[caption id="attachment_186" align="alignleft" width="220"] CEI's Energy Alternatives team attended Solar Power International.[/caption]
CEI's Energy Alternatives team recently returned from Solar Power International 2012 (SPI), held this year in Orlando, Florida. SPI is the solar industry's largest U.S. conference and this was my second year attending the show.
Here are some of my thoughts about the conference:
The Silver Lining: Down Economy, Lower Prices Make Solar More Attractive
It's no secret that many solar manufacturers are facing financial difficulties, and the mood at this year's conference definitely reflected that reality. However, lower module prices for customers have resulted in an increased project volume, which is great news for engineering, procurement and construction companies like Cupertino Electric, as well as many others working in the solar industry. The environment can also benefit greatly, thanks to lower solar material costs.
At the SPI 2012 opening ceremony, SEIA President Rhone Resch urged the solar industry to continue innovating to build systems that outperform estimates. Another focus of the conference panels surrounded the importance of strong integration between solar and grid operations is for continued industry growth. There are many online debates about this issue.
At CEI, we are actively following these topics and staying on top of technology solutions to tackle regulatory issues regarding the integration of intermittent renewables in the grid.
Former President Bill Clinton: Keynote Speaker Extraordinaire
The conference highlight this year was to hear President Bill Clinton as keynote speaker. In his usual humorous and relevant manner, he urged the solar industry to communicate better with the general public. He urged the solar industry to get the word out about how solar is "good economics, saves the planet from the worst consequences of climate change and promotes national security."
President Clinton said he believes that with creative public-private cooperation and by promoting solar as "keeping America at the head of the future business," greentech will prevail. In his words: "We cannot stop because of past mistakes, if we did that we would have never sent a man on moon."
As someone with an entire career ahead of me in solar, I am excited that the industry is getting the recognition it deserves. President Clinton's articulate and charismatic approach to advocate on behalf of the solar industry makes me very optimistic about the future of solar in the U.S. While the economy may not be back to pre-recession levels, I felt the SPI show was exactly what the industry needed: a little controversy, a lot of great ideas and the presence of a dynamic person to rally the audience to action.
