The Registration Desk will be open for general attendee check-in begining at 8am. EXHIBITORS ONLY will be allowed to check in prior to 8am. The registration desk will remian open until 4pm. Please be prepared to show photo ID upon arrival to receive your entry badge.

Join us for a fully catered continental breakfast. Kick off your day by grabbing a bite to eat and a cup of coffee and mingle in the trade show before programing begins.

The trade show consisting of approximately 50 exhibitors will be open from 8am - 4pm on Thursday, November 7th ONLY.

Join us in kicking off the 2024 New York Solar Summit in the Level 2 Conference Area or watch via live stream in Meeting Room 2A.

Anthony J. Fiore was appointed Chief Program Officer for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on January 25, 2023. In this position, Mr. Fiore leads NYSERDA’s cross-cutting programmatic strategy, leveraging program and market assessments to optimize sector-specific interventions and economywide strategies to meet the climate goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and execute New York’s Climate Action Council Scoping Plan – the framework for how New York will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions, increase renewable energy use, and ensure all communities equitably benefit in the clean energy transition.

As New York develops new strategies to close the gap on its ambitious CLCPA mandates, scaling up distributed solar can play an integral role. Join leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors for a discussion about the opportunities and challenges of expanding rooftop and community solar deployment across the state.

Stretch your legs and visit the trade show, grab a cup of coffee, and network during this break! Sponsored by Montante Solar.

The advent of rooftop solar + storage and EVs is turning quaint suburban homes into literal powerhouses that can be networked and orchestrated into massive distributed power plants. As the cost of transmission increases and fossil fuel resources approach retirement age, VPPs can enable a lower-cost clean energy buildout while enabling the on-time retirement of New York’s most polluting power plants. What will it take to construct a massive VPP in New York? Join this session with industry experts from across the nation to find out.

Restrictive local laws and other land use restrictions are a growing barrier to community solar deployment in New York State. NYSEIA estimates that New York can unlock 4.6 gigawatts of community solar potential with siting reform that streamlines local permitting while enhancing benefits for host communities. Join experts from the public and private sectors for a lively discussion about how New York can partner with local governments to un-bottle its immense community solar potential.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s recent jobs report found that, in 2023, clean energy employment grew at more than twice the rate of the overall U.S. labor market, and rates of union participation in the clean energy sector exceeded the overall energy sector average for the first time. Despite these positive trends, access to solar industry careers is not equal; only 1/3 of the solar workforce is women, and improved career advancement pathways are needed for minorities and women. This panel will discuss the growing role of organized labor in the solar industry and the opportunity to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, from the jobsite to the board room.

Distributed solar and energy storage are powerful tools delivering direct clean energy benefits to low-income households. New and expanded state and federal programs are accelerating progress toward New York’s CLCPA mandate that at least 35% of clean energy investments benefit Disadvantaged Communities, including the launch of Statewide Solar for All, the EPA’s $249M Solar for All award to New York, and federal LMI Bonus Credits. This session will highlight new initiatives to expand access to rooftop & community solar as well as retail energy storage.

Catered, buffet-style lunch is available in the Level 2 Conference Area. Grab a plate and network with industry colleagues! Sponsored by Carson Power.

Sean Mahar, a graduate of Siena College, is the Interim Commissioner for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation where he works to manage an agency of over 3,000 employees engaged in all areas of environmental protection and management of the natural resources of the state of New York. Prior to becoming the Interim Commissioner, Sean was the Executive Deputy Commissioner where he worked to oversee internal and external agency operations, and guided implementation of key agency priorities.

First elected in 2012, NYS Assemblymember Patricia Fahy represents the entire City of Albany, Town of New Scotland, and part of the Town of Guilderland. A leading advocate for job creation, environmental conservation, and quality education, Pat has been the prime sponsor of over 200 bills – more than 75 of which have been signed into law including: the nation’s first Gun Industry Liability Law to hold gun manufacturers accountable for their role in the gun violence crisis; the nation’s first Right to Repair legislation, establishing a 30x30 conservation goal in New York State to conserve 30% of land and water by 2030; and secured the $5 million for the feasibility work to “re-imagine” I-787 in downtown Albany and reconnects its waterfront.

Rising interconnection costs and dwindling hosting capacity are key barriers to New York’s distributed solar + storage industry. Reforms are needed to overcome these barriers and drive sustained growth to deployment. Join this dynamic discussion among state, utility, and industry leaders regarding New York’s pressing interconnection challenges and the most promising technical and policy solutions to lower interconnection costs, shorten interconnection timelines, and create headroom to grow in America’s largest community solar market.

Recent national reports such as NPR’s “Darkside of Rooftop Solar” highlight the importance of consumer protections in the solar industry. New York already has robust consumer protection requirements in books, such as the Uniform Business Practices for Distributed Energy Resources, but are they being enforced? As New York strives to bring utility bill savings from rooftop and community solar to low-income communities, consumer protections will only become more important. Join this session for a critical discussion about what New York’s solar industry can do to ensure high standards and deliver value for customers.

New York is leveraging billions of dollars in capital to finance and construct distributed solar + storage projects in the state; a fact that can’t be taken for granted in an ever-changing financial and policy landscape. Join this session to learn how private sector capital providers are assessing risk and navigating challenges to deploy capital in the New York market, and how public agencies are leveraging their authority to accelerate clean energy deployment and “crowd in” private investment.

Stretch your legs and visit the trade show, grab a cup of coffee, and network during this break! Sponsored by Montante Solar.

While most low-income New Yorkers are renters, low-income homeowners spend a disproportionate amount of their income on energy. Rooftop solar is a powerful tool to lower energy costs for low-income homeowners, however, there are significant barriers to adoption that must be overcome. In 2023, data scientists at Switchbox completed analyses on energy burden in New York and low-income access to New York’s residential solar tax credit. Join this session for a data-rich presentation summarizing Switchbox’s findings and their implications for equitable clean energy policies in New York.

In the solar industry, the prevailing wisdom is that New York's expanding freshwater wetlands protections present a real and imminent threat to community solar development in the state. Are these concerns justified, or are these just growing pains that New York will quickly work through? Join this session to hear experts from the DEC, NYSERDA, engineering firms, and the solar industry discuss the real impacts the DEC's expanded jurisdiction will have on solar project development, how solar can be responsibly deployed on and adjacent to wetlands, and how New York can balance its legislative commitments of ecological conservation and climate change mitigation through rapid clean energy deployment.

Reforming the Energy Vision is unfinished business, and as New York grapples with how to affordably close its renewable electricity supply gap and meet growing/shifting peak demand, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Established in 2017, the VDER tariff sends spatial and temporal price signals to DER developers/operators to optimize their deployment and performance. VDER is driving New York’s most successful clean energy sectors, but the tariff is imperfect and has deferred maintenance; pundits say we can’t optimize resources with a suboptimal tariff. Join this session to learn how NYSERDA, utilities and leading clean energy experts are working to improve VDER and launch energy storage incentives to accelerate and optimize DER deployment in NY.

Join us in the Level 2 Conference Area for closing remarks to round out the 2024 New York Solar Summit.

Conclude the 2024 New York Solar Summit with drinks, appetizers, and networking with industry colleagues at the Happy Hour Reception sponsored by CleanCapital.