Intersolar North America Goes In-depth on Energy Storage

SAN FRANCISCO, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersolar North America, the premier solar industry exhibition and conference in North America for solar professionals to exchange information and develop business opportunities in the U.S. solar market, returns to San Francisco July 9-12, 2012 for its fifth year. Co-located with SEMICON West, the event is expected to draw approximately 900 exhibitors and more than 22,000 registered visitors from more than 80 countries to provide a true global perspective of the solar industry.

This year, Intersolar North America features a new special exhibit that promotes innovative energy storage technologies. PV Energy World, located in the Moscone Center, North Hall – Booth 5135, will offer expert presentations on energy storage and grid integration. The informative exhibits and display boards will stimulate discussion among visitors. As the North American solar industry matures, energy storage has emerged as a key technology to optimize renewable energy generation. Storage enables greater flexibility for the power grid, thus accelerating the deployment of affordable solar energy.  The successful commercialization and integration of new energy storage technologies promises to help boost the capacity of solar projects, ease concerns over grid strain and bring more large-scale plants online.

PV Energy World is supported in part by the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), an advocacy coalition committed to expanding the role of energy storage to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy.  CESA counts storage technology manufacturers, renewable energy component manufacturers, developers and system integrators among its members, and this year marks the first time Intersolar will partner with CESA. Additionally, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE joins PV Energy World as a partner. Fraunhofer ISE is one of the world's leading research institutes in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

"Energy storage offers the solar industry the opportunity to bring several goals to fruition, including faster grid interconnection, more precise timing of output, fewer curtailment and imbalance penalties, and the potential to secure valuable new revenue from wholesale ancillary services and capacity
markets," said Janice Lin, Executive Director of the California Energy Storage Alliance. "Advanced
energy storage is poised to have a huge, positive impact on the solar industry in California and
beyond, and the storage industry is very excited to see Intersolar North America cover this formative topic in such depth at this year's conference and on the exhibition floor."

Several conference sessions at Intersolar will feature discussions with leaders and technical experts in energy storage, and provide attendees with first-hand information from the energy storage industry to help navigate opportunities in the fast changing marketplace. Speakers will provide an overview of the changing regulatory landscape; highlight new storage technologies; discuss the opportunities smart grid technology offers; and explain how new business models are improving the economics of storage and solar projects.

Presenters on the topic of energy storage include: Janice Lin, California Energy Storage Alliance;
Matthias Vetter, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy ISE; Hiroshi Hanafusa, Panasonic; John Wood, Ecoult; Jarl Pedersen, Xtreme Power; Rudy Wodrich, Schneider Electric; Andy Tayler, Energy and Environmental Economics; and Matsukawa Hiroshi, RTS Corporation. Information on the storage conference sessions can be found online, and conference registration is available here.

Information on PV Energy World and Energy Storage/Grid Stability Conference Sessions

Special Exhibit Program: PV Energy World, Moscone Center, North Hall, July 10-12, 10:00am-6:00pm

Conference Session: Smart Grid, InterContinental Hotel, July 9, 9:00am-1:00pm

Conference Session: Energy Storage, InterContinental Hotel, July 9, 2:00pm-6:00pm

About Intersolar

With over 3,500 exhibitors and 120,000 visitors spanning three continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition series for the solar industry.

Intersolar North America takes place annually in San Francisco's Moscone Center. Since its establishment in 2008, the exhibition and conference have developed into the premier platform for the solar industry in North America. Intersolar North America focuses on photovoltaics and solar thermal technologies and is co-located with SEMICON West. It has quickly established itself among manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and service providers as an international industry meeting point.

In total, 834 exhibitors and 19,168 trade visitors participated in 2011. The conference featured 30 sessions with 220 speakers and catered to 1,617 conference attendees.

Intersolar's storied history of international exhibitions and conferences spans more than 20 years. Taking place in addition to Intersolar North America are Intersolar India in Mumbai, and Intersolar China in Beijing, which was launched in December 2011. The world's largest exhibition for the solar industry is Intersolar Europe in Munich.

For more information on Intersolar North America please visit: http://www.intersolar.us/

Organizers

Intersolar North America is organized by Solar Promotion International GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Management and Marketing International GmbH (FMMI). SEMI PV Group, the global microelectronics industry association, is a co-organizer responsible for the photovoltaic production and raw materials industry segments. In addition SEMI PV Group presents conference sessions on themes relating to technology, manufacturing, equipment and materials with the focus on innovation, efficiency gains and cost reduction.

SOURCE Intersolar North America