September 20, 2022
How do you get 20,000 jubilant individuals in the identical place directly? Book Mick Jagger, or maintain the return of the most important solar present in North America in three years (thanks, Covid), go the Inflation Reduction Act (the brand new IRA), and inform the solar trade it simply can’t develop any quicker.
So, certainly, jubilant was the reigning tone of the opening ceremony of the newly-renamed RE+ (Renewable Energy+) present in Anaheim, CA, on Monday evening.
The present this yr is a little bit of success in numbers, reckoned headliner Julia Hamm, outgoing President and CEO of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) since 2004. Back in these days, when solar was nonetheless a fad for a lot of, the Solar Power International present, because it was referred to as then, attracted just one,100 nerdish attendees.
This yr, with 20,000 attendees swarming the present flooring and assembly rooms, it’s the largest present but. In these dimmer ages of solar, solely 60 corporations exhibited on the present flooring; this yr 800 corporations are out in full drive; many extra may need attended had the present not bought out all of its flooring area.
After 20 years on the helm of SEPA — and founding the primary SPI commerce present — Hamm is stepping down. She obtained not one, however two standing ovations for her arduous work for the solar trade. Even although the trade grew enormously throughout her stead at SEPA, she urged that the trade has, up till lately, been able that is perhaps in contrast with the “flat part of the hockey stick,” navigating by the glacial panorama of the U.S. utility trade.
Now, nevertheless, she reckons that we’ve got efficiently moved up the coverage inertia axis to an “inflection point” of swinging a now-much-bigger stick towards a sure clear energy purpose.
Bright-eyed feedback adopted from Abagail Hopper, the present president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), whom was at least jubilant herself.
Predicting that solar and all its pluses — battery storage, EV charging, good properties, inexperienced hydrogen, et cetera, et cetera, quasi advert infinitum from a expertise standpoint — will quickly be a $150 billion per yr trade.
Leading the viewers by a sequence of high-five cheers, Hopper acknowledged the Biden administration’s IRA as “the most transformative clean energy bill in the history of the United States.”
Thanks to the extensively sudden enhance to solar from the IRA, Hopper urged that solar will develop a modest 5x by 2030, then representing 30% of the entire U.S. manufacturing of energy (from a mere 4% as we speak), contemplating all sources.
That tumultuous progress can also be anticipated to spice up solar employment on this nation from a couple of hundred thousand employees as we speak to 1 million by the tip of the last decade. “Taking no for an answer was never an option for the solar industry,” she recalled, defiantly.
After management at SEIA for practically six years, Hooper ended her look on the present with a Cheshire cat lament, saying: “What a nice problem to have: sky-rocketing growth,” she with a really, very broad grin. The present goes on.
Have you checked out our YouTube web page?
We have a ton video interviews and extra content material on our YouTube web page. Recently we debuted Power Forward! — a collaboration with BayWa r.e. to debate increased degree trade matters in addition to greatest practices / traits for working a solar enterprise as we speak.
Our longer working facet undertaking is The Pitch — during which we’ve got awkward discussions with solar producers and suppliers about their new expertise and concepts in order that you do not have to. We’ve discusses every little thing from residential rail-less deck attaching and home solar financing to large-scale energy storage worth stacking and utility-driven new home solar + storage microgrids.
We additionally publish our Project of the Year bulletins there! Interviews with this yr’s winners will likely be up beginning the week of Nov. 8. Head there and subscribe as we speak to remain on high of all this further stuff.
