Parks Associates: 15% of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase solar panels in 2017

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Jan 24, 2017) -  Parks Associates announced new IoT research today showing that 15% of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase solar panels in 2017. 360 View Update: Energy Management, Smart Home, & Utility Programs notes 8% of U.S. broadband households currently own solar panels.

Parks Associates and other industry leaders will address the market for solar energy during Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 20-22, 2017, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. The event, which includes more than 300 executives in an intimate networking environment, focuses on the convergence of smart energy and IoT with the smart home.

"Residential solar has already proven its ability to cross the chasm into the early majority in various regions of the world," said Tom Kerber, Director of IoT Strategy, Parks Associates. "The primary motivation for installing residential PV systems is to save money on energy bills, a purchase driver that resonates with all technology adoption segments. At Smart Energy Summit, we will address opportunities for a more comprehensive smart home/energy management solution and examine trends driving partnerships between residential solar and smart home solution providers."

The Smart Energy Summit session "Solar Industry: Integration and Competition" on Wednesday, February 22, at 8:45 a.m., will examine the residential rooftop solar market and opportunities for partnerships with storage vendors and smart home and energy providers. Speakers for the session, which will be moderated by Stuart Sikes, President of Parks Associates, include:

• Bryan Christiansen, Chief Operating Officer, Vivint Solar
• Jordan Frugé, Chief Marketing Officer, Sunnova
• Jason Sears, Senior Lead, Solar Strategy and Development, Green Mountain Energy, an NRG company
• Ilen Zazueta-Hall, Director of Product Management, Enphase

"The energy sector is rapidly evolving thanks in large part to pressure placed on the system by solar and other distributed technologies," said Jordan Frugé, Chief Marketing Officer, Sunnova. "Consumers now have more efficient and affordable options for meeting their energy needs. It's an exciting time to be a part of this industry."

"In order for the solar energy industry to continue to grow, it needs to move beyond the roof and provide complete home energy solutions. This means that all elements of the home energy ecosystem have to work together safely, reliably, and seamlessly, both for homeowners and utilities," said Ilén Zazueta-Hall, Director of Product Management for Energy Management at Enphase Energy, Inc. "At Enphase we are realizing the vision of advanced energy management by integrating solar, energy storage, bi-directional communications, and advanced analytics."

Parks Associates will also host the research workshop "Utilities and Consumer Engagement Strategies" prior to Smart Energy Summit. The workshop, which will be held on Monday, February 20, from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m., includes detailed findings from the firm's consumer and industry studies on the smart home, IoT, and energy management markets.

Parks Associates analysts will present new consumer data during the workshop, which will also feature the following industry speakers:

• Amena Ali, Chief Revenue Officer, Whisker Labs
• Derek Okada, Senior Manager, Policy & Planning, Southern California Edison (SCE)
• Dr. Kenneth Wacks, President, Home, Building & Utility Systems

Topics for the workshop include:

• The Value of Data
• Making Data Meaningful
• Energy Management in the Smart Home
• Smart Home Service Providers and Energy Management
• Interoperability Failures
• The Role of Energy Providers in the Smart Home
• Solar Power and the Smart Home
• Solar Industry Perspective
• Incentivizing the Smart Home
• Utility Perspectives on Incentives

"Unlocking the full potential of the connected home will in many ways come down to providing consumers with energy data that is made accessible and meaningful -- not just for emerging smart home devices, but also for the legacy 'unconnected' appliances that hundreds of millions of homes rely on," said Amena Ali, Chief Revenue Officer, Whisker Labs. "The Smart Energy Summit workshop will examine proven and emerging utility and consumer engagement strategies for engaging the consumer with meaningful data."

Industry expert Ken Wacks will share his insights on interoperability (making everything work together): "For too long, interoperability has been a stated goal but in reality rarely crosses application domains. I have personally wrestled with interoperability failures because manufacturers focused on products rather than systems. This must change in order to achieve a mass market for integrated home systems."

Conference sponsors include People Power Company, Austin Energy, Bidgely, Carrier, ecobee, EnergyHub, Hampton Products International, The Manchester Group, Powerley, The Weather Company, Whisker Labs, Grid4C, ipCapital Group, MivaTek, and State Farm.

Conference supporters include Advanced Energy Economy, Internet of Things Consortium, AltEnergyMag.com, Antenna, B2 Group, CIOReview, Conference Guru, Engerati, Green Button Alliance, HomeGrid Forum, Hometoys, IoT Today, ISE Magazine, Israeli Smart Energy Association, KNXtoday, Mission Data, NEEP, oneM2M, OpenADR Alliance, Open Connectivity Foundation, POWERGRID International, Smart Energy Journal, Smart Grid Spain, Smart Grid Today, TD The Market Publishers, TelcoProfessionals, USNAP Alliance, Utility Dive, Utility Post, Wi-Fi Alliance, and WSNBuzz.com.

More information about the Smart Energy Summit is available at www.SES2017.com. To register for the pre-show research workshop, go to http://bit.ly/SESregistration. To speak with an analyst or request specific research data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com or 720-987-6614.

About Smart Energy Summit
Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines new cross-industry opportunities in the expanding market for energy solutions, including connected devices, energy management, utility services, and home control platforms and services, as they evolve within the smart home and consumer-based Internet of Things.

Smart Energy Summit focuses particularly on the challenge of engaging consumers with energy-related solutions. Research analysts, thought leaders, and industry executives present and discuss business strategies, case studies, partnership opportunities, and consumer research that utilities, service providers, retailers, and manufacturers can use to expand and monetize their energy offerings.

The eighth-annual Smart Energy Summit will take place February 20-22, 2017, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. The summit agenda features leaders from utilities, state and national regulators, telecom and security companies, retailers, and OEMs. Follow the event on Twitter at @SmartEnergySmt and #SmartEnergy17 and on the Smart Energy Insights Blog. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.ses2017.com.