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As day one of the three-day Intersolar 2008 event in Munich drew to a close, there were a lot of tired but happy faces meandering through the halls. Tired, because of the sheer enormity of the Messe München means that you need sturdy, forgiving footwear to visit all seven halls, but happy because some of the exhibits on display here really are impressive.

From Photovoltaics International’s vantage point in the heart of Hall B6, the Applied Materials booth’s slow-changing backdrop colour is a soothing contrast to the hubbub of inquisitive trade visitors who are on the lookout for new technologies and developments in the PV industry.

Most of the major players are here – Q-Cells, Suntech, Kyocera, Sharp, Global Solar, LDK Solar, Signet Solar, Evergreen Solar – all displaying their respective technologies and products in the race to achieve grid parity.

Of particular interest were some of the scheduled demonstrations we attended. Global Solar presented a demonstration of their roll-to-roll CIGS thin films, while Signet Solar provided a live video feed from one of its facilities of production of the first 5.7m² solar panel. We saw a local celebrity push the button to bring the panel to completion, but were disappointed not to see more of the process!

All in all, the general consensus among our booth visitors is that it’s a big place, but boy, is it worth it!