WE'RE BACK. SPI was a blast-- just ask any of the six ETM staff that went to Anaheim! We had the privilege of hearing Robert Kennedy Jr. address the conference attendees on Wednesday morning-- a compelling and inspiring speech about the growth of renewables in the United States. When business interests and environmental idealism combine, as has been true for the solar industry, Kennedy affirmed, then a sustainable future is on the horizon.
Solar Power International '09 consisted of thousands of well-groomed people in suits roaming around exhibit halls and schmoozing-- alright so some parts were more fun than others.
We did have the opportunity to attend many lectures and panels featuring prominent policymakers, industry leaders, and engineers. The workshops were divided into sections including: market analysis, global trends, policy, technology, and finance.
As the name of the conference implies, there was a significant international presence at the event. Germany and Spain in particular have a huge share of the solar market, comprising many of the manufacturers present. (Big shoutout to Schuco-- Oktoberfest was a lot of fun!)
Germany, a single country with over half of the share of the solar market in the entire world, you may ask? Isn't northern Europe cloudy and dreary? Maybe so, but that doesn't stop the nation from being the largest per capita user of solar energy in the world. The comparatively high number of cloudy days per year has virutally no effect on the total output from the solar panel.
Cloudy, dreary...wait...why does this sound familiar?? Why do these two words evoke so much recognition in my brain? Ohhhhh yes! Upstate New York is notoriously cloudy too! So "going solar" in Binghamton, NY is highly feasible, since we get more sun days per year than Germany, the cloudiest yet most solar enthused place on the planet?
What we took away from SPI was simple: government incentives and a clear, progressive commitment to renewable energy is the single most important factor in a country, state, or region producing clean and efficient energy from the sun.
All in all, it was an educational and enlightening experience. SPI 2010 Los Angeles, here we come!
