ISES Solar World Congress
The ISES Solar World Congress, held biennially since the 1970's embodies the spirit of international networking and exchange of ideas advanced by the Society. Its objective is to maintain communication between the research community, industrial and political players. Purchase past conference proceedings from the ISES online bookshop or search for proceedings in the ISES conference proceedings database.
Save the Date for SWC 2025!
As is tradition, the next ISES Solar World Congress - SWC 2025 - was announced during the closing ceremony of SWC 2023 on November 04 in New Delhi, India.
SWC 2025 will take place in Fortaleza, Brazil from 04-07 November 2025. The congress will be organized by ABENS, the Brazilian Section of ISES and will be supported by the University of Sao Paulo, the Federal University of Santa Catarina and the Federal Universiy of Ceará.
The congress will take palce in the city of Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, a Northeastern state of Brazil. Fortaleza is the fourth-largest city in the country, and it has become an important technological hub in recent years. The state of Ceará has been attracting significant governmental and private investments, both national and international, in technology, innovation, and R&D, especially in telecommunications, renewable energy, and, more recently, green hydrogen. In 2011, the first photovoltaic power plant in Brazil was installed in the city of Tauá, 342 km southwest of Fortaleza. Today the state of Ceará has more than 1.5 GW of solar photovoltaic and 2.5 GW of wind power, with some large installations close enough to Fortaleza to eventually organize field trips after the congress. The state is also tipped to be the green hydrogen center in Brazil. Besides the technological and modern aspects of the city of Fortaleza and the state of Ceará, the participants of the congress will be presented with magnificent nature, a rich culture, and outstanding gastronomy.
Taking place just a few weeks before COP30 takes place in Brazil too, SWC 2025 will be an exciting stage for researchers from all around the world to present their latest research and will set the stage for these important negotiations.
SWC 2025 will cover the following themes:
- PV cell technologies
- Innovative application of PV technologies
- Solar thermal power
- Performance of solar technology in Sunbelt countries
- Renewable and efficient heating and cooling - components and systems
- Grid integration and sector coupling
- Solar buildings, urban and neighbourhood design
- Rural energy supply and hybrid isolated communities
- System modelling, artificial intelligence, digitalization
- Testing, certification and monitoring
- Synergic technologies – energy storage and green hydrogen
- Circular economy and recycling
- Solar resource assessment and energy meteorology
- Extreme weather events and effects of climate change
- Perspectives for a 100% renewable energy world
- Solar photocatalysis and solar fuel production
The call for papers for SWC 2025 will be shared in late 2024 - we look forward to welcoming you in Fortaleza!
Solar World Congress 2023
From October 30 to November 04 ISES held this year's ISES Solar World Congress - SWC 2023 - in New Delhi, India. 300 attendees from all around the world gathered for this year's SWC 2023: 80 oral and 84 poster presentations, high level keynote speeches, plenary sessions, workshops, side events and technical tours all came together for 5 days of exciting congress programme.
A special highlight of SWC 2023 was the cooperation between ISES and the International Solar Alliance, ISA. SWC 2023 took place in conjunction with the ISA General Assembly, a high level gathering of officials of the ISA's 120 member countries. To this end, joint networking reception and one full day of joint ISES & ISA congress programme were held. Find the recordings of the joint day of plenary sessions in collaboration with the ISA here.
Locally, ISES was also very happy to count on the support of our ISES section in India, SESI, the Solar Energy Society of India. SESI supported the event in many ways such as with side events and technical sessions and much more. SWC 2023 was only the second ISES Solar World Congress to be held in India. The first ever SWC in India took place in 1978.
The congress ended with a congress proclamation by the organizers which was shared with all attendees during the closing ceremony. The proclamation again underscored the importance of addressing the climate crisis by accelerating the just and sustainable energy transformation in India and throughout the world through enhanced collaboration of stakeholders and decision makers. Read the full SWC 2023 proclamation here.
Solar World Congress 2021 - Virtual Congress
SWC 2021 - The first fully virtual ISES Solar World Congress
From October 25 to 29 2021, 240 attendees from all around the world joined the first ever fully virtual ISES Solar World Congress 2021. Initially planned to take place in New Delhi, India the decision to take the congress online due to the COVID-19 pandemic was taken in late 2020.
During the five congress days, attendees enjoyed keynotes by renowned international experts, high-level plenary sessions, workshops, forums and technical sessions. Authors from all around the world presented their work throughout 31 technical sessions and the congress also offered events specifically for young and emerging solar researchers such as a Masters Course in Solar Energy held by ISES President Prof. Klaus Vajen (University of Kassel) and a special "Solar Speed Dating" Event introducing young congress attendees to senior experts.
The congress welcomed the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme as a Key Partner of the congress and was supported by SWC 2021 Gold Sponsors Sunrain and Baywa r.e. as well as SWC 2021 Silver Sponsor Heliac.
SWC50 - The Century of Solar
SWC50 - The Century of Solar
In 1970 solar research pioneers met at the first International Solar Energy Society (ISES) Conference in Melbourne Australia. ISES is commemorating this Conference with a special 50th Anniversary Virtual Conference, called the Solar World Congress at 50 (SWC50).
The SWC50 highlights the transformation in the global energy sector that has taken place since the first ISES Solar World Congress in 1970 and looks forward to the next 50 years when renewable energy will be the major cornerstone of the global energy system. The Conference is about the people: researchers, industry players, policy makers, and leaders from NGOs and non-profits who have all contributed to make renewable energy the fastest growing contributor to our global energy supply.
SWC50 comprised of:
- A virtual conference in December 2020 whichincluded a total of six 90-minute sessions spread over the 2 days. In the sessions, the presenters looked back over the past 50 years of solar energy development – technical and policy;show the link between the scientists/research and industry; and based on this progress and experience, looked forward to what is required within the next 50 years to move towards a global 100% Renewable Energy (RE) target.
- The ISES Solar Energy Virtual Museum focusing on the stories of solar from the past 50+ years and visions for the next 50 years through the eyes of:
- Institutions (research laboratories and universities);
- NGOs and Non-profit organizations:
- Industry; and
- Governments.
- Monthly Newsletters during 2020 and 2021 - see below
- Development of a Commemorative Booklet called The Century of Solar- Stories and Visions of Renewable Energy
In 2021, the celebration of SWC50 will continued with two SWC50 follow up webinars on Transforming the Air, Sea, and Land Freight Transport Sector and on Perspectives for the Future Power Grid.
SWC50 Newsletters
2021 Newsletters
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
2020 Newsletters
Solar World Congress 2019 in Santiago, Chile
Over 430 participants from 48 countries were welcomed to the ISES Solar World Congress 2019 in Santiago,Chile, held together with the IEA (International Energy Agency) Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (SHC) International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry.
From 03 - 07 November, the SWC 2019 reinforced the long tradition of connecting the research and academic community with decision makers from different government sectors, industry, financiers and practitioners. This is the first time that the ISES Solar World Congress as well as the SHC Conference took place in South America and we were very pleased to host this event in Chile, a country that’s has shown it's commitment to the fast deployment of renewable energy to transition the Chilean energy matrix to 100% renewable energy.
We thank our host, SERC-Chile (Solar Energy Research Center Chile), a consortium of seven Chilean Universities, as well as the Fraunhofer-Chile Foundation, for their warm hospitality and during the Congress,. Thank you to all our speakers, partners, sponsors and participants for making this event a success.
View the conference proclamation here.
The conference proceedings are available through the ISES conference proceedings database.
Solar World Congress 2017 in Abu Dhabi, UAE
The ISES Solar World Congress, SWC 2017 was held at the Jumeirah Hotel at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 29 October to 02 November 2017. A unique feature of this Congress is that it was held jointly with the 5th International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry, SHC 2017. The theme of the event was: Innovation for the 100% Renewable Energy Transformation.
With the support of Masdar Institute, part of the Khalifa University for Science and Technology, nearly 500 renewable energy practitioners, researchers, project developers, academics, decision makers and advocates representing 58 countries have gathered at this joint conference
View the conference proclamation: https://www.ises.org/news/solar-world-congress-2017-solar-heating-and-cooling-2017-proclamation
View the conference website: www.swc2017.org
The conference proceedings will be available on the ISES conference proceedings database: proceedings.ises.org
Solar World Congress 2015 in Daegu, Korea
From 8 – 12 November 2015 the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and the Korean Solar Energy Association hosted a successful and informative gathering of solar energy researchers, professionals, industry representatives and decision-makers from around the world.
Download the conference proceedings (open-access) on the ISES conference porceedings database.
Solar World Congress 2013 in Cancún, Mexico
The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) brought its biennial Solar World Congress to the Latin American region for the first time, meeting in Cancun, Mexico from 3 to 7 November.
The Mexican Solar Energy Society (ANES) co-hosted the conference.
More than 750 scientists, engineers, decision-makers, industry representatives, students and energy practitioners, from 66 nations around the world, met to share their progress. They explored many new opportunities for achieving a renewable energy future for all the people of the world.
Researchers presented more than 400 technical papers and interactive forums, offering up-to-date information on renewable energy technology trends and breakthroughs, best practices in deploying these technologies, global and regional policies, and market opportunities.
View the Solar World Congress 2013 Proclamation.
The proceedings of the SWC 2013 were published in Energy Procedia by Elsevier available here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18766102/57/supp/C
A selection of best paper from the SWC 2015 was published in the ISES Solar Energy Journal by Elsevier, available on Science Direct here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0038092X/121
Solar World Congress 2011 in Kassel, Germany
The ISES Solar World Congress 2011 was the world's largest scientific congress in the field of solar energy and buildings. It took place from 28 August to 2 September 2011 in Kassel, Germany.
Upon conclusion of the Congress, ISES issued a statement which sent a clear message to decision and policy makers around the world that renewable energy is key to climate recovery and sustainable development.
The proceedings of the SWC 2011 are available for all participants to download at http://proceedings.ises.org/?conference=swc2011. You can also order a DVD with proceedings from the ISES online bookshop.
Solar World Congress 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa
The ISES Solar World Congress 2009 hosted by the Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, attended by participants from all over the world resolves as follows:
The global target of 100 % renewable energies is both attainable and necessary by the middle of the current century. This is motivated on grounds of ecological, economic and social sustainability.
The unacceptable backlog in energy supply in the third world countries can only be covered cost effectively and in time by the use of renewable energies. Especially the industrialised countries have to increase their efforts in transitioning to renewable energies.
View the Solar World Congress 2009 Resolution.
Purchase the proceedings of the SWC 2009 from ISES.
