Large Scale Solar USA 2025 Agenda

Texas has surpassed California as the nation’s leader for total installed utility-scale solar PV capacity in 2024 with 34GW. Forecasts for future growth need to be considered in terms of practical challenges that require solutions:

• Plans for managing the anticipated 40GW addition in capacity
• The future of Texan interconnection and grid reliability
• The role of storage in supporting huge projected growth

Solar accounted for 67% of all new power capacity added to the US grid in the first half of 2024. While the new administration has created question marks around the future of the IRA, the momentum driving the clean energy transition shows no signs of waning. As we mark the first 100 days of the new presidency, this discussion will explore critical insights and potential implications for utility-scale and distributed solar and storage pipelines.

• The latest on maximising IRA incentives and the implications for utility-scale and distributed solar projects.
• How trade policies and tariffs are shaping supply chains and project economics in 2024.
• 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 With a perfect storm of factors from the rise of extreme weather and cyber-attacks to outdated planning methods and generation retirements threatening reliability, the risks are substantial.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?

Sponsored presentation. Contact daniele.moreschi@informa.com for more information

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

Our experts will share key findings and lessons learned with actionable takeaways from the interactive discussions.

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?

• What is the potential impact of proposed tariffs on (1) project costs (2) local markets and (3) return profiles
• Opportunities and challenges for domestic manufacturing – labor, capabilities, materials, timeframes and cost implications
• Vertical integration across the supply chain – feasibility, resilience, efficiency and focus diversification

• 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.

Tools, systems, processes and products that can be deployed to manage risk, calibrate performance and maximise returns for shareholders.

• 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?

• Attracting equity – investors need to see viable returns in a competitive market. Projects are now chasing capital and investors will be selective
• Growing market – solar, and more broadly the energy transition, is a fast-growing opportunity and growing fast to hold and secure market share is critical
• Lifecycle – decommissioning and next phase / replacement capex / expansion investment is key part of investment decision making
• Power generation – combination of generation and storage investment will unlock revenue maximisation
• Data driven decision making – increasing automation and digitisation to optimise operational activities, manage risk and maximise returns