SolarPLUS 2026 Agenda
Ready to Contribute to This Year’s Agenda?
09:15 -
10:00
Keynote Panel
- How higher interest rates, inflation, and policy shifts are reshaping investment decisions in large scale solar
- The role of long-term offtake and corporate demand in anchoring new projects
- How grid operators are planning for rising load growth from data centres, EVs, and industry
- Developer strategies to keep projects bankable in a tariffed and compliance-heavy market
- What investors and buyers need to see in contracts and risk allocation to unlock new capacity
10:00 -
10:45
Keynote Panel
- Shifting supply chain strategies to respond to new tariffs and FEOC restrictions on module and cell sourcing
- How supply chain bottlenecks and costs in polysilicon and wafers are affecting margins and project IRR
- How to keep projects viable under compressed incentive timelines
- An update on reshoring or nearshoring efforts and what it means for cost and delivery risk
11:15 -
11:55
Panel Discussion
- Comparing merchant, hybrid, and contracted PPA revenue models for solar-plus-storage assets
- How ERCOT, CAISO, and PJM market structures shape dispatch strategies and revenue stacking
- Managing price volatility and curtailment risk when modelling energy, capacity, and ancillary service revenues
- Rising EPC costs, tariffs, and equipment price trends – how these impact IRR assumptions and project bankability
- Accounting for differing interconnection and performance requirements across U.S. ISOs
- Financing considerations: how lenders and investors assess collocated versus standalone revenue risk
Moderators
Co-Chief Executive Officer and Founding Member,
Apterra Infrastructure Capital
Speaker
11:55 -
12:30
Panel Discussion
- How new tariffs on modules and cells from Southeast Asia are reshaping procurement and project economics
- The impact of “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBBA) FEOC restrictions and domestic content rules on eligibility for tax credits
- Rising module, inverter, and transformer costs and how developers are building contingencies into EPC budgets
- The shift toward U.S. and allied manufacturing to mitigate tariff and traceability exposure
- How investors are adjusting hurdle rates, contracts, and due diligence to reflect higher supply-chain risk premiums
- Managing project delays and cost overruns tied to customs holds, component shortages, and trade policy volatility
- Strategies to preserve bankability including dual sourcing, fixed-price contracts, and closer collaboration with EPCs and suppliers
Moderator
12:30 -
12:45
Presentation
- Which regions and corridors are witnessing the fastest demand acceleration, and why
- How new industrial, AI, and data center loads are altering traditional demand forecasts
- The role of electrification (transport, heat pumps, industrial) in sustaining structural demand growth
- Grid and interconnection constraints: transmission bottlenecks, siting risks, congestion
- Implications for solar and storage: behind-the-meter vs front-of-meter deployment strategies
- How developers and investors should align project location, sizing, and revenue models to capture new demand growth
12:45 -
13:00
Presentation
- How fragmented global PV manufacturing complicates traceability across polysilicon, wafer, cell, and module stages
- Why FEOC and UFLPA compliance are forcing U.S. buyers to demand full supplier visibility and audit-ready documentation
- How flexible “fab-lite” models create both resilience and risk for companies navigating tariff and origin rules
- What leading manufacturers are doing to map, certify, and verify complex upstream supplier networks
- Why transparent, verifiable sourcing is now central to investor confidence and long-term market access
Moderators
13:00 -
13:15
Presentation
- How rising costs for inverters, trackers, transformers, and cabling are reshaping total project economics across U.S. solar markets
- Why shortages in transformers and high-voltage equipment are delaying interconnections and stretching EPC schedules
- How OBBBA tariffs and FEOC restrictions are affecting U.S. sourcing of key BOS components, including steel and power electronics
- Where domestic manufacturing of inverters, racking, and electrical hardware is scaling up and where critical gaps remain
- How EPCs and developers are managing contract exposure, logistics risk, and foreign-sourced inputs to keep projects bankable
14:15 -
14:50
Panel Discussion
- The sun is setting on the investment and production tax credits for wind and solar projects, with developers having until 2027 before those tax credits expire, which has caused a rush on project deployment – what are the key business decisions in the lead up to this deadline?
- So how are industry stakeholders – in particular solar energy project developers and EPCs – planning development projects given the short-term supply chain pressures involved?
- Follow the money trail: channelling investment to improve industry output
Moderators
14:50 -
15:25
Panel Discussion
- Which permitting pathways and land ownership types carry the lowest long-term development and political risk?
- How are developers reassessing project pipelines to avoid exposure to new reviews and regulations?
- What practical red flags should investors and lenders look for when underwriting projects located near federal lands, water, or agricultural areas?
- How are developers balancing proximity to load centers and grid capacity with the need to reduce permitting and interconnection risk?
- Which project types and geographies currently offer the most predictable returns and lowest policy volatility for solar and storage development?
Moderators
15:55 -
16:30
Panel Discussion
- How are commodity prices and uncertain crop revenues driving farmers and large landowners to consider solar leases as a new income stream?
- What lease structures, term lengths, and escalation clauses are most appealing to landowners balancing near-term liquidity with long-term land value?
- How can developers build trust by addressing concerns about soil health, decommissioning, aesthetics, and agricultural coexistence (agrivoltaics)?
- What financial models and communication strategies are proving most effective in helping landowners understand the value of hosting solar?
- How do local tax incentives, zoning policies, and community sentiment shape landowner willingness to participate?
- What can developers and investors learn from successful partnerships that have delivered predictable revenue and minimal disruption to farming operations?
Moderator
16:30 -
17:30
Interactive Roundtable
- Permitting, interconnection, community pushback
- Data centres as demand anchor
- O&M innovations and diagnostics
- Trade compliance and supply chain resilience
09:15 -
10:00
Panel Discussion
- How increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events are reshaping solar project design, siting, and financial modelling
- The effect of rising insurance premiums, coverage exclusions, and deductibles on project bankability and investor confidence
- How owners and insurers are applying climate modelling, geospatial analysis, and loss data to quantify exposure
- The growing importance of resilience audits and physical adaptation strategies to secure financing
- What new insurance instruments, such as parametric or warranty-linked products, can offer in managing weather-related losses
10:00 -
10:40
Panel Discussion
- Key lessons from inverter, tracker, and module failures and their impact on plant availability and revenue
- How component quality assurance and factory audits are evolving to reduce latent defect risk.
- The role of digital twins, predictive maintenance, and real-time monitoring in preventing systemic performance issues
- How financiers and insurers evaluate reliability claims for new technologies and integrate them into due diligence
- Which contractual structures best allocate responsibility and recourse when technology underperforms or fails?
Moderator
11:10 -
11:50
Panel Discussion
- How developers and investors are structuring revenue stacks in a market where incentives are stabilising but merchant exposure is growing
- The relative attractiveness of long-term PPAs versus tolling and capacity agreements in balancing risk and flexibility
- How lenders and tax equity view merchant and hybrid revenue models when assessing financeability
- Regional differences in offtake structures and pricing signals across ISOs and utility procurement programmes
- What innovations in contract design and risk allocation are emerging to support revenue certainty in volatile power markets
Speaker
11:50 -
12:30
Panel Discussion
- How the surge in data center power demand is reshaping corporate procurement strategies and accelerating the shift to firm renewable supply
- Why rising energy prices and grid congestion are pushing buyers toward location-specific and reliability-focused contracting
- The evolution from traditional fixed-volume PPAs to flexible, hourly matched, and hybrid solar-plus-storage structures
- How developers are adapting to higher credit, delivery, and performance expectations from hyperscale and industrial offtakers
- What the next generation of PPAs will look like as reliability, price stability, and 24/7 clean energy targets converge
14:00 -
14:20
Presentation
- Key milestones in data center fundraisings and expansion across North America
- How AI and machine learning workloads are reshaping power demand forecasts and driving unprecedented grid strain
- Updates on cooling innovations, efficiency standards, and embodied carbon reduction in new builds
- Policy and permitting developments influencing siting decisions, from state-level incentives to interconnection queue reforms
- How rising energy costs and capacity constraints are changing locational strategy and the competitive landscape among major operators
14:40 -
15:25
Panel Discussion
- How hyperscale data centers are shaping solar procurement priorities as AI-driven demand accelerates
- What developers need to understand about data center load profiles, reliability requirements, and power quality expectations
- How offtakers are structuring long-term renewable agreements, from virtual PPAs to bespoke hybrid or behind-the-meter deals
- Key factors influencing site selection and interconnection, including proximity to substations, available capacity, and permitting speed
- How developers can differentiate through flexibility, speed of delivery, and integration of storage or firming solutions to meet 24/7 clean energy goals
Moderator
16:00 -
16:45
Panel Discussion
- With the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) reversing incentivised tax credit schemes from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as well as other nuances in legislation, especially in Texas, regarding possible changes around measuring the amount of solar generated – all of which have significant financial consequences
- So how are developers within the utility scale solar market manoeuvring themselves in an evolved legislative landscape?
- Navigating trade policy impacts on Battery Storage costs and procurement
Moderator
16:45 -
17:15
Fireside Chat
- Early and mid-stage development capital
- Structuring deals when incentives are uncertain
