Solar Power trade show goes international

I was lucky enough to get to the Solar Power conference in San Diego this year, and boy has the event grown. The preimenent solar energy event of the year is a co-production of SEPA and SEIA and was launched in 2004 as a combination trade show and policy forum to discuss all things solar.

As the interest in solar energy has grown in the US and abroad, so has this conference. About 20,000 people were in attendance. Manufacturers, installers, and suppliers of solar PV, thermal, and even wind were in abundance. I was floored by the size of the show - 400+ companies with amazingly elaborate displays were there. Germany had an entire section of the show floor, as did Taiwan. There were flat plate, thin film, evacuated tube, and good 'ol glass and copper thermal products as far as you could see.

It was great to see the exponential growth of this industry and I'll try to post some reflections on what this means for Florida and Miami in particular.

Solar Power Conference & Expo opens registration for October event

Well, this post isn't South Florida centric, but important none-the-less.

The 2008 Solar Power Conference & Expo is now open for registrants. The conference, the uber-conference for solar proponents, will be in San Diego from October 13th through the 16th.

For more info, visit their official website at: solarpowerconference.com

The agenda is rather detailed well in advance of the event, with tracks finance, policy, marketing, and technology, plenary sessions and workshops.

Governor's Climate Change Summit returns to Miami

Last year Governor Crist made national headlines by becoming the second Republican Governor (after California's Schwarzenegger) to admit that climate change was real, and that his State would lead if Washington DC would not.

That was big news then. The Governor backed that up with a call for a Renewable Portfolio Standard and signed off on some modest, but symbolically important executive orders.

The first conference headlined Schwarzenegger as well as his cousin Robert Kennedy Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt IV. Other notables included Sun Microsystems founder and now venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.

Now Governor Crist just announced that the Summit would be returning to Miami on June 25-26.

Based on the tidbits of info on the website, there seems to be a focus on job growth and alternative energy:

"...in a discussion to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace.

Florida’s businesses continue to demonstrate that there is gold in green, and climate-friendly energy sources – like ethanol and solar energy – are bringing new prospects for our state. Stimulating investment in new technologies and building a strong alternative energy market in the Sunshine State will strengthen our state’s energy future and protect our natural environment for generations to come."

For more info, check out the official Climate Change Summit website.