There’s lots of great excitement and energy (no pun intended) in America, not to mention the rest of the world. There are new ideas for better and improved ways to increase energy efficiency in solar panels, films to help capture the best rays of light, and batteries powerful enough to keep a house running all night. So much advancement is happening already and there’s bound to be more to come given the brain power and inspiration in the energy sector.
Yet some can’t help but feel disappointed. After listening to the keynote speech at the PV America Conference last week, the tone of which was strikingly upbeat, one still can’t help but be somewhat displeased with what was heard. In short, it was more of the same message that’s been heard from SEIA in each of the past six years.
The highlights of the speech were all about the growth of solar in the US: 102% growth in 2010 installations, to 878 MW, almost 100% growth in cell and module manufacturing, as well as the finding that 74% of the value of a domestic solar installation remains in the US, even if Chinese solar panels and other foreign solar equipment is used.
Great news for solar and for the American economy, right? Not necessarily.
Read more about solar in the US.
