November 8, 2023

  5:00 PM - Networking Happy Hour

November 9, 2023

  8:00 AM - Networking Breakfast

  9:00 AM - Welcome/Opening Remarks

  9:10 AM - Morning Keynote

Doreen Harris, President and CEO of NYSERDA

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  9:30 AM - Solar Champions Award and Virtual Power Plants

Jigar Shah, Director, Loan Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy

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10:00 AM - Market Outlook with America's Solar CEOs

New York’s residential and community solar markets are among the strongest in the nation. Join this fireside chat with CEOs from the national solar companies leading New York’s residential, commercial and community solar market segments to learn how they are innovating to deploy solar at scale and to help New York achieve its ambitious clean energy and equity goals.

10:30 AM - Networking Break

11:00 AM - Emerging Trends in the Solar Workforce

A tight labor market, new prevailing wage requirements and continued market growth makes workforce development a critical issue for the solar industry. Join this session to learn about emerging trends in the solar workforce, and new labor requirements from leading solar companies, workforce agencies, and the New York Department of Labor.

11:45 AM - Siting Challenges and Strategies

Restrictive local laws make siting one of the most significant barriers to clean energy deployment in New York and around the nation, rivaled only by interconnection and hosting capacity limitations. New York is a home rule state, and NYSEIA estimates that restrictive local laws are preventing up to 4.6 gigawatts of otherwise viable distributed solar from being deployed in areas with available hosting capacity. At the same time, community-scale solar and storage projects are being deployed more rapidly than large-scale renewables, and companies are increasingly seeking to address siting concerns through beneficial siting practices that provide community co-benefits, including brownfield conversion and agrivoltaics. Join this panel to learn how siting is impacting New York’s clean energy progress and what the industry and innovative solar companies are doing to proactively address the issue.

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12:30 PM - Networking Lunch

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  1:30 PM - Residential Solar + Storage: Market Trends and Innovation

In 2022, New York set a record for new residential solar capacity reservation and deployment. This year, New York’s residential solar market is on track for another record-setting year. But don’t let the stable topline growth fool you; there are shifting currents beneath the surface, including rising interest rates, new federal tax incentives that favor third-party ownership, electric rate design reform on Long Island, and a pending Energy Storage Roadmap that promises to increase energy storage attachment rates. Join this panel for a lively discussion among residential solar market leaders about the significant challenges and opportunities in New York’s rapidly evolving solar market. 

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  2:15 PM - Financing Solutions and New Federal Tax Incentives

Between expanded federal tax incentives and the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the Inflation Reduction Act has unleashed billions of dollars in public and private capital that are flowing into the solar and storage industry as we speak. At the same time, interest rates are reaching record highs, creating a moment of immense challenges and opportunities for financing in the solar and storage industry. Join us for a dynamic panel discussion about how leading clean energy investors and lenders are navigating these challenges and harnessing these opportunities to accelerate solar + storage deployment.

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  3:00 PM - Networking Break

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  3:15 PM - NY Solar + Storage Policy Update from the Public Service Commission

Jessica Waldorf, DPS Chief of Staff

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  3:30 PM - Community Solar Models to Expand Access

New York is continuing to innovate and adapt its nation-leading community solar program. The state is actively implementing or considering new utility crediting mechanisms, incentives, and models to deliver bill savings to renters and low-income New Yorkers that can’t otherwise participate in and benefit from clean energy. Join this panel for a lively discussion about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on the horizon as New York plans for the next chapter of its community solar programs.

  4:15 PM - Solar + Storage Family Feud!

New York is a leading market for solar + storage, yet there are challenges at every turn. At this interactive session, two teams with participants from the public and private sectors, will compete to name the most popular answers to live audience survey questions regarding key challenges facing our industry as we continue developing community solar, rooftop solar and energy storage projects. 

  4:50 PM - Closing Remarks

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Additional Networking

  6:00 PM - After Party at the Albany Capital Center