October 28, 2025     |     The University of Texas at Austin, San Jacinto Hall

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Join us for an all-day symposium of talks, panels and discussions with thought leaders that are shaping the solar power industry. Hosted by the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, the Global Solar Power Forum 2025 celebrates 15 years of research, education and innovation in the Center for a Solar Powered Future (SPF2050), a collaborative partnership between UT, Colorado State University, Arizona State University and Texas A&M University.

SPF2050 is a Phase III Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) sponsored by the National Science Foundation with funding and support from more than 50 industry and government agencies over the years. After its origination as the Center for Next Generation Photovoltaics, SPF2050 has educated and trained more than 350 graduate and undergraduate students including awarding 100 degrees, developing 21 patents and inventions and leading to 3 new start-up companies as it has worked to fulfill its mission to help significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change by enabling photovoltaic electricity to become a major source of energy in the U.S. and the world.    

Connect, collaborate and spark ideas that will shape the next generation of energy solutions.

Agenda forthcoming

We'll have a full-day of panels as well as opportunities for companies to highlight themselves and the amazing work they're doing. Please look forward to a detailed agenda shortly.

SPF2050: The Center for a Solar Powered Future

The IUCRC program generates breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams and government agencies. It was initiated in 1973 and has more than 70 active centers of excellence across the United States and abroad based on best practices in industry/university interaction. Starting in 2010 as the Center for Next Generation Photovoltaics, as a Phase III IUCRC, SPF2050 has gone through three separate competitive award proposals from NSF to continue to operate as a foundational Center focused on research as it relates to all aspects of the solar energy industry. Our goal is to enable the United States and the world to achieve a zero carbon footprint by 2050 with the use of solar energy as a resource. 

See What Members Are Saying About SPF2050

"First Solar joined the Center for Next Generation Photovoltaics I/UCRC in January 2013 and has been very pleased with the progress of the work reported at the regular meetings. The center platform helps to develop a sustainable high-class infrastructure of capabilities and competencies at CSU and allows the researchers to focus on industrially relevant problems.”

     –  First Solar

"In order to reach the Department of the Navy’s goal of 50% total energy consumption through renewable sources by the year 2020, the Naval Postgraduate School is focusing on research projects that are industry relevant, scalable and employ the best researchers in the field of photovoltaics. The I/UCRC allows us to collaborate with world class researchers and industry leaders to find ways to improve the Navy’s energy security and increase its energy independence."

     –  Naval Postgraduate School

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