The energy at Solar Power International 2011 (SPI) held at the Dallas Convention Center last week was palpable. With over 30,000 attendees and 500+ exhibitors, electricity was in the air.
SPI is a mix of different market segments: Module manufacturing technology, inverters, concentrating solar power, solar water heating and, of course, solar modules and related products are all on display. The applications range from off-grid to home use to military to commercial to the huge solar farms we read about in the newspapers. If you needed a solar power generating backpack, it was there.

The currents in this year’s show were mixed. The demise of Solyndra, the Evergreen bankruptcy, the Solon factory closure and other economic events were on people’s minds, but, overall, the pace of introduction of solar power in North America is accelerating and the supply chain seems optimistic. General Electric’s recent purchase of Prime Star and commitment to build a 400Mw/year factory in Aurora, Colorado is perhaps a better indicator of the potential for industry growth in the next several years as is Sunpower’s new factory in Mexicali.
The bombshell at the show was the lawsuit brought against China by several U.S. manufacturing facilities for unfair trade practices including illegal government subsidies and dumping. This occurred against the backdrop of a global glut in inventory and reduced feed in tariffs.
The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM), comprising SolarWorld and six other unnamed solar module manufacturers, have filed suit with the Department of Commerce to enact 100%+ duties on solar panels manufactured in China for unfair trade practices including illegal subsidies.

Module manufacturers recognized the challenge of lower profit margins, but were generally upbeat about the potential for large orders as solar power usage increases. Many booths were overflowing with customers and some of the projects both under construction and in the pipeline should keep manufacturers busy in the months and even years ahead. A number of manufacturers are differentiating themselves as solutions providers; offering inverters, unique mounting solutions and a range of integrated solutions to installers and operators.

The global supply chain exhibited at SPI in depth. Like the electronics industry, it takes a broad range of suppliers from metal pastes, test systems, nuts and bolts, pumps, tabbers and stringers, laminators, junction boxes, copper pipe and wire, glass manufacturers and the myriad of other products necessary to build complex systems. Absent were many of the front end suppliers of wafer fab and related processes, who tend to participate at the Intersolar shows, which are held in conjunction to the more closely related Semicon shows. They even had Magic Johnson in hand for a Q&A with NBA great Steve Kerr.