SolarTown Attends 15th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo + Forum
Note: SolarTown interns Thomas Hoekman of McGill University and Bowei Wang of the University of Maryland attended the Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo last Thursday. Thomas wrote up this guest blog post about the expo and forum.
Last Thursday we woke up early and headed to the Canon House Office buildings to attend the 15th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo + Forum. The exposition brought together various members of the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries to debate US energy policy and present new products. Trade associations, policy analysts, businesses, government agencies and the general public attended the event for a unique networking and learning experience.
Following opening remarks by US representatives such as Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), we were free to navigate the bustling exhibition room where CEOs, directors, and lowly interns explored cutting edge technologies, hoping to exchange business cards. The exhibitors came from a range of energy industries. Solar, wind, hydro and biofuel organizations could be found scattered throughout the expo. Insulation, waste heat capture and fuel cell technologies were also well represented. The organizers had wasted no space and the exhibits filled the entire caucus room: High Speed Rail displayed directly under the dais while the Canadian Hydro Association hid next to the storage room.
We had the chance to speak several energy organizations that were related to solar at the Expo. These included the Stella Group, who was showcasing photovoltaic roof shingles, and the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).
Surprisingly, many of the non-solar groups provided us with great examples of our technologies working together. Non-profit Fuel Cell 2000 explained that fuel cells were being used by companies such as Apple and Ebay to complement and backup their solar panel arrays. Meanwhile Enervation, a light emitting diode (LED) distributor, pointed out that both LEDs and solar panels use DC current, making them a match in all applications.
After having visited the exposition, we attended a series of panels on the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. The first panel consisted of six experts from the solar and storage industries. Scott Sklar, President of the Stella Group, started the panel off by looking at a series of studies that show that renewable energy sources, such as solar, can supply all of the energy needs in the US. The other speakers went on to outline the current state of their industries and the policy initiatives that would help promote US growth.
While most of the panelists were from the solar industry, the inclusion of Hamilton, Policy Director for the Electricity Storage Association, was very complementary. Storage is a key challenge for the renewable energy industry, which is plagued by intermittency.
While the talks provided interesting information on their main issues, the panelists were like-minded members of the renewable energy and shared a common viewpoint. We felt like something was missing in the discussion. Each technology listed above plays an important role in the US energy portfolio and it would have been interesting to see more panels encouraging a conversation between fields. This would have allowed a more comprehensive conversation to develop on the future of US energy while also drawing attention to the drawbacks of certain solutions. Instead of such a discussion, the forum was characterized by unchallenged optimism and appeals for continued government funding.
Acallon