Last week, Sitetracker had the pleasure of joining leaders across the renewable energy space in (mostly) sunny San Diego, California for North America’s Intersolar conference and exhibition. With over 510 other exhibitors and countless attendees, Intersolar brought together the best and brightest across clean energy to discuss the future of the renewable energy space and what we need to do next in order to accomplish national and global net-zero goals.
Here are our top takeaways from the show.
- Energy is on Sale
After years of legislation, funding, incentives, and innovation, clean energy is now more affordable than ever before. We used to hear about how renewables like solar or wind were too expensive compared to traditional alternatives. That’s no longer the case. Keynote speaker, Jesse Jenkins of Princeton University, stressed that clean energy is now cheaper than its ever been, “period.” Manufacturers took over the expo hall showcasing the new technology that is making renewable energy more accessible across the globe.
- The Grid Needs Work, but Solutions are Plentiful
With everyone moving towards clean energy and higher electrical needs, existing Grid infrastructure is still lagging. But that’s just a part of the story. New technologies are sprouting left and right to help address grid infrastructure and create better resiliency and generation in every locale. Storage companies like Generac and experts were plentiful at the show, all sharing how batteries can serve as a solution to maximize clean energy from distributed energy resources, while also providing the backup necessary to support the grid in times of crisis as climate change continues to impact consumer demands. Furthermore, other technologies like bi-directional charging from companies like Nuvve are becoming more popular, offering new solutions that leverage advances in clean energy to help solve for the challenges it is creating.
- Collaboration is Critical
The transition to renewables and clean energy cannot happen in a silo. It’s always humbling to see private and public groups, from manufacturers and EPCs to utilities and government employees, coming together to figure out the best path forward so that we can leverage all of this change and innovation for the better, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. Many attendees shared that changes in funding access, long permitting queues, interconnection struggles, and the like were hindering progress. The silver lining: everyone is eager to find a solution. Now that costs are down and materials are more readily available, our challenges are easier to focus on. We were excited to hear it. Sitetracker focuses on standardizing the complex, making workflows simpler and more efficient so companies do not have to constantly resubmit the same permits, etc. and further delay their projects. We can solve this together, and Intersolar proved that day is rapidly approaching.
- The New Challenge: Deployment
The world is now fully on board with renewables and clean energy. Our new challenge is how fast we can actually build while still running profitable businesses. Speaker after speaker drilled down that our goal now is to build fast, deploy more distributed energy resources and get projects done. Whether it is deploying solar panels, installing more batteries, or doing things like undergrounding utility lines to ensure the grid remains resilient to natural disasters and climate change, everyone is working to move faster so we can achieve our goals. And the good news is that this isn’t impossible.
To hit current goals, we need to deploy double the infrastructure we have, year over year, every year. We’ve done it before, now it’s time to do it again. And with changes in rates across solar and other categories, it’s more important than ever to build faster while finding ways to be more efficient and increase profitability. Sitetracker’s deployment operations management solution is uniquely positioned to help companies across the renewable energy space to succeed efficiently, with standardized templates to streamline everything from site selection and development to construction and maintenance, and Trackers to ensure visibility across it all so we can keep things moving forward and never need to look back. With industry driven software, companies across the renewables space can deploy faster while overcoming financial challenges and increasing revenue.
Intersolar NA was a fantastic event, growing our excitement for the momentum within clean energy. From the leaders we heard speak to enthusiasm among attendees, and of course, time we spent with existing and future customers alike, we are so thankful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime movement towards a better, cleaner future. Sitetracker is so proud to be part of the clean energy community. We wake up every day excited to continue this path towards a more sustainable, equitable future.
A huge thank you to everyone who made Intersolar NA 2024 a success, and for the hosts who gave us this opportunity to come together and discover new ways to move forward. We can’t wait to see you all again in San Diego next year! Hopefully it’ll be a little less cloudy.
To learn more about how Sitetracker is helping accelerate the clean energy transition, visit us here. If you’re ready to take the next step and see exactly how Sitetracker can enable your business to build fast, efficiently and profitably, reach out for a personalized demo today!
