It's been a wild time for supply chains, and that disruption is impacting energy offtakers’ ability to procure the technologies needed to fulfill renewable energy targets at an attractive price point. This session features energy buyers navigating this uncertain world.

As the first generation of solar panels near the end of their life, we are just beginning to recognize the magnitude of the future electronic-waste problem associated with renewable energy technologies. We’ll explore what it will take to process and recycle solar panels, and how we can design to avoid the challenges in the first place.

Geothermal energy has great potential as a clean, firm energy resource — the holy grail for reaching deep decarbonization. Yet the technology has had relatively little growth over the last few decades. Corporations and governments can help change that through procurements to spur forward this market. This session will cover advancements in geothermal technologies and highlight the work of early movers to help scale deployments and drive down costs.

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for energy, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

In order to decarbonize the power sector, we’ll need to power the economy with clean energy on a time and location basis — no easy task for intermittent renewable resources. Thankfully, there are clear policy signals, innovative compacts and trail-blazing companies working on the problem. This session will cover the leading collaborations and corporate trailblazers cracking the code to clean, reliable and affordable energy — all day, every day.