The fair was held from March 22-24 under the auspices of the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG). K.EY attracted more than 600 companies of which around 28% were foreign, according to the organizers, who highlighted the participation of "the main market leaders in all sectors and a significant expansion of supply chains."
"I was quite surprised by the number of visitors and the large number of companies present at the fair. I think it has been a great success and has demonstrated that Italy is one of the main European photovoltaic markets," says Alberto Medrano, CEO of the Spanish company Albasolar and one of the sector professionals who attended the event.
Medrano highlighted two things in particular, the prominence of solar batteries for both the residential and commercial-industrial markets and the significant presence of new N-type solar cell technologies that are arriving, with TOP Com and HJT technologies.
More than 300 foreign buyers from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America were present at K.EY 2023, thanks to the support of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ITA, the Italian Trade Agency and over 20 international associations.
Coming of Age
This year saw K.EY’s coming of age. In previous editions it shared space with Ecomondo, a benchmark trade fair in ecological transition. But organizers, identifying the growing demand for a comprehensive showcase for integrated solutions aimed at underpinning the transition towards a carbon neutral economy, decided to concentrate almost exclusively on green energy systems and adjacent areas.
Demand proved them right. K.EY - The Energy Transition Expo doubled the space usually allotted the fair, offering 12 pavilions and a completely new design with six themed exhibition areas, one for each of the six sectors into which the event has been structured.
SEC - Solar Exhibition and Conference brought together products and technologies for the solar, photovoltaic and storage sectors; wind energy had its space in WEM - Wind Expo for Med; and hydrogen production and storage technologies and projects in HYe.
Energy efficiency and storage in industry and construction were showcased in the cross-cutting area EFFI - Energy Efficiency Expo, while the eME - e-Mobility Expo and Sustainable City areas - focused respectively on electric and sustainable mobility, from charging infrastructures to interconnected mobility services and the smart city. Sustainable Building District, focusing on sustainable construction, in collaboration with Green Building Council Italy, also had its space.
Conferences and Networking
In parallel to the trade fair, an extensive program of international conferences defined by the K.EY Technical-Scientific Committee was held. Also held for the first time was the K.EY Energy Summit - General Status of Renewable Sources, a space for public debate promoted by industry associations, in which organic proposals were presented and addressed to the Government.
The fair also saw the presentation of the First Report on the productive geography of renewables in Italy, promoted and organized by the Fondazione Symbola and the Italian Exhibition Group in collaboration with the main professional associations in the sector.
Two other events were held within the framework of K.EY. The first, the third edition of ForumTech, organized by Italia Solare, which this year focused on the role of storage systems in the electricity market, the technological challenges for O&M in Italy and end-of-life management of photovoltaic modules.
The second, DPE The European Exhibition of Electrical Power Systems, dedicated to the entire ecosystem of power generation, distribution, safety and automation, organized by the Italian Exhibition Group in collaboration with the Association of Distributed Generation - Motors, Components, Generators centralized in ANIMA Confindustria.
K.EY will return to the Italian Exhibition Group's Rimini Exhibition Centre from February 28 to March 1, 2024.
The fair in images:
