InterSolar Is a Blast!

Written by Tali from buildaroo.com

We've just finished our second day covering the InterSolar conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and it has been a blast! With over 600 exhibitors taking up three floors of Moscone West and 17,000 registered guests, the place was definitely hustling and bustling. And the various exhibitors were definitely doing everything possible to make themselves stand out from the competition and get attention over to their booth. There was free coffee and alcohol being served, and there were women dressed in ways that would attract even the most stiff of men. As one proud exhibitor told us, "sex sells." Well, it definitely got the attention of the men in our group!

Although most of the companies displaying were German and Chinese, we were happy to see that there was definitely a strong presence of American companies, both manufacturers as well as integrators and installers. Lets hope that this showing is an indication of solar energy's viability as well as its contribution towards an end to this recession. The areas of solar covered at this convention are: PV (Photovoltaic) Cells and Modules, Solar Thermal Technology, System Technologies, Inverters and Components, and Tracking and Mounting Systems. So if you're interested in these technologies either stop by the Moscone center tomorrow or check back over the next few weeks for video interviews and articles we're making of selected companies from the conference.

As a hint of what's to come, here are some of the companies who we interviewed over the last couple of days:

CSA International - certification agency that tests and certifies products to applicable safety or performance standards including ANSI, ASME, ASTM, ASSE, CSA, NSF, UL and others.  CSA International provides testing and certification for photovoltaic panels, control, distribution and other components used to turn the sun's rays into usable energy.

KACO - German manufacturer of sine inverters both both commercial and residential use.  They have locations in Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Israel, South Korea and of course the United States.  This company had super nice and happy staff.  And who wouldn't be happy with 27 days of paid vacation, not including sick days!  We should all adopt these European standards in our work place!

Fluitecnik - Manufacturer of PV Solar Modules (both Polycrystaline and Monocrystaline), and manufacturers of hydraulic and cooling components for wind turbines.  The company has manufacturing facilities in the Dominican Republic and Portugal and commercial offices in Chicago, Spain and China.  And among other things, the company strives towards equal opportunity and pay for men and women!

Solaire - Manufacturer of Solar Carports in multiple aesthetic designs, with the goal of the design blending into the landscape.  Features of their carports include single incline, dual incline, rain collection as well as outlet stations to plug in electric cars!  We spoke to their entire executive team, who were all super nice, and not to mention a really funny and fun bunch.

Siemens - Manufacturer of Solar Inverters used by many of the largest solar companies, such as SunPower.

Next Generation Energy - Full service manufacturing and distributing company, specializing in research and development, providing energy solutions for installers, builders, distributors and contractors for commercial and residential applications.  The company carries a full line of their own solar thermal systems and equipment including tube collectors, flat plate collectors, controllers, mounting systems, and hot air panels. They also carry several lines of PV equipment from the top manufacturers, as well as wind turbines from Skystream, and Brac greywater systems. Featured at the InterSolar show was a mounting system called "Zilla," which the company claims is "So easy, it's scary."

So tuned for these exciting interviews among others!