Call for Abstracts

The strategies and challenges in developing a skilled workforce to support the clean energy transition, including training, education and career services; partnerships between industry, educational institutions, local communities, and government agencies; and efforts to support diversity and inclusion in the clean energy job market. Sessions will also explore labor agreements, local hiring, and union–clean energy partnerships that enable large-scale solar, storage, and data center-related builds.

How to engage communities, partners, and local governments in ways that speed project approval, reduce opposition, and meet evolving state-level equity requirements. This theme explores CEJA’s Minimum Equity Standards (MES), contractor hubs, incentives for local hiring, coalition-building tools, and rural/urban engagement strategies that improve siting outcomes and strengthen project acceptance across the Midwest.

The rapidly evolving landscape of community solar programs and business models, with a focus on leading Midwestern markets such as Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. Topics include program design, subscriber acquisition, billing and crediting, pairing community solar with storage, and ensuring meaningful participation for low-income and disadvantaged communities. Sessions will highlight how community solar + VPPs can reduce capacity costs, support grid reliability, and deliver local economic benefits in both urban and rural areas.

How explosive growth in data centers, AI compute, and large new loads is reshaping grid planning, transmission needs, and clean energy procurement across the Midwest. Sessions will explore strategies such as “bring your own new clean energy” (BYONCE), 24/7 clean energy sourcing, on-site and hybrid solar + storage solutions, and the role of DERs and VPPs in meeting massive new capacity needs. Additional focus will be placed on affordability, interconnection, and who pays for the infrastructure behind electrification—from industrial sites to fleets to hyperscale campuses.

The expanding role of distributed energy resources (DERs) in transforming energy systems, including solar PV, local storage, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, microgrids, and virtual power plants (VPPs). Topics include integration strategies, advanced management tools, and technological innovations to support stable energy distribution amid rising demand, extreme weather, and capacity constraints in markets like MISO and PJM.

How artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced data analytics are revolutionizing solar and storage operations, from predictive maintenance and energy forecasting to real-time grid optimization and autonomous energy management. Sessions will also explore digital twins, cybersecurity considerations, and the growing role of AI in accelerating the energy transition, supporting VPPs, and managing AI/data center-driven load growth.

Recent and upcoming legislative developments at the federal, state, and local level; the impact of current policies on project development; navigating HR1, FEOC, IRA rollbacks, Illinois’ new Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), compliance requirements, and emerging regulatory trends that are influencing growth and innovation in renewable energy. Special attention will be paid to policy developments across the Midwest markets and federal policy implications.

The evolving world of energy storage, including breakthroughs in battery technology, large-scale storage solutions, and hybrid systems designed to enhance grid reliability while supporting high penetrations of renewables. Sessions will explore storage as a “fast and cheap” capacity resource in MISO/PJM, long-duration options, and the role of storage targets (like Illinois’ 3 GW goal) in meeting affordability and reliability mandates.