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21st Century Solar:
New Technologies and New Applications
Friday,
April 25, 2003
3:00 pm, HC-8, US Capitol Building
The
House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses,
the Sustainable Energy Coalition, and the Environmental and Energy
Study Institute (EESI) held a Congressional briefing on the exciting
new technologies and applications emerging in the solar energy
industry. Congress is moving swiftly on a broad energy policy, and
the need for the inclusion of policies that reinforce the growing
solar industry has never been greater. Solar energy technologies
are steadily increasing capacity in the electricity generation,
solar water heating, and distributed energy sectors, with exciting
new transportation sector technologies emerging soon. Persistent
growth and significant technological advances have decreased solar
energy costs by 50 percent in the last 10 years, and forecasts
predict that they will continue to fall in the future. With their
renewable and clean attributes, these innovative solar technologies
can play a crucial role in ensuring a sustainable and reliable
energy future. Showcasing these technologies was the following
panelists:
Briefing
Panel by Topic:
Ø
Solar Industry Overview
Colin Murchie, Legislative Assistant, Solar Energy Industries
Association
Presentation
Ø
Photovoltaic Markets and
Technology
Todd Foley, Director of External Affairs, BP Solar
Ø Solar
Water Heating Markets and Technology
Tom Bohner, President, Sun Systems, Inc.
Presentation
Ø
Concentrating
Solar Power Markets and Technology
Fred Morse,
President, Morse Associates, Inc.
Presentation
Solar
Industry Facts:
- US demand for
solar products increased 60 percent last year and has maintained a
10-year average growth rate of more than 25 percent.
- The photovoltaic
industry has grown 6-fold in the last 6 years.
- At current
growth rates, solar technologies will replace 1 million barrels of
oil a day by 2025.
- Prices for solar
energy equipment are down more than 20-fold from 1975 levels.
- Solar is a more
than $3 billion industry worldwide.
For more
information about the briefing, please contact JR Drabick at EESI at
202-662-1886 or jrdrabick@eesi.org.
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