Conference Agenda

Monday March 14, 2011

Monday March 14, 2011

• 8:00a.m.-9:00a.m.

  Check-in and Breakfast

  Registration available in the foyer of the Indian Wells Conference Center

• 9:00a.m.-9:10a.m.

  Welcome

  Scott Clavenna, CEO, Greentech Media

• 9:10a.m.-9:50a.m.

  Opening Keynote

• 9:50a.m.-10:30a.m.

  From Polysilicon to Power: The Solar Market in 2011 and Beyond

  Following a year of record growth in 2010, the solar industry is facing another period of uncertainty. In this session, GTM Research’s Solar Analyst Team will discuss the implications of their research findings on corporate strategy to help your company succeed in the increasingly dynamic solar market.

• 10:30a.m.-11:00a.m.

  Networking Break and Exhibits

• 11:00a.m.-11:45a.m.

  Lessons from PV Project Development and Operation

  Developing PV projects means navigating through a complex regulatory, financial, and technical landscape fraught with hidden barriers. In this session, project developers will discuss real lessons learned through their experiences developing and maintaining PV projects in the U.S. and abroad.

• 11:45a.m.-12:45p.m.

  PV in the Industrial Age: The Challenges of Gigawatt-scale Manufacturing

  As the global PV market moved past 14 gigawatts in 2010, a number of suppliers will cross the 1 GW level of production in 2011. Join the world's largest and most prominent PV manufacturers as they discuss the challenges that gigawatt-scale manufacturing presents and the strategies needed to succeed.

• 12:45p.m-2:15p.m.

  Lunch

• 2:15p.m.-3:00p.m.

  Expanding the U.S. PV Market

  The U.S. is increasingly becoming a central focus of the global PV industry and demand grew nearly 100% in 2010. But with disparate state-level incentives and continued regulatory and financial bottlenecks, how can the industry help the U.S. market reach its potential?

• 3:00p.m.-3:45p.m.

  Dynamics in Inverters and Power Optimization

  The trend towards low cost and commoditization of PV modules in combination with constant demand for increased system harvest and reliability have pushed inverters--the only active electronic component in PV systems--to lead the charge towards more advanced PV system features and capacity. 2011 promises micro-inverters and granular power optimization as well as more smart grid support features gaining increased acceptance and utilization in key market segments. Meanwhile, established inverter suppliers face a flood of new capacity and competition. Industry leaders will discuss important strategies and key innovations that will help manufacturers and project developers build innovative but bankable PV projects.

• 3:45p.m.-4:30p.m.

  Networking Break and Exhibits

• 4:30p.m.-5:15p.m.

  Technology Innovators in PV Manufacturing

  With subsidy uncertainty in key PV markets looming in 2011 and beyond, the need to lower costs remains as pressing as ever. But with Chinese manufactuers expanding capacity and cutting costs relentlessly, is there still opportunity for potentially disruptive technology solutions? Join leading innovators in the PV manufacturing space as they discuss the place of continued technological progress in an age of industrial-scale manufacturing.

• 5:15p.m.-6:00p.m.

  Serving the Next Generation of Solar Manufacturing

  With over 20 gigawatts of PV manufacturing capacity coming online in 2011, opportunities in the capital equipment space remain robust. Join leading equipment vendors as they discuss the challenges of serving the solar factories of the future, the benefits of increased automation, and the next generation of solar manufacturing tools that will continue driving PV towards grid convergence.

• 5:45p.m.-7:30p.m.

  Poolside Reception

Tuesday March 15, 2011

• 8:00a.m.-9:00a.m.

  Breakfast and Exhibits

• 9:00a.m.-9:30a.m.

  Keynote Address

• 9:30a.m.-10:15a.m.

  Financing the Solar Revolution

  With over 25 GW of commercial and utility-scale solar under development in the US alone, where will the $100+ billion required to build these facilities come from? This panel will feature experts from leading investment banks, project developers, and government agencies to help explain the latest trends in distributed and centralized solar project finance, including a discussion of debt terms, the health of the tax equity market, finance innovations, and the impact of the Loan Guarantee program.

• 10:15a.m.-10:45a.m.

  Networking Break and Exhibits

• 10:45a.m.-11:30a.m.

  Debate Sessions

  Session 1: Feed-in Tariffs: Effective Policy Mechanism or Economic Disaster?
  Session 2: Where is solar best suited? On the roof or on the ground?
  In this session, solar industry leaders square off against each other to debate the most pressing, contentious issues in the solar industry. Audience participation will be welcome as we offer a unique opportunity to discuss the issues that are taken up only in the hallways of most conferences.

• 11:30a.m.-12:15p.m.

  The Return of Concentrating Solar

  The 354 MW of CSP built in the Mojave in the 1980s remains the largest solar plant in the world. After several quiet decades, CSP is roaring back, with several utility-scale projects securing financing and breaking ground in the US Southwest. This panel will gather the heads of the leading CSP developers and manufacturers to discuss the challenges facing the industry, and the steps required to turn the 10 GW pipeline of US CSP projects into a reality.

• 12:15p.m.-1:45p.m.

  Lunch

• 1:45p.m.-3:00p.m.

  Utility-Scale PV – The Next Big Thing?

  There is less than 400 MW of utility PV capacity currently operating in the U.S., but utilities have signed contracts for over 5 GW with expected completion in the next four years. Still, financing, permitting, interconnection and other barriers threaten the burgeoning market before it is able to gain steam. How will this market develop, and who will be able to take advantage?

• 3:00p.m.-3:45p.m.

  Gauging Thin Film Competitiveness

  After a challenging 2009, manufacturers of thin-filmPV have made significant progress on multiple fronts, including technology advancements, efficiency gains and cost reductions. With subsidy cuts in key solar markets likely to exert more pressure on high-cost manufacturers in 2011, will thin-film producers be able to exploit their improved competitive positioning and permanently establish themselves in the global market?

• 3:45p.m.-4:15p.m.

  Networking Break and Exhibits

• 4:15p.m.-5:00p.m.

  The Maturation of VC and PE Investing In Solar

  Equity investment in photovoltaics and solar power is no longer a new sector. Greentech VCs have almost a decade of solar experience with several billion dollars invested and more than two hundred new companies launched. A few firms have been acquired at VC multiples and 2011 could see a number of solar IPOs. What are the lessons learned from the last few years of solar investing? Will the furious pace of solar investments continue? What sub-sectors of solar warrant further investment? What do the coming years hold for solar start-ups and solar investors? This panel of seasoned solar VCs will look to answer those questions and scope out the investment landscape for the coming years.