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Besides the hundreds of small booths on the show floor, there were many large and elaborate booths that
showcased enormous displays a few of which were two stories tall with massive projection screen televisions.
Not only were a large number of Chinese-based companies present, but there were also special pavilions for
German, Korean, and Taiwan-based companies, giving the event an international flair.
In addition to all of the major panel, cable, inverter, and battery manufacturers, one highlight at this years event
was the fact that almost every exhibitor seemed to display the most innovative and unique type of mounting and
racking system for its solar panels, each of which purportedly offered the best solution available in the market.
Career Opportunities
On the first day of the show, the Solar Foundation a nonprofit solar education and research organization
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released its second annual review of the solar workforce in the United States. According to National Solar Jobs
Census 2011: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce, hiring in the solar workforce is on the rise. The report cited
a 6.8% growth rate from August 2010 to August 2011, and noted more than 100,000 Americans are now
employed in the solar industry.
At the state level, California continues to be the national leader in solar employment with 25,575 workers.
Rounding out the top 10 states are Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Texas, Oregon, New
Jersey, and Massachusetts. Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Oregon, New Jersey, and Massachusetts showed the
strongest growth rates from August 2010. The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 also found that solar employers
expect to increase the number of solar workers by 24%, representing nearly 24,000 net new jobs by August
2012.
In the lobby area, the show producer set up a career kiosk, featuring about 50 different job postings from a
variety of solar-based companies. These listings included positions such as sales reps, business development
managers, solar estimators, engineering managers, field service engineers, design engineers, project managers,
and commercial installers. Needless to say, this proved to be a popular stop for many attendees.
There was also a conference session devoted to navigating a career in the solar market sector. This presentation
reviewed an online, visual solar career mapping tool (available on the Department of Energy website at:
http://energy.gov) that describes a number of cross-sector pathways within the component production, system
design, sales and marketing, and installation and operations sectors.
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The big knock on a residential or commercial photovoltaic (PV) system is its price point. Without incentive
support, the return on investment analysis doesnt add up, just yet. As such, several conference sessions focused
on the topic of economics and various financing options. The pros and cons of system ownership versus
third-party financing were reviewed, along with tax equity financing alternatives, including partnership flips,
sale-leaseback transactions, leases with credit pass-through arrangements, prepayment structures, and
twinning with new markets tax credits. These discussions spanned residential, commercial, industrial, and
utility-scale type projects.
One of the residential financing presentations explained several reasons why a leasing program works: it shifts
the risk/responsibility from the homeowner to the third-party service provider; locks in rates and/or guaranteed
production levels; and addresses the key customer concern of high upfront costs. Some market estimates state
lease options now make up 50% of the residential market.
A key factor to maintaining the industrys current momentum is an extension of the 1603 Treasury Program.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created the 1603 Treasury Program, which allows the
owner of commercial solar property to receive a 30% grant, in lieu of taking the solar Investment Tax Credit
(ITC). Residential solar systems are also eligible if the system is owned by a third-party developer through a
power purchase agreement (PPA) or lease. Applicants are eligible for 1603 only if they commence construction
on projects by Dec. 31, 2011 and complete construction by Dec. 31, 2016. According to the SEIA, as of November
2011, the 1603 Treasury Program awarded more than 3,200 grants totaling $1.4 billion for more than 22,000
individual solar projects in 46 states and has supported more than $3.2 billion in private investment.
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