Utility-scale solar power plants are on the upswing. In the US, the Department of the Interior is about to make it easier for at least 13 large-scale CSP and PV projects to use public land, including 5.3 GW that could break ground by late 2010. And in mid-November, the Chinese government selected nearly 300 PV projects with almost 650 MW of capacity from an industry wish list that includes applications for over 12 GW. But this is only the start. Investors and electric utilities are increasingly being drawn to solar power plants due to:

• Scale: After a weak first half of 2009, PV is back on its strong growth trajectory, expanding from 4 GW of cell/module production in 2007 to an annual production exceeding 50 GW in the next few years.
• Cost: Solar electricity costs continue to fall rapidly. The levelized cost of PV electricity, already lower than 20¢ per kWh, will drop to less than 15¢ per kWh in much of the OECD by 2012 – and in some cases, to less than 10¢ per kWh.
• Markets: Driven by renewable portfolio standards and other financial incentives, utility-scale PV and CSP systems are experiencing a strong growth in many markets – from the US and China to Germany and countries on the African continent.

This conference will examine solar’s impact on the traditional power-generation sector, including the economic challenges from displaced revenue, profits and possibly negative network effects for utility companies, by focusing on:

Solar sector growth and cost estimates through 2012, and implications for traditional electricity players

• Utility activities of solar companies
• Solar activities of utilities
• Technical & economical challenges
• A panel discussion

PHOTON’s 3^rd Solar Electric Utility Conference is a platform for discussion by all players – including utility representatives, regulators, members of solar companies, and other distributed electricity technology companies and investors – involved in the convergence of solar and the traditional electric power sector.