In Europe, utility-scale solar power plants are on the upswing. Every big solar player is moving into the lucrative solar project business and the number of utilities starting solar power plant activities is expanding quickly as well. Almost every day, there are announcements about new solar multi-megawatt systems – in Germany or Italy, in France or the Czech Republic.

PHOTON's 4^th Solar Electric Utility Conference will examine solar's impact on the traditional power-generation sector – including business opportunities to develop new revenue streams, technological challenges in integrating solar systems for both solar and utility companies, and economic challenges from displaced revenue, profits and possible negative network effects for utility companies. Presentations will be given on:

• Solar sector growth and cost estimates through 2012, and implications for solar and traditional electricity players
• Utility activities of solar companies
• Solar activities of utilities and project developers
• Technical and economic challenges
• Executive panel discussion

PHOTON's 4^th Solar Electric Utility Conference is a platform for discussion by all solar power 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. The Solar Electric Utility Conference in Stuttgart, focusing on Europe, builds on our recent event in San Francisco, where the leading players in this field discussed utility-scale solar power in America.