Intersolar North America, the most-attended solar industry event in North America, drew a record crowd of more than 18,000 from over 80 countries to its ninth annual exhibition and conference in San Francisco last week. Attendance was boosted by the co-located ees North America, an exhibition and conference dedicated to the energy storage market. ees added significantly to the event’s exhibitor base, with 41 percent growth over the previous year.
More than 550 companies exhibited at the Moscone Center, where attendees learned about the companies and innovations driving the record growth of the solar and energy storage industries. Spirits were high throughout the exhibition floor and in the conference program, which featured more than 260 speakers during 39 sessions and 22 workshops. Attendee optimism was supported in part by reports that the U.S. solar market will install 14.5 gigawatts of new PV capacity in 2016, and by the extension of the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) through 2021.
“The overwhelmingly positive atmosphere at Intersolar and ees North America 2016 reflected the strong sense of collaboration and community that unites these growing industries,” said Dr. Florian Wessendorf, Managing Director of Solar Promotion International GmbH. Daniel Strowitzki, CEO of FMMI International, also an organizer, added, “High-impact networking and burgeoning business relationships kept the halls abuzz throughout the week—a testament to the rising tide within the solar and storage sectors, and to the role of Intersolar and ees in facilitating lasting connections.”
“Our Intersolar North America exhibit was a huge success, and a great complement to Beamreach Solar’s unveiling at Intersolar Europe a couple weeks ago,” said Mark Kerstens, CEO of exhibiting company Beamreach Solar. “We were warmly welcomed by a tremendous crowd of commercial and industrial customers interested in our lightweight, easy-to-install solar modules. Intersolar North America was a fantastic experience and well worth the investment.”
The rapid expansion in exhibitors at ees North America 2016—41 percent growth over 2015—underscored ballooning interest and synergy in energy storage paired with solar resources. “Intersolar is a meaningful annual event for both the solar and storage industries,” said Boris von Bormann, CEO of sonnen, Inc. “For sonnen, exhibiting and speaking at the show provides an ideal platform to showcase how our smart energy management products help residential and commercial customers take greater control of their energy future. Additionally, we see the true value in bringing together key thought leaders, potential partners and customers in one place for face-to-face conversations and opportunities to develop mutually beneficial partnerships.”
A whitepaper authored by GTM Research and sponsored by Intersolar and CALSEIA unveiled at ees forecasts the U.S. solar-plus-storage market will become a $5 billion industry annually by 2021. The research, “Smart Solar: Integration of Storage and Energy Management,” is now available for free download:
In another ees first, The Solar Foundation released its new research on the employment opportunities available in the solar-plus-energy storage market. The report shows that approximately 27,000 additional solar and storage-specific jobs will come online by 2021. The report is available for free download:
The always-popular special events and exhibition pavilions at Intersolar and ees North America once again drew large crowds. Among the special attractions was the Powerhouse Pavilion, a collection of 13 solar software, finance and storage start-ups sponsored by Powerhouse, a California-based incubator dedicated to solar power. The organization also hosted the Powerhouse Circle, an invite-only speed-networking event where 25 entrepreneurs and startups were given the opportunity to connect with 25 investors and executives.
“The first-ever Powerhouse Pavilion was able to provide prime Intersolar expo real estate to 13 of the country’s most ingenious early-stage solar software and fintech startups. There was a constant buzz at Powerhouse Pavilion with people coming in to meet the entrepreneurs disrupting the energy industry,” said Emily Kirsch, co-founder, and CEO of Powerhouse. “Additionally, Powerhouse Circle generated unprecedented deal flow for investors, and entrepreneurs had unbelievable access to the nation’s top solar angels and VC’s. Intersolar North America was the perfect platform to showcase these exciting innovations and got us one sunrise closer to a solar powered world.”
Additionally, the California Pavilion, which featured 10 exhibiting companies from across the supply chain, returned for its second year. The pavilion is sponsored by the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), a close partner of Intersolar North America. One of the state’s strongest market advocates, CALSEIA also teamed with Intersolar North America and NorCal Solar to give back to the industry through 12 major fundraising events during the week, including the Solar Summerfest networking event and solar-related tours throughout the region.
With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners. It unites people and companies from around the world with the aim of increasing the share of solar power in our energy supply. Since its establishment in 2008, Intersolar North America has become the most attended solar event and the premier networking platform for the North American solar industry. Co-located with SEMICON West, Intersolar North America takes place annually at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, in the heart of the United States’ pioneering solar market. The event will expand to host a co-located energy storage-focused exhibition, ees North America. ees grew out of Intersolar North America’s popular energy storage exhibition segment.
A total of 521 exhibitors and around 17,835 visitors participated in Intersolar North America in 2015. The conference and exhibition program featured 47 sessions with more than 200 speakers and 25 workshops. Intersolar North America’s exhibition and conference focus on photovoltaics, energy storage systems, smart renewable energy and solar heating & cooling technologies. Since being founded, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform to connect manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, policy makers, start-up founders, financiers, installers and partners in the global solar industry.
With 25 years of experience, Intersolar has the unique ability to bring together members of the solar industry from across the world’s most influential markets and solar supply chain. Intersolar exhibitions and conferences are held in Munich, San Francisco, Mumbai, and São Paulo, and, starting in 2016, in Dubai. These global events are complemented by the Intersolar Summits, which take place in emerging and growing markets worldwide.
The ees global exhibition series is the electrical energy storage industry’s hotspot for manufacturers, distributors, users and suppliers of stationary and mobile storage solutions. ees exhibitions are organized in cooperation with Intersolar, the world’s leading exhibition series for the solar industry. The ees exhibitions and accompanying conferences are focused on storage solutions for renewable energy, from residential and commercial applications to large-scale storage systems for stabilizing the grids. ees also features energy management, electric transportation and uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
There are three ees events around the world—ees North America in San Francisco, ees Europe in Munich, and ees India in Mumbai. The ees North America debuted in 2015 as a special exhibition in San Francisco. In 2016, ees North America becomes a stand-alone exhibition co-located with Intersolar North America. With 100 expected exhibitors and 18,000 visitors at the co-located events, it will be the most-attended solar-plus-storage event in the U.S.
