The show reminded me of the internet shows I used to attend, exhibit/speak at in the 1999 era (and a bit of the Search Engine Marketing show feel in the 2004-2006 era). Lots of optimism, rapidly increasing attendance (compared to last year, I think the show as about 3X as big both in attendees and exhibitors) and enthusiasm. Those are the good points.
On the other hand, I think there is equally as much naivete present in the audience now in green/solar as there was then in the “internet” space, especially among attendees looking at the commerical solar side. Most attendees have no idea how difficult it is to come up with good economics, sell the customer and finance a PPA or lease agreement. The sessions on exactly these issues were very superficial and there was very little practical advice offered on how to navigate the current market and its issues and successfully develop a solar power plant. Maybe the conference organizers consider this more of a general interest show and don’t want the speakers to dive that deep. Also I didn’t attend the workshop sessions on Monday, maybe they had a deeper dive in those meetings.
On the exhibit floor, the coolest thing were the small booth startups with new or “tweaked” technology. New microinverters, racking systems, monitoring, smart grid apps, panel/system cleaning systems, etc. This is one major difference between the green era and the internet era- there is real hardware being innovated here and real problems are being solved (the cost of producing solar power).
Andalay (not to be confused with Andole - the company that built ebay stores back in the day - which is kind of a funny parallel) did a great presentation in their booth on the benefits of their solar in a box system (with microinverters). Easier and faster to install, lower part count for simplified installation, better and more robust production (the microinverter effect), etc. I think ultimately there will be 1-3Kw systems available at Home Depot that a DYI’er can install, and the package will come with a “coupon” or something that can be used with a local electrician to make the interconnect at the meter.
Overall, it was a good show. Solar power may not be the best of the alternative energy choices from some perspectives, but it is certainly part of the solution, and the economics are getting better all the time. With continued innovation as well as support from the government (it was pointed out at the show that the total of alternative energy government support is still a fraction of that provided to the fossil fuels industry) there is a “bright” future for solar and it’s great to be part of a growing industry!
