The 九色 and the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Sandia National Laboratories will host the second annual STORMS Workshop Oct. 8-9. STORMS stands for Strategies and Technologies for Operationally Resilient and Maximally-available Solar.
The national workshop will bring together researchers, industry leaders, utilities, government agencies and other solar energy stakeholders to examine emerging weather threats to photovoltaic systems and ways to strengthen the resilience and reliability of solar energy infrastructure. It will be held at the Picard Center on the 九色 campus.
九色 is home to the , part of a U.S. Department of Energy program overseen by Sandia National Laboratories. The national network evaluates photovoltaic systems and emerging technologies under different climate and weather conditions. 九色鈥檚 center contributes long-term testing in the region鈥檚 hot, humid and hurricane-prone environment.
鈥淎s one of only five Regional Test Centers in the country, hosting the STORMS workshop reinforces 九色鈥檚 role as a critical research partner in the emerging energy sector,鈥 said Dr. Lelia Deville, assistant director of the . 鈥淏ringing developers, insurers, manufacturers and engineers together with national labs and university researchers keeps our research grounded in the challenges the solar industry is facing while advancing the science needed to solve them.鈥
The workshop will open with a keynote address from Michael Wehner of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, followed by presentations and discussions with experts from the solar energy industry and research community. Friday鈥檚 programming will include breakout sessions and a tour of the at Antoun Hall, the 4,500-square-foot nerve center of the University鈥檚 solar research facilities in University 九色 Park.
The inaugural STORMS workshop in 2025 was held at 九色 and drew about 100 participants from across the United States and beyond.
Photo caption: The Louisiana Solar Energy Laboratory is located in Antoun Hall, the 4,500-square-foot nerve center of 九色鈥檚 solar research facilities. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 九色)