Consolidation in the Solar Industry | San Francisco, CA

AGRION San Francisco is proud to welcome a French delegation of photovoltaic energy professionals (Solar Tech Tour 2011) for this onsite meeting to be hosted in San Jose. Confirmed guests joining our round table discussion:

French Delegation:
Total, Marc Vermeersch, Ph.D, Head of Solar and New Energies R&D Department
Saint Gobain, Didier Jousse, Product Strategy Director
EDF R&D, Yves Schlumberger, Manager Solar Technologies
EDF R&D, Matthieu Versavel, Ph.D, Research Engineer in Charge of PV Partnerships
MPO, Sylvin de Magnienville, Head of R&D
Institut National de l’Energie Solaire (French R&D Laboratory) Jean-Pierre Joly, General Director
CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) Daniel Lincot, Ph.D, Director of IRDEP and Director of Research at CNRS
Centre d’Analyse Strategique (Government) Gaelle Hossie, Junior Policy Advisor at the Department of Sustainable Development
PhotoFuel (Startup Company), Thomas Coquil, Ph.D, Associate and Manager
Heliotrop (Startup Company) Paul Bellavoine, Managing Director
Exosun (Startup Company), Frédéric Conchy, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

SOLAR TECH TOUR BIOS & PRESENTATION

Co-Organized by:
Science and Technology Office of the Embassy of France in the United States:
San Francisco Science and Technology Office, Thomas Deschamps
San Francisco Science and Technology Office, Pauline Caumon
In May 2011, solar became the fastest-growing US industry, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (U.S. Solar Market Insight: First Quarter 2011). Although relatively young, the solar industry is an increasingly competitive market affected by externalities such as the availability of financial incentives and technological innovation. Adoption ultimately depends on cost and efficiency, there has been a constant decrease in the price of solar energy and companies are pushing back the limits of efficiency thus mass deployment seems closer and closer. At the same time, pure players in the solar sector have been under pressure. Overcapacity and the delicate equation between technology push and demand have driven companies towards finding new segments of the supply chain in an attempt to capture additional value and growth. Vertical integration has been viewed as a way to generate demand and move into project implementation for solar manufacturers.

As a strategic target, there has been a burst of interest with new actors lining up to profit from the takeoff of solar: BP, Total & DuPont are the most recent moves. These new conglomerates will have various effects on the industry and may buffer the uncertainty and risk related to technological leaps and governmental support fluctuations. It’s time to gather the Agrion solar community and ask: how can solar companies face the current turbulence in incentives in Europe and in the United States? Where will the next technological leap come from? How does vertical and horizontal integration affect the bottom line of solar? Where will the next big push for solar energy come from? Can pure players afford their growth alone? How can the solar industry work together to fully profit from the current opportunity while limiting its exposure to uncertainty?

8:00am: Networking Breakfast
8:30am: Panel Discussion

1. Incentives & Funding Options for Solar Projects
Update on PV feed in tariffs, loan guarantees & capital subsidies
Innovative financing models and new financial alliances in the private sector for widespread adoption
How can solar companies compete in low-profit markets
Can engineering procurement & construction integrators and developers maintain their ownership in large scale projects?

2. M&A in the Solar Industry: Capturing Value and Growth
Vertical/horizontal integration: risks and opportunities affecting the bottom line of solar
The birth of new solar giants: strategies for expanding renewable energy portfolios
How do the new funds such a debt credits affect the industry?
What are some successful attempts in capturing value throughout the supply chain?
Which companies will fail to survive? Which companies will be the next for IPO?

3. Promising Solar Technology & Growing Markets
How does technology & innovation affect the overall solar market?
Is there a major shift towards utility scale solar projects
How will micro inverters affect small scale systems?
What are the next steps in addressing the soft costs in solar?
India, Pakistan: new promising markets?
New technology and investment perspectives

10:00am: Networking
10:30am: End of Meeting

Speakers:
Skyline Solar, Tim Keating, VP of Marketing and Field Operations
SolarCity, Ben Tarbell, VP of Products
Total S.A., Mark Vermeersch, Head of R&D Dept., Solar and New Energies
Wells Fargo, Puon A. Penn, Senior Vice President, Head of CleanTech & Emerging Markets
Westinghouse Solar, Barry Cinnamon, President, CEO & Director