Flash Report:  The LA Times stated “at least 27,000 people” were expected to pass through the Solar Power International convention at the LA convention center. The expo floor was 825,000 square feet. Aside from the standard new product announcements from the various companies at the conference. The buzz around the halls involved the announcements of more manufacturers launching AC panels. Two of the most interesting prospects being AC panels by Phono Solar & UP Solar. UP Solar also plans to roll out a Zep AC module.

AltaTerra Research released a preliminary report on Wednesday that Solar power installed for utility use will boom nearly 400% by the end of the year. Utilities around the country will be able to tap 251 megawatts, compared with just 65 in 2009. Of all utility installations, 68 percent are projects of 10 MW or greater.

Keynote speaker Rhone Resch of SEIA said that, by 2015, “We can create 220,000 new solar jobs for our families and neighbors while supporting half a million more jobs in other industries.” Seperate to Resch’s speech was The Solar Foundation announcing “The National Solar Jobs Census,” which it released at the conference. The report found that over half of solar employers expect to increase their workforce in the next 12 months.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told delegates at the conference the first four solar projects ever to be approved on U.S. public lands – totaling nearly 1,200 megawatts of power – have been green-lighted in the past 10 days. Salazar went on to say “These projects are milestones in our energy future. They show what great strides we are making through innovation and technology. And they reflect President Obama’s focus and commitment…”

IKEA said it would install solar panels on 90% of its California stores by early nearly year. That’s 4.5 megawatts of power, using nearly 20,000 panels.

Los Angeles and Berlin, one of its sister cities, signed an agreement Wednesday to help each other develop local clean-tech clusters.

The nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy announced that California leads the US in investments for energy efficiency. Massachusetts was next, and North Dakota came in last. States allotted $4.3 billion to energy-efficiency measures last year, up from $2.5 billion in 2007.

It was a terrific conference, and next year, “Watch out Texas here come the Solar folk!”

courtesy to: Tiffany Hsu