Meeting the Demand: How EPCs are Finding, Training, and Retaining Workers
Wednesday, September 11 | 9:30-10:30 AM | 213AB
This session will explore how Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firms are adapting to meet the increasing workforce demands of clean energy infrastructure projects. Panelists will discuss strategies for scaling operations effectively, addressing challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving clean energy sector, and best practices for recruiting skilled trades workers from local communities. Furthermore, panelists will examine how companies are implementing continuous professional development programs to empower workers and foster advancement opportunities within the industry by creating quality jobs and pathways to sustainable careers.
SEIA Speaker:
- Erika Symmonds, VP Equity & Workforce Development, SEIA (Moderator)
- Alfredo Espinosa, Vice President, Solar Preconstruction, Moss Solar
- Steffanie Dohn, Vice President-Government Affairs, McCarthy Building Companies
- Daniel Shapiro, Vice President Projects and Construction, Lightsource bp
- Abbey DeRocker, Director, Large-Scale Renewables, NYSERDA
- Tom Bowen, President, Qmerit
SEIA’s Solar and Energy Storage Supply Chain Traceability ANSI Standard
Wednesday, September 11 | 11:00 AM – 11:25 AM
Location: Industry Trends Theater- Show Floor
As an American National Standards Institute- accredited standards developer, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has been covering diverse stakeholders to develop a suite of standards that proactively and responsibly manage the industry’s growth. This session will highlight the SEIA 101: Solar and Energy Storage Supply Chain Traceability Standard’s parameters and requirements for products and components entering US markets. This session will also include information on how interested in or affected stakeholders can participate in SEIA’s ANSI standards and development process.
SEIA Speaker:
- Jennifer Martin, Director of Standards Development, SEIA
- Richard Mojica, Practice Lead Customs and Import Trade, Miller & Chevalier
Forced Labor in Supply Chains: Customs Enforcement, Traceability Protocols, and Corporate Due Diligence
Wednesday, September 11 | 11:30 AM – 11:55 PM
Location: Industry Trends Theater – Show Floor
Customs authorities are intensifying enforcement of forced labor compliance laws. Learn about the US and EU forced labor laws, enforcement regimes, and supply chain traceability standards, as well as strategies for building an internal compliance framework.
Speakers:
- Stacy Ettinger, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Trade, SEIA (Moderator)
- Eric Choy, Executive Director, Trade Remedy Law Enforcement, US Customs and Border Protection
- Alexia Ruvoletto, Head of Secretariat, Solar Stewards Initiative
- Richard Mojica, Practice Lead Customs and Import Trade, Miller & Chevalier
Powering Tomorrow: Addressing Load Growth and its Impact on Grid Resilience and the Electric Power Industry
Wednesday, September 11 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Room 210 AB
Load growth is a big opportunity for a modernized, stable and resilient grid. But, with this opportunity, comes a big challenge to address increased electrification, manufacturing sites, EV charging systems, indoor agriculture, data centers and crypto mines. During this session, panelists will review strategies to address future grid needs and resilience, how to analyze load growth trends, and will delve into the current trends and future projections of load growth trends, and will delve into the current trends and future projections of load growth in the electric power industry. Discussion will focus on comprehensive data like PJM load projections and utility integrated resource plans (IRPs).
Speakers:
- Ben Norris, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, SEIA (Moderator)
- Nisha Thirumurthy, Founder & CEO, Vybe Energy
- Stephen Martz, VP, Integrated Planning, XCEL
- Andrew Klinkman, Manager, Business Development, Tesla
- Chris Roe, Director, Environment, Amazon
- Kenneth Shiver, Chief Economist and Director of Planning, Southern Company
Strategies for Advancing Agrivoltaics and other Ecosystem Services
Wednesday, September 11 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Room 213 AB
Clean energy production needs to grow rapidly to meet our country’s climate goals of 100% renewable energy by 2035. With greenfields serving as a continued area of interest for developers creating projects, the co-location of solar, grazing and agriculture emerges as an important piece of the puzzle. Throughout the session, participants will gain valuable insights into critical logistical considerations such as site selection, design, pollinator seed-mix deployment, solar grazing techniques, and carbon sequestration. Panelists will discuss real-world examples showcasing successful co-located solar and agricultural ventures offering tangible strategies for sustainable land use practices.
SI2 Speaker:
- Carolyn Dougherty, Senior Analyst, Research and Industry Strategy, Smart Electric Power Alliance (Moderator)
- Sarah Moser, Director Farm Operation and Agrivoltaics, Savion
- Shawn Rumery, Senior Program Director, Solar & Storage Industries Institute
- Greg Barron-Gafford, Associate Professor, University of Arizona
- Brendan Mooney, Manager, Sustainability and Impact, The AES Corporation
- Austin R. Kinzer, Agrivoltaics Senior Technical Specialist, American Farmland Trust
Solar Consumer Protection: Policy, Education, & Practices
Wednesday, September 11 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Room 210 CD
The solar industry, policymakers, consumer advocates, and other stakeholders have pushed for solar policies to ensure a high-quality customer experience, especially in light of recent bankruptcies in the industry and increased attention to the solar customer experience. Initiatives include improving industry coordination, engaging in state policy development, and creating new accreditation standards by SEIA. Join this panel of solar industry and solar consumer advocates to learn about current initiatives to improve the experiences of residential solar customers.
Speakers
- Gizelle Wray, Vice President & General Counsel, SEIA (Moderator)
- Liz Veazey, Policy & Rural Energy Director, Solar United
- Kim Shields, Energy Technology Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Energy
- Meghan Nutting, Executive Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Sunnova
- Elaina Ball, Chief Strategy Officer, CPS Energy
DERs and VPPs
Wednesday, September 11 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Room 213 AB
The pathway to viable market and continued consumer adoption of distributed energy resources includes the development of virtual power plant (VPP) programs. VPPs can leverage new and existing assets to provide valuable grid services by aggregating fleets of interconnected DERs, such as behind-the-meter solar plus storage, smart thermostats and appliances, and managed EV charging. This panel will discuss best practices, VPP policies, and lessons learned from existing pilot projects.
Speakers
- Lakin Garth, Director, Emerging Technology, Smart Electric Power Alliance (Moderator)
- Chris Rauscher, Head of Grid Services & VPPs, Sunrun
- Erika Diamond, Senior Vice President, Head of Customer Solutions, EnergyHub
- Sara Birmingham, Vice President, State Policy, SEIA
- Lon Huber, Senior Vice President, Pricing & Customer Solutions, Duke Energy Corporation
- Beren Argetsinger, Partner, Keyes and Fox
Emerging Trends in Apprenticeship
Wednesday, September 11 | 1:00 PM – 1:25 PM
Location: Industry Trends Theater- Show Floor
Much has happened in the two years since the Inflation Reduction Act passed. There is an increasing number of companies of various sizes and solar industry segments participating in the registered apprenticeship system, including companies that do not fall under the Inflation Reduction Act’s mandate. Attend this session to learn from your peers at a residential solar company and a utility-scale solar company about relevant apprenticeship occupations, related instruction curriculum, funding community partnership, and worker recruiting and retention.
Speakers:
- Beck Long, Director of Workforce Services and Apprenticeships, SEIA (Moderator)
- Brie O’Malley, Director, Revision Energy Training
- Eric Grant, Senior Director of Learning and Development, Blueridge Power
Getting the Grid Permitting Greenlight: The Power of Community Engagement and Mobilization
Wednesday, September 11 | 1:30 PM – 1:55 PM
Location: Industry Trends Theater – Show Floor
Local approvals continue to be a major hurdle in project permitting, and the number of rejections and bans on clean energy projects in climbing nationwide. With more and more obstacles, where’s the opportunity? This session explores how non profit partners can support developers in community engagement strategies that mitigate opposition and mobilize supporters during the pivotal permitting process.
Speakers:
- Stephanie Zawistowski, Director of Grassroots Engagement and Political Organizing, SEIA
- Matt Traldi, Founder and CEO, Greenlight America
- Jaclyn Friedley, Director of Community Relations and Corporate Communications, Vesper Energy
Understanding Barriers to Agrivoltaics
Wednesday, September 11 | 2:00 PM – 2:25 PM
Location: Industry Trends Theater- Show Floor
Agrivoltaics, or the co-location of large-scale solar and agriculture, has moved into the forefront in solar siting discussions as farmers seek opportunities for additional sable income streams while preserving their traditional business and developers work to design and permit projects that provide value for a large array of stakeholders. Join the team at the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2) as they share results from their recent survey of farmers, developers and utilities with interests in the agrivoltaics space. The presentation will detail challenges faced by various stakeholders in the agrivoltaics space, show where those parties interests’ overlap or diverge, and preview strategies for mitigating concerns and finding common ground.
SI2 Speakers:
- Shawn Rumery, Senior Program Director, Solar and Storage Industries Institute
- Jessica Norris, Fellow, Solar and Storage Industries Institute
Trade Update: Navigating Impacts for the Clean Energy Industry
Wednesday, September 11 | 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | 210 CD
This session will explore the intersection of trade, energy, and industrial policies and their impact on manufacturing and deployment, industry growth, and workforce development. Panelists will discuss the synergies and tensions that exist between these policies and navigating the consequent business risks and regulatory challenges.
SEIA Speaker:
- Stacy Ettinger, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Trade, SEIA (Moderator)
- Eric Choy, Executive Director, Trade Remedy Law Enforcement, US Customs and Border Protection
- Kathy Weiss, Vice President, Government Affairs, Nextracker
- Máté Heisz, Director of Global Affairs, Solar Power Europe
- Mark Walter, Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Savion
Cybersecurity in Clean Energy: Recognizing and Reducing Security Risks Across Clean Energy Technologies
Wednesday, September 11 | 2:30 PM-3:30 PM | Room 213 CD
In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, it’s imperative that the clean energy industry is able to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks in clean energy technologies in order to ensure a reliable grid to protect valuable assets. In this session, experts will address topics including cybersecurity policy efforts, relevant FERC regulations, industry challenges, and education initiatives across the clean energy sector.
Speakers
- Gizelle Wray, VP and General Counsel, SEIA (Moderator)
- Kellie Macpherson, Executive Vice President, Compliance & Risk, RadianGen
- Guohui Yuan, Technology Manager, US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office
- Emma Stewart, Chief Scientist, Power Grid, Idaho National Laboratory
- Matthew John, Cybersecurity Product Manager, Siemens
Quicktalk: Customer-Centric Community Solar: How to Ensure a Positive Experience for Prospective and Current Customers
Wednesday, September 11 | 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | 208 AB
As community solar markets grow, how can providers ensure that the general public has a positive association with community solar offerings? Existing markets face challenges that can make for frustrating customer experiences – lack of awareness about community solar and its benefits, aggressive marketing practices, long delays in projects coming online and generating credits, and billing and crediting problems from utilities. What are some best practices that providers and policymakers can keep in mind for ensuring that community solar is providing benefits and positive experiences along each step of the process?
Speakers:
- Stephanie Doyle, California State Affairs Director, SEIA (Moderator)
- Kate Daniel, Northeast Regional Director, Coalition for Community Solar Access
- Daniela Pangallo, Senior Director of Partner Development, Nautilus Solar