AMSTERDAM - 5 OCTOBER 2021 - On 8 & 9 March 2022, Solarplaza and FMO will organize the ‘Future of Energy’ conference, a bi-annual event building upon their successful collaboration in the three preceding ‘Making Solar Bankable’ conferences. The ‘Future of Energy’ - hosted in Amsterdam - will unite over 500 decision-makers from the global renewable energy value chain to discuss and shape the future of energy generation and consumption in emerging economies.
In 2016, solar PV-focused event facilitator Solarplaza and the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO joined forces to organize the inaugural edition of ‘Making Solar Bankable’ focusing on emerging markets. True to its straightforward title, this event united thought leaders, playmakers, and action-takers to explore the best ways to instrumentalize capital, scale up solar development, and accelerate the sustainable energy transition in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. By the third edition in 2020, one thing had become crystal clear: solar is bankable across the globe. Furthermore, the events showcased how there is an abundance of capital available to drive renewable energy development. The key challenge, however, had proven to lie in the connection of reliable players and viable projects to the capital at hand.
Another thing that had become clear is that the event and its endeavor had outgrown the focus on solar PV alone. Solar energy will play a crucial role in the energy strategies of the future but will have to be utilized and enhanced by adjacent technologies and societal developments in order to guarantee widespread and equitable energy access. The restart of the event as the ‘Future of Energy’ conference means that the scope of the event will stretch beyond the topic of solar development, and will venture into the new domains of energy storage, distributed energy, hybrid wind applications and green hydrogen. It also means the focus moves beyond just the energy generation phase, and will now also touch upon challenges related to energy transmission and distribution, which - especially in emerging markets - provide their own sets of infrastructure-related challenges.
As Solarplaza and FMO have proven with the Making Solar Bankable series, they will facilitate a uniquely high-level platform for inspiration, connection, and knowledge-sharing. The ‘Future of Energy’ will unite a mix of 500+ representatives from top developers, financial institutions and investors, service providers, and asset owners for two days packed with world-class keynotes, in-depth panel discussions and bountiful networking opportunities. Anyone active in renewable energy project development and management in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe will be sure to walk away with key market insights and strategic understanding of the future of energy; the relevant business connections to empower their business; and the crucial inspiration to get to work!
