www2.greenpowerconferences.co.uk/EF/?sSubSystem=Prospectus&sEventCode=SP1103IT&sSessionID=30a47772b5f77b1d30b5841c06beb40f-1647224
European PV markets are forecasted to add as much as 15.5 GW from 2010 to 2012, according to research from Emerging Energy Research. Whilst Germany remains the front runner in terms of roll out, markets such as Italy, France, Belgium and the Czech Republic are seeing rapid growth in large scale projects.
Utility Scale PV will provide an opportunity to meet face-to-face with major utilities, project developers and investors who are involved in developing large scale PV projects across Europe. The event will take place in Milan to take advantage of the growth in Italy where 2GW of new installations are expected in 2011.
Agenda
★ Successful Solar Utility Strategies & Business Models
■What business models are suitable for utilities - the solar power services agreement model (SPSA)?
■How can utilities turn the ‘threat’ of customer-sited solar generation into an opportunity?
■How does solar fit into a utility’s portfolio and how does solar compare to wind and other renewables as a commercially viable energy source?
■What are the main challenges for utilities in solar deployment?
■What are the key success factors for solar utility business models?
■How can utilities capture value in the solar marketplace and sustain their solar businesses over time?
■Which technology options are most attractive to the utilities? PV, thin-film, BIPV?
■How do EV’s present opportunities for utility solar businesses?
★ Effective Policy for Utility Scale Solar
■How have changing policies and the lowering of feed in tariffs affected the economics of large scale utility solar?
■How can policies be tied to the costs, LCOE and economics of solar?
■How can policies be made predictable to avoid uncertainty in lengthy large scale project development cycles?
■What is the risk of Spanish style cuts and freezes in the Czech Republic occurring in other European markets?
■Which policies have been the most successful in driving large scale developments?
■What can be learnt from European Provisional Action Plans?
■Has the Conto Energia III impacted the Italian market?
■How are roof top applications being supported by government incentives across Europe?
■How can the authorisation and permitting processes be streamlined in Italy and other Nations?
★ Solar Project Finance & Securing Expansion Capital
■How do investors evaluate solar projects?
■What sources of finance are available?
■What are the key characteristics of a bankable project?
■Advanced stage license application
■Proven technology
■Creditworthiness of all parties
■Bankable EPC wrap, technology warrantees, performance bonds
■What are the projected costs of debt finance?
■How can developers mitigate risks associated with their projects?
★ Connecting Europe & North Africa
■Is it commercially feasible to import North African solar energy to Europe?
■What are the latest developments in the DESERTEC industrial initiative?
■What are the regulatory and political challenges for large scale solar production in North African Markets? Decentralised Solar & Rooftops
■What are the key challenges for developing utility scale rooftop projects?
■How can costs be lowered to reduce the levelised cost of energy?
■How can system efficiencies be improved?
■What are the latest developments in thin film for rooftop projects?
■How do the efficiencies and costs of thin film and crystalline silicon compare?
★ Large Scale PV Project Development
■What are the main challenges in planning and developing large scale PV plants?
■Will there be a future market as solar continues to move towards decentralised rooftop systems?
■How does thin film compare for large scale ground mounted projects?
■What are the key challenges for siting, permitting and environmental issues?
■With talk of greenfield projects starting to be ruled out, what other space is available?
■What can be learnt from early mover experiences in project development?
■What are the latest trends in plant design?
■What steps can developers take to reduce operational costs?
★ CPV Projects
■What is the latest market status of CPV?
■What efficiencies can CPV afford?
■What are the current costs?
■What are the logistic issues?
■Will CPV become a commercial reality in the next 5 years?
★ Balance of Plant, Operations & Maintenance
■How can plants be designed to optimise performance?
■How can system performance be measured and assessed?
■How can balance of system efficiencies be improved?
■What are the key operation and maintenance costs and how can they be reduced?
■What solutions are available to ensure minimum downtime?
■What technical advances are occurring to increase inverter performance?
■How do tracking systems impact performance and how can accuracy be improved?
★ Grid Connection
■What are the impacts of high PV penetration on the distribution grid?
■What grid upgrades are necessary to enable large scale PV and distributed generation systems?
■What are the challenges associated with storage and network stability?
■How can the grid cope with power surges and drop offs?
■What are the requirements and costs for transmission line upgrading?
■What are the latest developments in smart grid technologies?
■What storage options are available? Can grid reliability be maintained through electric vehicle batteries?
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