Solar Power International – Enormous in Scope

Traipsing around the Solar Power International show just now, I was struck by the overwhelming scale of the event itself. I was one of a swarm of people – tens of thousands of them from countries all over the world — rambling over two gigantic halls hosting acres of displays.

Accompanying that impression of enormous scope is the feeling that this industry is here to stay, communicated by how many older and established industries have formed strong interconnections. In addition to the dozens of PV and CSP systems (different technologies, configurations, materials, etc.), we have:

Components (uncountable numbers of connectors and subsystems)

Testing and certification (Companies that test everything from bulldozers to Band-Aids now have business practices that specialize in the safety and efficacy of solar.)

Robotics (Machine tools that make cars and printed circuit boards now arrange PV cells into panels.)

Supply chain management. (SAP had its own booth, demo’ing its enterprise resource planning software developed specifically for the solar industry.)

Financing (equity capital, debt, tax, project financing)

State and local government (each extolling the virtues of their region of the world)

Media (online, print magazines, and events)

I’m thrilled to see a trade show of that scope – one which, if it had been held 10 years ago, would have fit nicely in my living room.