A large number of key players in the solar energy and energy storage industries converged at the San Diego Convention Center on January 16-19 for the Intersolar North America/Energy Storage North America conference and exhibition, including Foley Attorneys Morten Lund and Evan Glass.
ISNA/ESNA remains one of the largest exhibitions for the solar and storage industries in the United States. As in previous years, there were exhibitors from around the world, with Chinese manufacturers particularly well represented. Several of the large solar manufacturers, however, substantially reduced their exhibit visibility, or elected to not exhibit at all.
The buzz on the exhibit floor was largely driven by energy storage, and the new opportunities for energy storage created by the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA has already led to significant expansion of the energy storage market since its passage, and if the talk at the conference is any indication, we should expect the expansion to continue.
While much of the focus was on energy storage, solar energy manufacturers and developers were also present in large numbers. The discussion in these circles was also motivated by the IRA—in particular the new opportunities for creative financing structures.
Also a topic of conversation was the increased need for intellectual property protections and strategies due to the growth of energy storage—particularly in regard to software. Energy storage projects have more complex operational capabilities than solar energy projects, which creates both the opportunity and the need for more sophisticated control software.