Solarplaza Summit | Energy Storage USA

Thursday 2 October 2025


08:30

Registration and Welcome Coffee

45 min.

Start your day with checking in and coffee, igniting your journey into solar innovation and networking excellence.

09:15

Welcoming words by Solarplaza

presentation

5 min.

Official opening of the conference, setting the agenda and expectations.

Anna Hryhoriak

Solarplaza

Session 1

Market Momentum Meets Development Challenges

09:20

Keynote: The energy transition report card

presentation

30 min.

A candid reality check on where energy policy and market execution are diverging, and how storage fits into a more grounded vision for the future.

  • Where the U.S. storage agenda is falling short of potential
  • Political optimism vs. permitting and interconnection realities
  • What leadership and policy realism could unlock

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Doug Sheridan

Energy Point Research

09:50

U.S. BESS deployment outlook: growth markets & development activity

presentation

20 min.

An up-to-date market overview based on fresh installation data, active development hotspots, and trends from across the country.

  • Breakdown of 2025’s 19+ GW projection for utility-scale BESS
  • Where development is heating up — state-by-state snapshot
  • What’s driving momentum: auctions, state incentives, corporate buyers

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10:10

The policy push and the permit wall: can we clear the path to 19 GW?

panel

40 min.

This power panel brings together voices from the development, regulation, and legal advisory sides to dissect key topics.

  • IRA, ITC/PTC delays and uncertain bonus eligibility
  • Permitting gridlock: fire codes, zoning, and local resistance
  • Interconnection and queue reform via FERC Order 2023
  • State vs. federal policy friction 

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moderator

Vanessa Witte

Galehead Development

10:50

Morning networking break

Session 2

Building Smarter: system, design, AI optimization & hybrid integrity

11:35

Storage 101 for solar operators – adding BESS to your PV project

25 min.

A practical crash course for solar developers, EPCs, and C&I asset owners integrating storage for the first time.

  • Siting, sizing, and coupling basics (AC vs. DC)
  • How to model realistic revenue from co-located storage
  • What to watch out for in permitting and grid connection

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12:00

Trading with intelligence – AI optimization in real-time markets

presentation

20 min.

How BESS operators are using AI tools to participate profitably in volatile energy markets.

  •  Forecasting and bid automation across ISO/RTOs
  • Degradation management and merchant risk strategy
  • AI-based dispatch examples

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12:20

Building smarter BESS – hybrid, modular, and AI-enabled

panel

40 min.

A practical conversation about how design choices — from battery chemistry to control architecture — are evolving for real-world flexibility.

  • What chemistries are being chosen for which use cases (LFP, sodium, flow, etc.)
  • Smart BMS and AI-enhanced operational software
  • Advanced hybrid applications: utility-scale BESS for microgrids, data centers, and grid-forming use cases
  • Future-readiness: modularity, long-duration integration, and system scaling

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Joseph Nasser

Titus LCV

13:00

Networking lunch break

Session 3

From risk to revenue: Funding, Safety & Supply Chain Strategy

14:30

Supply chain shocks, tariffs & cost strategy

presentation

20 min.

A case-driven dive into how tariffs, logistics, and sourcing challenges are being handled at the project level.

  • China battery tariffs, sourcing limits, domestic policy updates
  • How OEM contracts are shifting with tariff risk
  • Real developer response strategies to pricing volatility

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Tiffany Wang

S&P Global Commodity Insights

14:50

Built for risk: safety, insurance & certainty in uncertain times

panel

35 min.

An end-to-end conversation on technical, legal, and financial risk in BESS.

  • NFPA 855, zoning fire safety codes, and insurance exclusions
  • Cybersecurity exposure and operational coverage
  • Market response from underwriters and brokers
  • How safety narratives influence permitting and finance

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Edward Trujillo

NAES Renewables

15:25

Making storage bankable: funding strategies from paper to NTP

panel

35 min.

Real-world strategies to finance development-stage BESS—from land acquisition to financial close.

  • How developers are bridging the early-stage capital gap
  • Considerations for financing co-located vs. standalone projects
  • Case studies: successful financial structuring from dev to COD
  • Tools and partnerships for risk sharing

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Pooja Shah

DNV

Cory Magnuson

Spearmint Energy

16:00

Afternoon networking break

Session 4

Looking Ahead: Long duration storage & the future of the market

16:45

Case study: deploying long-duration storage – lessons from the field

presentation

15 min.

An up-close look at one of the first LDES projects deployed at scale.

  • Project scope: chemistry, duration, use case
  • Why LDES was chosen over 4-hour lithium
  • Performance, permitting, and market fit outcomes

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17:00

The next phase: evolving roles for storage in a changing grid

panel

35 min.

Closing the day with vision: what’s next in market design and grid services, and how will the strategic role of energy storage in the energy transition evolve?

  • ISO reform: capacity markets, real-time pricing, flexibility
  • BESS and AI/data center-driven infrastructure
  • Utility and policymaker perspective on long-term storage roles
  • Top 3 disruptors by 2030

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moderator

Vanessa Witte

Galehead Development

17:35

Closing remarks

presentation

15 min.

Anna Hryhoriak

Solarplaza

17:50

Networking Drinks

Need any help?

Send us an email; we’d be more than happy to help.

Anna Hryhoriak
Project Manager

For practical questions regarding our activities:

[email protected]

José Miguel Polanco
Business Developer

For practical questions regarding our activities:

[email protected]

Sabine Dhevaraj
Event Procurement & Support Team Lead

For practical questions regarding our activities:

[email protected]