10/01/14 – Collaboration and Team Work: An Antidote to Solar Growth Pains? A special Pre #SPICon event
Wednesday, 10.1.14 – 11am PST, 2pm EST
Co-Hosted by @SolarChatTeam and @SPIConvention
Solar Power International is the industry’s most powerful, comprehensive educational conference and product exhibition. This year in Vegas!
Discussion Topic
Friction points, growth pains, one could even say dissension are all indicators of an industry pushing up against the boundaries of the status quo. In this special pre-SPI #SolarChat we tackle the potential growth inhibitors of our aspiring industry with a solution based inquiry: How can collaboration and team work grease the wheels of industry friction to keep us moving forward?
What are those friction points? Tariffs, utilities, policy, adversarial promotion against solar, consumer price perceptions. What would you add to the list? How we work together in a collaborative spirit to overcome our collective obstacles is the question.
A big thank you to our sponsors who are the Solar Team Rockin’ this message of team building in the industry:
SolarBridge Technologies and ET Solar, to our media partners CleanTechnica, Greentech Media, Solar Power World Magazine, PV Solar Report, Talk Solar Radio, SolarWakeUp and Renewable Energy World and to our supporting organizations including The Solar Foundation, IREC, Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, Women4Solar and the Institute of Building Technology and Safety.
Register for #SolarChat.
Expert Panel
Julia Hamm, President and CEO, SEPA (Solar Electric Power Association) @JuliaHamm
Julia Hamm has 15 years experience advising and collaborating with utilities, manufacturers and government agencies on renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies and programs. The knowledge and experience she has gained as the President and CEO of SEPA since 2004 makes her one of the world’s foremost experts on the nexus between utilities and solar energy. Julia guides and oversees all of SEPA’s research, education, and collaboration activities for its 900+ member companies. She has expertise on the business models and solar programs of more than 400 utilities throughout the U.S., as well as utilities in Europe and Asia. Prior to joining SEPA, Julia worked for ICF International where she supported EPA’s implementation of the ENERGY STAR program. Julia – a graduate of Cornell University – walks the talk, living in a PV-powered energy efficient home in Northern Virginia.
Craig Lawrence, Ph.D., Vice President of Marketing, SolarBridge Technologies @clawrence
Craig Lawrence is responsible for product management, product marketing, marketing communications, and customer support at SolarBridge Technologies. Prior to joining the company, Lawrence served in executive roles at SunEdison, a global leader in solar energy, including vice president of products and general manager of Sun Edison’s Residential and Light Commercial Business Unit. Prior to SunEdison, Lawrence led the Energy Practice at IDEO, a global design and innovation firm providing product design, engineering and marketing services to leading renewable energy companies and utilities. Lawrence also led energy investing activities as a principal at Accel Partners, a top Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Lawrence holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.
Christopher Doyle, Project Director, IBTS @ibts_solar, @solarQAmatters
Chris Doyle currently serves as Project Director for all Solar QA Operations. He has extensive experience managing quality assurance in various residential and commercial construction programs, including managing a cumulative 10,000 field inspections and audits in the past four years, 2,500 specifically for solar PV systems. Chris is currently leading the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Solar Access to Public Capital (SAPC) working group to create and implement a national Quality Assurance Protocol for the solar industry. He is active in the energy efficiency, sustainability, building envelope design, and renewable energy industries. Chris holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas A&M University, is pursuing an MBA from Rice University (expected May 2015), and holds accreditations as a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and Business Energy Professional (BEP) through the Association of Energy Engineers, and LEED AP through the USGBC.
Yann Brandt, Managing Editor, SolarWakeUp.com @SolarWakeup
Yann is the Managing Editor of SolarWakeup.com, the daily rundown of the top news in the solar industry. Every morning, Yann provides the news and insights to solar professionals around the world. As a solar entrepreneur, Yann is focused on innovative financing options to increase the amount of solar that is deployed and ensuring that solar marketers focus on creating original and valuable content. He is a frequent speaker on the solar conference circuit and writes original articles about the current market trends in solar.
Moderator
Raina Russo, Partner, Identity3, Founder, #SolarChat @SolarChatTeam; Co-Founder, Women4Solar @RainaRusso
Raina Russo is a partner of Identity3, a leading woman-owned communications firm, helping brand builders identify, reach, and create awareness with solar and environmentally conscious consumers, with a special focus on women. Russo is a solar community builder, and is the founder of #SolarChat, the industry’s solar megaphone and largest online solar think-tank. In addition, Russo is the co-founder of Women4Solar, which addresses the critical need to bring women and women’s perspectives to the forefront of the evolving solar industry. Russo has been honored by a New York state Congressional representative as a “warrior for our planet,” and by The Energy Collective as a top 10 woman in solar.
Featured Journalist
Frank Andorka, Senior Editor Solar Power World Magazine @solarfranka
Frank Andorka is the magazine’s expert in solar panel manufacturing and uses his extensive solar industry contacts to provide cutting-edge, interesting and engaging content to the magazine’s audience online and in print.
#SolarChat Preparation
Check out these resources for advance event education and send in suggestions for more to Raina.Russo@Solarchat.org:
- 20 Tips to Ace Your SPI ’14 Investment
- Highly recommend attendees subscribe to the Twitter list of panelists
- Check out our new interactive #SolarChat SmartGenie learning tool
- Solar Labeling Requirements Guide from IBTS
Labeling is one area of deficiency IBTS finds during the inspection of an installed Solar PV system. Installers can use IBTS’ Solar Labeling Requirements Guide to properly label systems adding a level of safety for the homeowner, for a first responder and during future maintenance. This guide can be downloaded here. - Solar PV Field Inspection Checklist from IBTS
IBTS uses the Solar PV Field Inspection Checklist during Solar PV system inspections. This comprehensive guide provides inspectors with a tool to document their inspections and identify installation deficiencies. This guide can be downloaded here.
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