RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — The University of California, Riverside will host its fourth annual solar conference, Solar Power: Past, Present, and Its Future in Inland Southern California from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 at the Bourns Technology Center, 1200 Columbia Ave., Riverside, 92507.

The conference is designed for government leaders, planners, council members, businesses, utilities, and the general public. The cost is $85 for non-students and $25 for students. Those planning to attend should register at the conference website.

Karen Douglas, Commissioner, California Energy Commission, will be the keynote speaker. Panelists will present on the state of solar energy by discussing the latest technology, public policy/regulations, economics, and the associated environmental/sustainability benefits of renewable energy. Attendees will learn about the challenges and opportunities for incorporating solar energy plus batteries and deploying microgrid systems in their communities, including revenue opportunities, local policies, and initiatives already in place. A full agenda is available online.

UCR’s Alfredo Martinez-Morales, managing director of the Southern California Research Initiative for Solar Energy (SC-RISE) and one of the conference organizers, said this year’s conference will focus on solar as well as energy storage systems and microgrid systems, ranging from applied research at the University of California, to proven technologies and services offered by companies, to case studies of microgrids in front and behind the meter.

“Our conference will be a comprehensive conversation on applied research, existing solutions and technologies, and projects that demonstrate existing services and benefits to system owners and utility companies. A discussion on current and future opportunities for adding value to solar energy by combining it with intelligently managed battery energy storage and integrating it in microgrid architectures will be a highlight of our event,” Martinez-Morales said.

This event is hosted by UCR’s College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research & Technology (CE-CERT), the UCR School of Public Policy’s Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, and Southern California Research Initiative for Solar Energy. Sponsors include Southern California Edison, Riverside Economic Development Agency, First Solar, SoCalGas, Riverside Public Utilities, Western Riverside Council of Governments, City of Corona Department of Water and Power, Winston Chung Global Energy Center, EnerNOC, GRID Alternatives, Sun Power, Moreno Valley Utility, California Climate Investments, Sullivan Solar Power, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 47, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Microgrid Knowledge.