#calseia

The California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) has installed five new leaders to its 15-member board of directors.

PACE Programs Heat Up San Diego’s Economy

The ECOreport looks at a report that PACE Programs Heat Up San Diego’s Economy

By Roy L Hales

After two years of operation, any concerns that the public held appear to be a thing of the past. County Supervisors Dianne Jacob (at podium) and Dave Roberts (grey suit) recently held a press conference to describe how PACE programs heat up San Diego’s economy.

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On Tuesday July 8, 2014, My fellow interns and I had the opportunity to attend InterSolar's Exhibition, held annually at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Established in 2008, InterSolar's aim is to unite businesses, technologies, and people from the most important solar markets around the globe together with the aim of increasing the share of solar power in our energy supplies. The exhibition is the most-attended solar exhibition in the United States. As a member of CALSEIA, Luminalt was able to provide exhibit passes to its employees and interns.

The three of us checked in and began exploring the booths. Melissa, Luminalt's Manager of Community Engagement, created an "InterSolar Scavenger Hunt" as a guide for better understanding solar industry terms and products. The guide enabled us to better understand the various presentations and materials at the event. The difficult part of the day was obtaining all the definitions to solar industry terms. Since we definitely looked younger than the rest of the attendees, we gave off the impression that we lacked knowledge in solar products. Many booth representatives were dressed to impress and were ready to pitch their products at any given moment whereas we only wanted to learn the basics. Having conversations with such huge players in the industry was a welcomed challenge. 

A creative sales presentation at InterSolar!

At the exhibition, we interacted with the suppliers, installers, and educators of the solar industry. We viewed presentations on panels, inverters, roofing mounts, and many more components that go into solar electric or thermal systems. Of the numerous presentations that we attended, my favorite was displayed by a sales team that pitched their product while attempting to break free from a straitjacket while riding atop a unicycle. Incorporating their product's key selling points and keeping the audience engaged, their courageous presenter would break free his left arm from the jacket and say something like "you can break free too... from energy reliance by going solar". They also gave out small prizes such as pens, car chargers, and USB drives after the presentation.