Reflecting the event’s emphasis on investment, the exhibition will place a strong focus on finance, with an entire hall dedicated for the first time to EPC contractors and financial institutions. These players are assuming an increasingly strategic role in the development of large renewable energy and utility-scale storage plants, particularly in light of recent FER-X decree auctions and the new Energy Release mechanism.
Over 1,000 exhibiting brands are expected, around 32 percent of them from abroad, representing approximately 30 countries. More than 500 hosted buyers and delegations from about 50 countries will attend, supported by ongoing collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). A Japanese delegation is also expected, participating in cooperation with H2IT and the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Clust-ER Greentech as part of the hydrogen partnership between the two countries and following IEG’s mission to Expo Osaka.
24 halls, seven thematic areas
For the 2026 edition, KEY has extended its exhibition space to around 125,000 square metres, occupying almost the entire Rimini Expo Centre with 24 halls divided into seven thematic areas: solar, wind, hydrogen, energy efficiency, energy storage, e-mobility and sustainable city. The solar sector has seen the most significant expansion, underlining both market strength and technological maturity. There will also be notable growth in areas dedicated to EPC contractors, agrivoltaics and companies specialising in mounting and fixing systems for installations. The wind power area has expanded as well and will feature Su.port – Sustainable Ports for Energy Transition, focusing on the role of ports as logistics hubs for the assembly and maintenance of floating wind farms, as well as hydrogen storage and transport.
Array Technologies presents tracking innovations at KEY in Rimini
The energy efficiency area, a key pillar of KEY’s role in enabling the transition, has been enhanced and reorganised from a cross-sector decarbonisation perspective across both industry and the built environment. It will provide a platform for exchange and growth, exploring challenges and opportunities, analysing the latest legislative proposals supporting Energy Service Companies, presenting tools that facilitate the adoption of innovative energy solutions and showcasing services to electrify consumption, optimise production processes and promote intelligent resource use.
This sector will also feature KEY 2026’s new HOME – Healthy, Optimised, Measured, Efficient project, an educational and cultural area showcasing a fully smart, efficient and sustainable building, demonstrating how healthy and energy-efficient buildings are designed, constructed and monitored. The programme will include a presentation by AGICI on decarbonisation trajectories for the European economy, with particular reference to the civil and industrial sectors. The study will estimate the contribution of energy efficiency integrated with renewables and quantify its benefits.
Italy – Africa cooperation
In line with the priorities of the Mattei Plan and the growing importance of Africa in the global energy transition and in European energy and industrial policy, KEY aims to strengthen Italy–Africa cooperation by connecting companies, institutions and investors to foster new synergies. Res4Africa will organise two events at KEY on 5 and 6 March dedicated to Africa’s energy self-sufficiency, focusing on the continent’s economic and sustainable development, the potential of photovoltaics and storage systems and the need to strengthen financing instruments to improve access to electricity.
KEY 2026 expands international presence with Africa focus
For the first time, KEY 2026 will also feature the Africa Investment HUB, hosting several African industry associations from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Senegal and South Africa and providing a space for networking and business meetings. During the event, as part of the collaboration between KEY and Piantando, a B Corp that initiates, finances and monitors projects with high social and environmental impact, three solar street lamps will be installed in a village in Malawi.
Broad conference programme
The KEY conference programme will include more than 150 events, with 90 organised by the Technical Scientific Committee and 18 international sessions. It will serve as an open strategic forum, offering rigorous, evidence-based content and bringing together expertise, data, know-how and best practices to support the energy transition. KEY 2026 will be inaugurated on Wednesday, 4 March, with an opening ceremony attended by the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and Laura Cozzi, Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks at the International Energy Agency (IEA).
KEY 2026 – Nidec Conversion debuts next-gen PCS
Events will include the KEY Energy Summit on Wednesday, 4 March, featuring a presentation by Althesys exploring the relationship between the energy transition and competitiveness in European and Italian companies, with a specific focus on Italy, the generation–storage–grid triad and the evolution of energy demand. The same day will also host ITALIA SOLARE’s ForumTech, highlighting current topics such as technological innovation, regulatory developments and the future of photovoltaics, with debates and in-depth discussions among experts, companies and institutions.
On Thursday, 5 March, the report on the state of energy sustainability in the construction supply chain will be presented in cooperation with FEDERCOSTRUZIONI. Elemens will organise the conference “EPC and Finance: the new phase of renewables”, bringing together banks and EPC contractors to promote new models of collaboration and reduce existing obstacles to the construction of renewable energy plants.
Italy - Talesun and Alphatracker partner on 1 GW agri projects
On the same day, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), will organise the session “Energy and Innovation: MASE International Cooperation for Energy Transition”. This session will analyse opportunities for the Italian private sector and scientific community, outline the tools provided by the Ministry, explain access to tenders, selection criteria and possible forms of public–private collaboration within international cooperation programmes. Priority initiatives already under way and guidelines for the active and qualified participation of the Italian system will also be presented.
KEY CHOICE – unlock the future of PPAs
On Tuesday, 3 March, the day before KEY opens, Rimini’s Palacongressi Congress Centre will host KEY Choice – Unlock the future of PPA. This B2B event, organised by IEG in collaboration with Elemens, aims to foster networking and interaction among stakeholders and facilitate the drafting of power purchase agreements (PPAs).
The new edition of DPE – International Electricity Expo will also return alongside KEY. Organised by Italian Exhibition Group in collaboration with the Distributed Generation Association – Motors, Components, Generating Sets, affiliated with ANIMA Confindustria – and the ANIE Federation, the event focuses on the ecosystem of generation, transmission, distribution, safety and electrical automation. (hcn)
