SEIA turns 40. Solar Power International attendees were able to sign a giant card wishing SEIA a Happy Fortieth Birthday. Attendees shared well wishes in a variety of languages. SEIA, the leading solar advocacy group in the United States, is doing well for itself as it reaches the milestone. More than 400,000 homes and businesses now have solar electric systems, and over half of those systems were installed in the past two years.
Companies promote cancer awareness. TerraSmart, Phoenix Contact and other companies promoted cancer awareness using a variety of strategies. TerraSmart went pink, wearing the color and decking out their booth in it. Phoenix Contact developed “Rails of Hope.” Booth visitors could print their name on terminal blocks. Every terminal block added to a special rail during the show resulted in a $1 pledge from Phoenix Contact to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
No fretting. The ITC (Investment Tax Credit) is a 30% tax credit for solar systems on residential and commercial properties. Under current law, the ITC will remain in effect through December 31, 2016. But what happens then? Several manufacturers relayed cautious optimism about the industry, even if the credit is not renewed, although they said the credit should be stepped down gradually. “The industry will become even more focused on total cost of ownership over cost per watt as we see competition increase without the subsidized incentive to construct,” said Craig Goodwin, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Synapse Wireless.
Top Solar Contractors Gala. Contractors from across the country packed the Juniper Ballroom at the Aria Resort & Casino to celebrate the excellence and explosive growth of the solar industry and the role contractors play in it. “This was a wonderful event,” said Nancy Hiler of Built Well Solar. “It’s an honor to be part of this gala and to be part of this incredible industry.”
#SolarChat. Speaking of fun, Wednesday’s #SolarChat Unplugged Live at SPI ’14 was a wonderful time to connect with solar pros at the Beatles REVOLUTION lounge. Thanks to the #SolarChat team for providing an easy way for the industry to have important conversations throughout the year, as well as for hosting this event to see the faces behind Twitter handles.
Splitting cells. REC Group unveiled its latest panel, and it was like nothing we’d ever seen. Called Twin Peak, it offers installers split-cell technology. According to the REC team, it increases panel efficiency. Despite our initial thoughts, the split cells are not new. Other manufacturers have done it in the past, and the products have been successful. But what REC told us was different is that they’ve figured out how to manufacture split panels on a mass-production level. They are currently building the factory and expect the panels to hit the market in February.
A company grows. Earlier this year, solar design software developer Folsom Labs didn’t have a booth. At SPI, the company’s booth had a constant flow of traffic and founder Paul Grana was constantly giving demonstrations of his design tool, HelioScope, to crowds – all of this despite its location on the second floor, which severely lacked traffic the first day.
Good traffic. After often hearing at past shows how booth traffic has been disappointing, it was wonderful to hear many exhibitors report plentiful and quality traffic at this year’s show. Maybe it was the locations, as Vegas is easy to get to from pretty much anywhere (we were able to get direct flights from Cleveland). But maybe it’s also because the industry is maturing. Those who couldn’t offer reliable or quality products and services, and who couldn’t be serious players, are fading out.
Building a solar future. Lennar Builders will mandate solar power on all the houses it builds in up to eight markets by the second quarter of 2015. Announced in conjunction with a partnership with Enphase, David Kaiserman, president of Lennar Ventures and CEO of SunStreet Energy Group, says Enphase will supply all the inverters for Lennar’s projects. “The home builder market is one that has been underexploited by the solar industry,” Kaiserman says. “There are 1.8 million homes built every year to replenish the housing stock. If the solar industry could capture even half of that, it would really go mainstream.”
Panel manufacturers add inverters. If you looked closely at two booths — LG and Canadian Solar — you saw what we believe may be a trend among the panel manufacturers. Both of those manufacturers have decided to build their own microinverters instead of partnering with outside vendors. With only one company responsible for the panel and the microinverter, there are no conflict between the warrantees and only one company for installers to go to if something goes wrong.
Two become one. ABB acquired Power-One, the number two global PV inverter company, for $1 billion earlier this year. Solar Power International was one of the first times the expanded ABB showed its offering to the solar industry. Chatter at the booth was very optimistic, with the two groups of experts working in unison, as one company.
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