SunLink Corporation CEO Michael Maulick will join other top solar industry executives as part of a special general session at Solar Power International to share a synopsis of his vision and participate in a discussion on what 2017 has in store and the trends will shape the industry over the next five years. Maulick will be joined by leaders from NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG), Lennar Ventures, Recurrent Energy and SolarEdge (NASDAQ:SEDG) for the plenary titled, “The View from Here: The Future of the U.S. Solar Industry,” on Wednesday, September 14 at 9:00 am in the Westgate Hotel Pavilion Ballroom.
“The solar industry in the United States is at a pivotal point. We’ve made steady gains over the past decade but have reached a stage in our evolution where we need to rapidly accelerate and innovate in order to make the transition from a niche energy player to the country’s dominant energy contributor,” says Maulick. “Coming from a tech background, I see enormous opportunity for developments in artificial intelligence, dynamic design, cybersecurity and other EnTech solutions to equip solar to solve the challenges to our grid infrastructure in ways legacy energy players have failed to do. If we seize the opportunities EnTech is now making possible, solar as we know it today is going to be completely transformed on a rapid timeline.”
SunLink Structural Engineering Manager Lauren Busby is also a featured conference speaker sharing thought leadership related to technological advancements that are improving solar’s long-term economics. As part of an interactive panel session titled, “Designing for Durability: Best Practices to Ensure Your PV Array Will Endure,” Busby will help solar project developers and installers create a framework for leveraging innovations in mechanical, structural and software engineering in order to mitigate environmental threats to PV plants and ensure a longer-term ROI. As part of the panel’s discussion, she will explore how Internet of Things technologies open new possibilities for structural cost reductions without sacrificing safety and reliability.
“In the past, we had to base our product designs and project solutions exclusively on laboratory outcomes and static modeling,” explains Busby. “Now, with the help of sensors and robust data analytics tools, we’re able to introduce a new generation of mechanical and structural engineering informed by real time wind and snow load, forces, system performance and other data from ongoing field data collection. The result is more durable, robust and cost-effective solutions for all environments and more valuable solar project assets from a financial perspective.”
