For one, SWC50 will be – given the global situation following the COVID-19 pandemic – held as a virtual event, celebrated over one year and with on-site events throughout 2020/21. The face-to-face conference will be replaced by a series of virtual conferences which will include the same panel sessions that are being planned for this conference, as well as an online display that will be accessible online via the event website. This alternative format also has the added benefits of reducing this event’s carbon footprint, increasing opportunities for participation, and providing additional visibility for our celebration partners and sponsors.
Now we are moving ahead with the planning of the event in full force and just a few days ago, we launched the Call for Renewable Energy Pioneers on occasion of the SWC50. Without the efforts of individual researchers, system designers, system installers, business leaders, policy makers and those within the donor community, the renewable energy industry would not have grown from watts to Gigawatts in the last 50 years. Thus, ISES is issuing a call for developing a compilation of Renewable Energy Pioneers to be listed in the celebratory booklet. This will be ISES’ way of acknowledging the many people who have made this industry what it is today.
ISES is calling for submissions of the names of individuals covering the following two categories:
- Research Pioneers: Individuals who started their research in 1995 or earlier.
- Industry Pioneers: Individuals who actively started working in or with the industry in 1995 or earlier.