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Texas Conference Highlights

2025 Session Spotlight

Expand the accordion below to browse descriptions for select sessions at IESNA Texas 2025. Sessions are listed in alphabetical order. Please check back soon as more sessions will be added. Ready to register? Click here to get started.

Advancing Battery Tech for Safer, Sustainable, and Scalable Storage Solutions
As Texas and the U.S. expand energy storage to meet growing grid demand, breakthroughs in battery technology are vital. This session examines next-generation chemistries, from nonflammable designs to organic solid flow and sodium-ion batteries. Experts will discuss how domestic manufacturing innovations and alternative battery chemistries can accelerate clean energy adoption and strengthen grid reliability in Texas and beyond.
Texas’ EV charging network is expanding, but challenges around reliability, interoperability, and equitable access remain—most notably for medium and heavy-duty fleets and underserved communities. Hear expert insights on the current deployment landscape, key grid impacts, and funding opportunities. Panelists will also discuss how industry collaboration and standardization in hardware, software, and network communications can improve customer experience, reduce downtime, and accelerate the buildout of accessible EV infrastructure statewide.
The rapid rise of AI and digitization is driving explosive load growth across Texas, putting new pressure on ERCOT and utility operations. This session digs into how utilities and developers can better manage interconnection challenges, optimize site selection for large loads, and improve visibility into energy consumption. Panelists will discuss the need for smarter platforms and tailored planning tools to support reliable, flexible grid operations in a high-demand future.
As policy uncertainty looms and tax credits evolve, the economics of clean energy in the Lone Star State are shifting. Panelists will explore how investors, developers, and lenders are adapting, from financing small-to-mid-size commercial solar projects to navigating tighter credit markets and post-IRA incentives. Hear industry experts analyze emerging tools, deal structures, and the financial strategies needed to keep solar, storage, and new technologies bankable amid changing market dynamics.
As demand grows and space tightens, innovators are rethinking how solar energy is deployed. This session explores emerging technologies, from high-density modules and hybrid thermal PV systems to vertical installations on building facades. Experts will share real-world examples and insights on integrating these next-gen solutions into today’s solar projects to boost output, reduce grid strain, and maximize limited space.
Texas’ unique energy landscape and independent grid make distributed energy resources (DERs), advanced DERs (ADERs), and microgrids especially critical for resilience and reliability. Learn how solar and storage are being deployed across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors to support grid flexibility, reduce peak demand, and expand access to clean power. Panelists will explore the role of DERs in strengthening communities, advancing energy equity, and helping Texas prepare for an increasingly dynamic grid.

The Texas Legislature has earmarked $1.8 billion for a new Backup Power Package Program aimed at shoring up critical infrastructure. The catch? Grant recipients must deploy resilient systems combining solar, storage, and traditional generators. With the Public Utility Commission still designing the rules, this session offers a crucial early look at how the program could reshape on-site energy in Texas. From funding mechanics to technical requirements, panelists will unpack how this could spark a wave of new demand and complexity for solar developers and energy service providers.

As battery storage expands, safety concerns—particularly thermal runaway and fire risk—are becoming central to project approval, insurance, and community trust. Learn how advanced safety technologies, AI tools, and evolving standards can help detect and prevent incidents before they happen. Speakers will also examine the impact of recent legislative developments and what municipalities need to know to navigate storage growth safely and effectively.
Texas is emerging as a hub for renewable energy manufacturing, from battery energy storage systems to solar components. This session explores the realities of setting up clean energy production in the state, including what drives companies to build here, how they navigate site selection and permitting, and what incentives and policy frameworks are shaping their growth. Industry experts will address the challenges of localizing supply chains, time constraints tied to incentives, and how companies are balancing speed-to-market with long-term resilience and cost control.
Texas’ energy future hinges on the evolving policy landscape at both the state and federal levels. This session will cover the latest from the legislative session, updates from the PUC, and federal budget developments shaping renewable deployment. Speakers will discuss how permitting, interconnection delays, and regulatory signals are solar and storage growth—and whether these technologies are on track to meet the state’s rising power demands through the end of the decade. The conversation will also explore how policy decisions are influencing domestic supply chains, particularly as Texas emerges as a key hub for cell and module manufacturing.

Workshops

These two North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) workshops are included in the IESNA Texas Conference Pass. Expand the accordion below to learn more.

Introduction to Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Smart Homes

Join us for an insightful session exploring the emerging role of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) in transforming the energy landscape. This presentation breaks down how VPPs aggregate distributed energy resources—like rooftop solar, battery storage, EV chargers, and smart home devices—into coordinated networks that act like a single, responsive power plant.

Whether you’re a solar professional, utility stakeholder, clean energy advocate, or just curious about the future of grid innovation, this talk will cover:

  • What is a Virtual Power Plant?
  • How VPPs operate in real-time
  • The role of solar and storage in VPP networks
  • How smart inverters and communication protocols make it all possible
  • The benefits to homeowners, utilities, and the environment
  • Case studies of active SPP programs in the U.S.

Don’t miss this opportunity to understand one of the most important shifts in clean energy – where consumers become producers and the grid becomes smarter.

Workshop attendees will be eligible to receive 1 NABCEP CEU.

This session covers best practices for installing solar PV systems while highlighting common mistakes and code violations. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements apply to real-world installations. Through practical examples, installers, contractors, and inspectors will learn how to identify potential issues, ensure compliance, and improve the safety and efficiency of PV system installations. 

Workshop attendees will be eligible to receive 1 NABCEP CEU.

“This year’s conference will offer timely and informative content that addresses the evolving dynamics, challenges, and opportunities of the clean energy transition in Texas. We are committed to remaining agile and responsive as shifts occur in federal and state policy and regulations. We look forward to curating a relevant, thought-provoking, and action-oriented program this November.”

Eugene Hunt

IESNA Texas Conference Committee Chair

Key Themes for the Conference Program

The concepts and benefits of distributed energy resources (DERs), advanced distributed energy resources (ADERs), and microgrids; their integration with the larger grid; policies driving deployment; and real-world examples showcasing enhanced grid resilience and flexibility.

The importance of energy storage in balancing supply and demand; providing grid resilience; various storage technologies; current and planned projects; and policies and incentives supporting storage deployment. 

The current state of EV charging infrastructure in Texas, including deployment progress, key challenges, and opportunities for expansion. Discussions will explore grid impacts, funding and incentives, emerging technologies, and strategies to accelerate the buildout of a reliable and accessible charging network. 

An overview of key players in the renewable energy manufacturing sector in Texas; the components and logistics involved in manufacturing; and an examination of supply chain disruptions with strategies to mitigate them. 

The evolving economics of Texas’ renewable energy sector, including market drivers, investment trends, and the financial outlook for solar, storage, and emerging technologies. Discussions will cover energy pricing, project financing, supply chain dynamics, and the economic impact of renewables on the state’s energy market.

Specific provisions of the IRA that benefit Texas renewable energy initiatives; how these policies are driving investment and development; and potential changes in policy including implications for the renewable energy landscape.

As Texas integrates more renewable energy resources, improving grid resilience against extreme weather and rising electricity demand has become a top priority. Topics will include the challenges of connecting projects to the grid, expanding transmission capacity, and the policies shaping these efforts. 

Market trends, growth projections, and investment dynamics shaping Texas’ solar industry; demand forecasts and business strategies; the role of storage in long-term deployment; and policies influencing solar expansion. 

Pairing solar energy with storage systems is transforming how power is generated, stored, and delivered in Texas. Discussion topics include the advantages of integrated systems for grid reliability, peak demand management, and energy arbitrage; permitting and interconnection hurdles; and the evolving market and policy landscape supporting co-located solar and storage solutions. 

The growing demand for skilled workers in Texas’ renewable energy industry and the initiatives supporting workforce expansion. Focus areas include training programs, job creation, labor challenges, and strategies to build a diverse and resilient clean energy workforce.

Conference Committee

Eugene Hunt

Principal and Co-founder,
Trevi Communications

Committee Chair

Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons

Executive Director,
Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES)

Committee Member

Krista Simicich

Digital Editor,
IESNA

Committee Member

Sarah Rudman

Conference Project Manager,
IESNA

Committee Member
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