Intersolar and Energy Storage North America (IESNA) wraps up its show for 2026 today after a week of uncharacteristically rainy days in San Diego and a quieter convention hall than in years past.
Credit: Billy Ludt/SPW
As with any convention of this kind, the people from exhibiting companies always speak optimistically — expressing confidence in their products and how they are positioned to anticipate oncoming industry hurdles. However, the obstacles this year are wrapped in uncertainty.
Less than five months from now is the cutoff for safe harboring solar projects for the remaining investment tax credits. Manufacturers are trying to keep products in stock to ensure these projects that will eventually be built one, two or three years from now, will still receive that credit.
Pop-up displays, in-booth screens and banners hanging from the San Diego Convention Center’s ceiling held the phrase “domestic content,” but foreign entity of concern (FEOC) qualifications still linger and seemingly change every day.
As seen on the show floor
IESNA is a tricky show for exhibitors, because it falls five months after the national RE+ convention in Las Vegas, and just two weeks following RE+ Northeast. Most companies said they have new products on the way, but they’ll arrive in later quarters — likely debuting during the U.S. industry’s largest trade show.
From what Solar Power World saw on the show floor, IESNA had a few new technologies and a larger focus on refining existing products and services.
Meter collars and accessory technologies at ConnectDER’s booth. Billy Ludt/SPW
A lot of collaboration is taking place among the power electronics sectors. Standalone inverter manufacturers are pairing their tech with energy storage. One example is SMA America, who is placing its bright yellow string inverter Sunny Island with Lithion’s GridBox battery energy storage system (BESS). The AC-coupled inverter and stackable, modular BESS combo are geared for the C&I market, with the potential to drop into points along transmission lines where the power is needed.
ConnectDER, the meter collar producer, is partnering with battery manufacturers for better load management services for homes. Its meter collars are made for managing electric vehicle and solar loads and can “island” homes with battery backup energy. A ConnectDER spokesperson said battery manufacturers have been championing meter collar technology.
Following the trend of “balcony solar” entering the United States, APsystems had its EZ 1 Plug-In microinverter, which is built for these new portable solar projects. The product has been on the market for around a year, but the technology is gaining traction as more states are authorizing plug-in solar projects.
In mounting and racking, there’s been a larger shift toward the commercial solar market after the residential investment tax credit expired at the end of 2025. SunModo hasn’t offered a carport in five years but debuted SunSpan, a new carport design, at the show, as well as SunPier, a post-driven ground mount rack with beams that are streamlined for manufacturing compared to its smaller scale ground mount.
Pegasus acquired European flat roof racking manufacturer AEROCOMPACT in January, growing the company’s presence in commercial solar, and had its products in the booth at IESNA. Unirac is iterating on its existing 10° flat roof solar racking and with a 5° model focused on higher project density called GRIDFLEX 5.
APsystems’ EZ1 Plug-In Microinverter. Billy Ludt/SPW
Tracker companies didn’t have much of a presence at the show, but large-scale construction still had its supporters. Barcelona, Spain-based software company Amelia branched out from drone imaging and developed Hincator, a device that automates and detects the depth of driven piles on ground-mounted solar projects. The company said Hincator is on a pile for about 15 seconds before moving to the next and has seen cases where installers place 700 piles in a day.
With perhaps the best company name at the show, Velociwrapper brought two of its cable wrapping machines, which use no fuel or electronics, and instead tie cable runs by guiding wire bundles through a rotating channel pulled along by a tractor, skid steer or truck trailer.
Solar panels have been the biggest question about FEOC compliance. Every solar panel company SPW spoke to during IESNA said they were confident that their modules would qualify for domestic content. Many had mentioned plans to start up manufacturing in the United States or expand existing facilities — even those just entering the market.
IESNA was noticeably less crowded this year, but exhibitors said this gave them the chance to have longer, higher quality conversations with attendees than at other shows. The largest impression from this latest trade show is that U.S. solar market is taking a defensive position as new deadlines approach.
Credit: Billy Ludt/SPW
