Julia Hamm & Rhone Resch Spoke With Gusto at Solar Power International SPI2012
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I’ve reserved this piece for a special and later spot than other SPI videos because it deserves some special attentions. The two speakers below spoke with clarity and gusto, summarizing the path of past and present solar energy industry, then call for action for the future direction in a unified voice for solar industry.
This is a video recording of the introduction speeches by Julia Hamm (President and CEO of SEPA, Solar Electric Power Association) and Rhone Resch, President and CEO of SEIA, Solar Energy Industry Association) on the first day of Solar Power International SPI2012 on September 10, 2012, at Orange County Convention Center of Orlando, FL. As the President of SEIA, Rhone Resch, indicated the solar industry has more than doubled during 2011 and is the fastest growing industry in USA, installing more than 1.8 gigawatt last year. Julia Hamm, President of SEPA, also announced that our utility has interconnected more than 62,000 PV systems in 2011 and quite possibly even more in 2012.
One of three possible future scenarios (<2%, 5-10%, 30%) presented by President of SEPA Julia Hamm, where the solar energy would reach its true potential, providing 30% of nation’s electricity needs, involves four main driving forces: social dynamics, political issues, technological issues, and economic issues. President Hamm clearly presented and summarized why we need a widespread comprehensive support and partnership culture for solar energy, therefore we need future policy direction to be supportive of solar energy. Julia Hamm ended her portion of the speech reminding us of former President Clinton’s quote, “The future is not an inheritance. It is an opportunity and an obligation.”
President of SEIA, Rhone Resch, opened his speech with the classic quote in A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times;it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity;it was the season of Light,it was the season of Darkness;it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us“. This truly reflects the position of our current solar industry. There has been tremendous growth both in residential and utility solar installations in the past year and expectation of 3.2 gigawatts of solar installations in USA during 2012. But at the same time, solar energy/CLEAN energy is under attacks by SuperPacthere;there is also attacks on CLEAN energy tax credits (bills introduced to eliminate investment tax credits for renewable energy); CO RPS is under threat; Net Metering is also under challenge in CA. A unified voice is needed, especially in key swing states. Rhone Resch is calling for : Let’s not let solar industry go down the path of the dark days of solar industry of the late 1980’s. Let’s make sure that all members in the industry are legitimate and not there just for a quick buck. Working together with the utility companies, there will be a greater certainty that the solar industry will complete its journey toward its true potential of providing nation’s 30% power needs. Then we should lead our nation down the path toward the best of times (rather than the worst of times).
~have a bright and sunny day~
There is always more on solar energy at http://www.sunisthefuture.net
gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
Tags: A Tale of Two Cities, Is The Future, Julia Hamm, President Clinton, Rhone Resch, SEIA, SEPA, solar, Sun, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker