Power International trade show and conference. Why should you care if you don’t sell or buy solar equipment? Like most people who read CleanEnergyAuthority.com, you are interested in putting panels on your roof or are just very interested and supportive of using the sun to power our lives.
It is no small gathering in Florida as thousands of tradespeople from all over the globe make the annual trip to Florida to learn about the latest in solar technology, including hardware, software, finance, and anything else you can imagine. When we say “from around the globe,” that means there are many participants from all over the world. The US market is booming, so the Germans and Chinese want to showcase their products. In meetings, briefings, and speeches (President Clinton tonight), there is a lot of sharing of ideas about politics, policies, and how to install a solar panel on your roof best.
The average solar consumer can take this to mean that the industry is dynamic and only gets more passionate every year. This is good news. Joe, the “rooftop owner,” isn’t concerned about the latest racking system or how local solar farms will get their poles into the ground. He’s more interested in whether improvements or new technology will impact his electric bill or the air he breathes. The visible advances on the conference floor make rooftop installations cheaper, faster, and more attractive. They also make them easier to monitor, and they produce more energy. The solar farm their local utility decides that the building will be less expensive and more efficient, leading to a smaller electric bill or less energy being produced by a dirty source such as a coal power plant.
This conference brings together a diverse group of people from the solar industry, utilities, lobbyists and advocates, and major US corporations. They will discuss what works for achieving various goals and what does not, to make solar more accessible to all. State laws are one of the main obstacles to the US’s widespread use of solar energy. Many states are pro-solar, but others have a government that is not. Here, people from across the country gather to discuss how they overcame these obstacles to make more states solar-friendly.
Point out that the sunny host state, which should lead in solar development, trails places with less sunshine like New Jersey because local governments need to support it. Yesterday, we attended a great breakfast meeting where Georgians shared their successes in convincing Tea Party supporters in their state to press their legislators to allow new forms of solar financing. The Florida solar advocates were unsurprised that appealing to libertarians was a way to win over people on the far right of politics and Republicans. California and New Jersey are creating thousands of new jobs and installing hundreds of megawatts in clean, renewable energy thanks to these new financing options. If you make these options available, dozens of companies will likely enter your market. Then watch as things explode. States like Vermont make permitting easy and quick. Make these things happen in your state, and solar costs will fall for everyone.
Solar Power International 2012 will conclude at the end of this week, but only after there have been a number of speeches, panels, press releases, and parties. The President will say some critical things that will get the attention of the national media. Next week, everyone will be home, and the new products and ideas will begin to be implemented. This show has shown that the solar industry is still alive and pushing the limits of technology. This show revealed that the solar energy industry is live and well, pushing the boundaries of technology.