will be moderated by one of our expert speakers with high exposure to the relevant challenges, bringing practical insights and real-world experience to the conversation.

These small-group discussions are designed to encourage peer-to-peer learning, candid dialogue, and the sharing of strategies for overcoming common barriers.

Finance and dealmaking – Matt Cameron, Partner, Hodgson Russ
Community engagement –  Ayelet Hines, Vice President, Community Engagement, Tigercomm
Recycling, Decommissioning & End-of-Life – Emilie Oxel O’Leary, Founder & CEO, Green Clean Solar
Supply Chain – Feizhen Lu, Senior Vice President of Procurement and Supply Chain, Hecate Energy

As solar scales to meet rapidly expanding energy demand, supply chains are being tested like never before. This session will explore the evolving geopolitics of solar sourcing, strategies for diversifying manufacturing bases, and how policy, innovation, and logistics must align to meet domestic content requirements. Learn what it takes to successfully onshore operations, mitigate global risks, and deliver on solar’s promise at gigawatt scale.

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.

Deep dive into evolving offtake structures and permitting strategies in this interactive roundtable session, designed to encourage peer-to-peer learning, candid dialogue, and the sharing of strategies for overcoming common barriers.

• Navigating Renewable Energy Procurement: Evaluating Evolving Offtake Structures and Opportunities in the Hyperscale Era – Mathis Walker, Recurrent Energy
• Mapping the Permitting Landscape – Amanda Corll, Director of Permitting, Geenex Solar

• 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