Tight silicon supply and rising prices have caught many by surprise, as new cell production capacities have simply outgrown poly expansion for the moment. Like every year, the world’s leading silicon conference will have incumbents, new producers and analysts provide the latest status on demand, supply, and technologies.

PHOTON’s inverter conference is the leading technology event for grid-connection of PV systems. Developers, manufacturers, researchers and users will discuss the latest in inverter technology to produce high efficiencies, superior quality and low-cost products. The top performers in PHOTON’s inverter tests will present their inverter designs.

As the solar industry rides on a wave of gigantic demand for its products, it faces considerable uncertainty about how much longer markets can absorb output from quickly growing production capacities. The PV investors conferences traditionally cover two themes – one sees leading stock-listed companies present and discuss their views on the sector, as well as analysts and VCs outlining investment opportunities; part two has local experts provide their views on the biggest PV markets.

The conference will take a look at technologies to make PV system operation safer for reliable power generation using the latest inverter technology, as well as products that switch off solar modules in the event of a fire.

High-quality, low-cost products are key to survive an eventual industry contraction when prices for wafers, cells and modules will drop significantly. As in years past, PHOTON’s Production Equipment Conference will focus on providing the industry with the status of crystalline silicon wafer-based production technology, standards and consumables.

While Germany already witnessed PV shaving peak power prices last summer, installed capacity has continued to grow quickly – and is now also reaching notable levels in several other European markets, in particular in Italy. To discuss the challenges of this rapid growth, PHOTON’s Solar Electric Utility Conference will bring together stakeholders from all parties involved in the convergence of the energy sector – including utilities, regulators, PV companies, other distributed electricity technology companies and investors.