Solar Energy Trade Shows (SETS) released a statement Friday that Solar Power International, Energy Storage International and Smart Energy Week was canceled because of destruction caused by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in New Orleans earlier this week.
The joint event was scheduled to run September 20-23, but Hurricane Ida has left much of the city without power. Electricity restoration is expected to take weeks following what has been declared a federal disaster.
Registrants will be emailed instructions next week for refunds and SETS urges those who booked housing and travel to cancel those reservations.
“We hoped to be able to host SPI, ESI and Smart Energy Week this year and provide you with a meeting place to collaborate on the big issues facing the clean energy industry,” the organization wrote in an email. “We know what this event means to you — for large global companies and community-serving small businesses alike — it was the reunion the industry needed to get back to conducting business face-to-face.”
Before the cancelation, Solar Power World spoke to Louisiana’s solar advocacy group Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association (GSREIA) about what having SPI in the region would mean to the local market.
“The value of having SPI 2021 in New Orleans cannot be overstated,” said Stephen Wright, executive director of GSREIA. “The Gulf States region has weathered anti-consumer net metering changes and disinformation concerning the impact of large-scale solar developments. Despite that, our region has the opportunity to be a renewable leader in solar development by embracing third party PPAs, community solar and innovative rooftop financing options. We also hope that SPI 2021 will draw more attention to the Gulf States region from solar developers, manufacturers and suppliers to join GSREIA in moving pro-renewable policy forward.”
The hurricane shows how important the energy sector needs to change.
I think many are setting unreal zero carbon timetables.
Any news on rescheduling, moving or pushing out to next year totally?