Renewable, unstoppable: What we learned at #SPIcon 2019

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Alex Au, CTO of NEXTracker, used a panel discussion to make a passionate case for solar to find its rightful place on the grid. Image credit: Andy Colthorpe

Ok, my colleagues and family are bored of hearing how great Solar Power International / Energy Storage International was in Utah last week and indeed, of how welcoming Salt Lake City was to the 12,000+ renewable energy industry professionals and interested parties that attended. Below are the leading themes from the show in order of narrative, if not in order of importance: 

1. The capacity factory – how and why tomorrow's solar-plus-storage can be an equal on the grid to today's fossil fuels 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

2. LFP vs NMC – reaction to safety fears provokes new turn in the discussion 

3. Energy storage-as-infrastructure – creating an asset class for the 'workhorse' of the grid 

4. #StorageITC – a market accelerator, not a market saviour 

5. Is software actually the single most important 'component'?

6. Renewable, unstoppable: Why solar's journey to the core of the US energy system matters

7. Bifacial – The strengths and shortcomings of the emerging technology after its import tariff exemption

You can read the takeaways for each theme here, as originally published on Energy-Storage.news

21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.

Read Next

June 9, 2025
Growing political headwinds threaten to dent US solar manufacturing and project deployment, despite a strong start to 2025.
June 6, 2025
ElectraNet has revealed that renewables supplied 100% of South Australia's electricity demand for 27% of 2024, roughly 99 days.
June 5, 2025
Policy uncertainty in the US is likely to disrupt investment in clean energy, according to a recent report from Crux.
June 4, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Enlight Renewable Energy is expanding its Gecama Wind Project in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, by integrating solar PV and battery energy storage systems.
June 4, 2025
Tariffs on US imports will increase the cost of US solar PV and energy storage technologies and slow the rate of project development, according to analysis from Wood Mackenzie.
June 3, 2025
Danish renewables firm European Energy has secured a €145 million (US$158 million) long-term loan to finance a 78.5MW solar park co-located with a 50MW battery storage plant in Anykščiai, Lithuania.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece