Intersolar & Energy Storage North America Unveils 2027 Flagship Event Program Tackling FEOC, Interconnection, and Storage Financing

SAN DIEGO, CA & PORTLAND, ME—November 9, 2026: Intersolar & Energy Storage North America (IESNA), the U.S. solar and storage trade event series, today released programming for its Flagship event taking place on February 9-11, 2027, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

Expanded to serve a growing base of commercial & industrial (C&I) and utility-scale professionals, the 2027 educational program takes on foreign entity of concern (FEOC) compliance, interconnection, and storage financing through 13 sessions, two hands-on workshops, and three roundtables.

The opening keynote will explore the state of the industry, covering policy volatility, tax credits, tariffs, and consolidation. It will be moderated by Abigail Ross Hopper (CEO, GEM Advisory, LLC and former President & CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association) and feature Caitlin Smith (SVP, Federal & Regulatory Affairs, Jupiter Power) and Nidhi Thakar (SVP for Policy, Corporate Energy Buyers Association).

Conference Highlights

• “Hit Your COD, Keep Your Credit” translates FEOC guidance into tangible actions for keeping projects on schedule and eligible for tax credits—moderated by Daniel Finn-Foley (Intertek) and featuring Heather Cooper (McDermott Will & Schulte) and Ravi Manghani (Anza Renewables).
• “Storage Diligence: What Gets a Project Financed” provides a framework for screening, structuring, and de-risking storage projects—moderated by Peter Kelly-Detwiler (The Energy Switch) and featuring Terri Denning (Invera Energy) and Michelle Lipchin (Sunstone Credit).
• “Interconnection: Navigating the Transmission Queue,” featuring Joe Rand (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), explores early indicators of site viability and strategies for planning around uncertainty in interconnection studies and network upgrades.
• “The New Rules for EPCs, Post-ITC” examines how C&I and utility-scale EPCs can navigate the post-safe harbor landscape as pricing, terms, project selection, and risk-sharing shift—featuring Helena Kimball (SOLV Energy).
• “BESS Fire Safety: Permitting Without the Scramble,” featuring Mike Nicholas (BESS Fire Consultant and retired Assistant Fire Marshal), addresses the design and installation implications of UL 9540A and NFPA 855 updates, and pathways for accelerating permitting and inspections through early engagement with AHJs and fire officials.
• “Selling Whole Home Energy: Solar, Storage, EVs, and Electrification” explores the business opportunity for installers to expand offerings beyond solar, including real-world successes, challenges, and lessons learned—featuring Jaime Martinez (Terra Energy) and Sam Thompson (EnergySage).

New Learning Formats for Conferees

• The Braindate platform connects attendees based on user-submitted topics and includes an onsite lounge for 1:1 or small-group conversations.
• Peer roundtables bring attendees together to work through shared project challenges. “The Mid-Market Interconnection Bottleneck,” featuring Brad Heavner (CALSSA) and John Gardner (Xcel Energy), examines state-level efforts to address interconnection barriers, utility processes and requirements, challenges facing EPCs and installers, and priorities for future policy and regulatory reform. Two more roundtables cover battery storage from commissioning through year-one performance and how manufacturers and buyers can plan domestic-content sourcing for 2027 and beyond.

“Over the next 14 months, U.S. solar and storage will focus more on execution than dealmaking as the end-2027 placed-in-service deadline, tighter FEOC rules, and new tariffs will all hit at once,” said Sylvia Leyva Martinez, Head of Analysis – US at Pexapark. “The IESNA Flagship 2027 program will address the industry’s main pressure points, from COD protection to storage diligence, and give energy stakeholders the space, expertise, and tools to prepare now.”

More Ways to Learn

Luncheons and workshops deliver market insights, technical skills, and networking opportunities.

• The “Flexibility Pays: A Build-Side Look at Peak-Demand Revenue” luncheon maps where flexible-asset revenue pays out and how to position projects to capture it—featuring Rachel McLaughlin (ForeFront Power) and Anna J. Siefken (Long Duration Energy Storage Council).
• “Hot Topics in Electrotech Operations and Maintenance,” a workshop presented by NABCEP, delivers an NFPA 70B-based O&M framework, infrared thermography, and a step-by-step process for troubleshooting PV ground faults (eligible for three NABCEP CEUs).
• “The Gigawatt Gold Rush: Cracking the ERCOT Market” luncheon examines how Texas’ biggest data center and industrial deals are structured and where developer margin survives—featuring Maura Yates (Mothership Energy).
• “Designing Commercial-Scale PV,” a workshop presented by Solar Energy International, covers three-phase services, NEC conductor and overcurrent sizing, and Article 705 interconnection.

Register with Early Bird pricing through November 30 here.

New pass options give attendees flexibility onsite and within their budgets, including Conference with Lunch passes that provide access to networking lunches, as well as educational workshops at an additional cost.

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