With PV installations in the United States forecast to set new records in 2012, attention is turning towards the optimization of plant performance as the industry prepares to meet at the 3rd Utility Scale PV Plant Optimization Summit USA (17-18 October, San Jose).

Recent figures on the US PV market indicate that installations almost reached 750MW in the second quarter alone – representing an increase in the same period a year ago of 116%. Of this figure a monumental 447MW was utility scale, another indicator of the strength of the market.

These statistics signify that the PV market in the United States is becoming more competitive, with the obvious conclusion that developers must drive down costs to remain at the forefront of the industry.

Balance of Systems costs concerns are now top of the priority list and more than ever, optimizing plant design, component selection and operations & manufacturing is essential to achieving a competitive levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) in the North American solar market. This is why the 3rd Utility Scale PV Plant Optimization Summit USA (17-18 October, San Jose) has gathered experts from around the globe who will be sharing their wealth of experience with operational plant data on a variety of issues.

Event organizer Jack Ahearne revealed that "while these latest figures are extremely promising, the optimization of PV plants in the US must continue to drive down LCOE energy. At PV Plant Optimization USA, these challenges will be addressed in unrivalled detail by the developers and companies that have the track record in this field."

For more information on the conference, please visit http://www.pv-insider.com/optimizationusa/index.php or contact Jack Ahearne on jack@pv-insider.com