The proximity of the Intersolar show in San Francisco (only two weeks away) could easily have made PV America the forgotten show. But installers and manufacturers alike descended on this revolutionary city to show the Northeast that solar is not only here to stay — but it’s come to take the country by storm.
By Frank Andorka, Editorial Director
Amid a potentially landmark compromise between the Massachusetts solar industry and its utilities to further the industry’s interests in the state, PV America descended on Boston’s convention center, filled with optimism and excitement for the future of the solar industry.
The only cloud in the sunny skies above the city was the pending U.S. Department of Commerce final decision in the ongoing trade dispute (concerns primarily expressed by the Chinese panel manufacturers at the show, including Jinko Solar, Trina Solar and Hanwha SolarOne). But if you listened carefully, you would have heard others discuss the issue, too — dedicating whole sessions and interviews to it, in fact.
But first, Tony Clifford, CEO of Standard Solar, joined the Massachusetts governor to welcome attendees to Boston and discuss the state of the solar industry which, by all accounts, is strong. Clifford is a strong speaker for whom policy is mother’s milk, and his address discussed the challenges ahead as the battle for sensible solar policy continues to be fought in the states.
Maybe it’s because the show was in Boston — a city so pivotal to the American Revolution — but the policy discussions surrounding the solar revolution drew the most attendees. John Smirnow, vice president of trade & competitiveness for SEIA, discussed the trade dispute on the Solar Central stage, while his colleagues Tom Kimbis and Chris Mansour hosted a panel called “What the Heck is Going on in Washington — and How Will it Impact Your Business?”
But policy wasn’t the only focus — there were plenty of other chances to learn about other exciting industry trends, including the future of community solar, financing challenges facing the industry and, as you might imagine, storage. I was particularly interested in the latter, given that solar can’t reach its full potential until the industry figures out that piece to the puzzle.
When we talked to the exhibitors (and we talked to almost all of them), they seemed satisfied with the number — and quality — of the attendees. The show floor was dominated by racking-and-mounting companies with venerable names like Schletter, PanelClaw, GameChange Racking, Solar FlexRack and Quick Mount PV, but other segments were well represented (Advanced Energy, SolarMax and Solectria Renewables represented the inverter segment, and Solectria was everywhere. After all it’s not often the company gets a show on its home court, and it wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass to show people their town).
The proximity of Intersolar North America in San Francisco (only two weeks away) could easily have made PV America the forgotten show. But installers and manufacturers alike descended on this revolutionary city to show the Northeast that solar is not only here to stay — but it’s come to take the country by storm.