The Annual Intersolar Show — Exploring Every Facet of the Solar Energy Industry

It’s hard to imagine a better, broader presentation of the solar industry than that available at Intersolar–except that there is near-exclusive emphasis on photovoltaics, at the expense of solar thermal.

Having said that, Intersolar offers, under one (very large) roof, the offerings of vendors who cover nearly every conceivable aspect of solar energy, from the processing of raw materials, to the manufacturing of panels, to the enormous variety of constituents that represent “BOS” (balance of system), to dozens of different services related to the industry.  

Just imagine all the ways in which PV can be installed, say ground-mount, canopy, and rooftop.  Then pick one of those, say ground-mount, and analyze the issues that apply to building a system that is stable and structurally sound but not a dime more expensive than it needs to be.  This may mean exploring ways of engineering posts that are optimized for certain soil types, land slopes, wind conditions, etc.  It may mean designing a robot that constantly runs around on a track, adjusting the tilt of the panels on both the X- and Y-axis.

It may mean contemplating a specialized tractor that automatically digs holes, plants posts, attaches purlins (the metal infrastructure to which the panels are attached), then attaching the panels.  After all, these PV fields are getting larger every year.  A few years ago, 25 MW was large; now, 250 MW is nothing to get excited about.  Do you really want an army of guys with socket-wrenches running around for a period of months?

The whole thing is mind-boggling, and it gets bigger and more fun every year.