PVEL was thrilled to be the venue partner for this year’s ModuleTech U.S. Edition with PV Tech. During the two-day event, hosted at our facility in Napa Valley, we heard compelling presentations from industry leaders and facilitated important discussions about module supply.
The conference was a great opportunity for the U.S.-based solar community to come together to discuss the latest trends in PV module technology, along with key updates on recent policy decisions impacting the industry.
Our CEO Jenya Meydbray opened the sessions by welcoming guests to PVEL’s new lab and event space, and providing an overview of the importance of maintaining quality in the module supply through independent testing services. We were excited to give attendees a peek inside our lab operations, including a display of historical panel types in our “Module Museum.”
Attendees also heard more about the current trade policies impacting the U.S. market, including a presentation from SEIA’s General Counsel & Vice President of Market Strategies, John Smirnow. During his talk, he explained the key updates from the Presidential Action the week prior, which created at 24-month module supply bridge for developers as domestic manufacturing scales.
Over two days, multiple manufacturers shared their product pipelines and insights into their means of controlling reliability, including Heliene, Jinko, LONGi, Qcells, Risen and Trina.
Other presentation highlights included: Singapore Solar Exchange announcing a new financial tool for both developers and manufacturers to buffer risk in module price volatility; Energy Sage announcing updates to their module ratings system, which will, among other things, incorporate PVEL’s PQP and Scorecard results; and, Finlay Colville, PV Tech’s Head of Market Intelligence, making a compelling case on the industry becoming a sellers’ market in 2020 and that continuing for the foreseeable future.
To close the final day of sessions, PVEL’s Tristan Erion-Lorico and Heliolytics’ CEO Rob Andrews provided collaborative insights into the next generation of risk management, moving from our current model of controlling performance to a future state of controlling risk through optimization.
As a bonus option for networking, attendees were invited for an evening of wine tasting at a local, family-owned vineyard. We thoroughly enjoyed the sips and bites from Sunrise Ranch Winery, which offered lovely views of Napa from their veranda and garden.
With so much going on in our industry, it was great to see people making connections again face to face. Thanks to all the speakers, sponsors, and attendees for making the event such a success.
We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
To view more photos of the event, please click here.