The Joint Forces for Solar initiative, organised by EuPD Research and Intersolar, saw its third US outing yesterday with the presentation of the “3rd US PV Briefing & Networking Forum.” As was the case with Intersolar Europe in Munich in early June, the forum drew large crowds of interested parties to the Innovation Exchange Area of the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where industry experts discussed the future of photovoltaics, with a special focus on California, and networking opportunities enabled discussions among the industry’s key stakeholders.
“The fact that so many attended our event pays tribute to the level of dedication and commitment the industry enjoys across the board. Solar professionals, multinationals and associations put forth great effort in ensuring that solar reaches as wide an audience as possible whilst at the same time successfully demonstrating that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive,” commented Markus A.W. Hoehner, CEO of the EuPD Research institute.
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More than 170 people attended the Innovation Exchange area of the Intersolar North America show, well over half of whom were from installation companies – the event’s main target audience. Opening the event was Stefan Pietzsch, a senior analyst at EuPD Research, while CEO Hoehner discussed the future of the US’s west coast with his talk entitled “California: At the Turning Point?”
Hoehner’s findings confirmed the overall opinion on the US market: despite its having been less in the forefront of the industry in recent times, California is still by far the most important PV market in the US. Backed by investment and strong political support, California’s future will likely continue its growth as economic developments and increased energy needs will see key stakeholders turn to clean energy to maintain California’s ‘green’ reputation. Hoehner concluded that California will show above-average growth rates in the coming years, and predicted that it will partially regain its prior dominance by 2013.
The forum continued with an in-depth panel discussion on the PV industry’s future in California and other key states, including REC’s George McClellan, Q-Cells North America’s Nick Chaset and CALSEIA’s Janet M. Gagnon. The discussion was moderated by Daniela Schreiber, director of EuPD Research.
The next Joint Forces for Solar event will take place in October in Dallas, Texas, during Solar Power International. PV-Tech’s parent company, Solar Media Ltd., is a media partner for EuPD Research’s Joint Forces for Solar event. Further information on the initiative is available here.
