Solar enthusiasts, industry, scientists, and educators from around the world gathered in San Francisco from July 6-10 for the first combined Intersolar and American Solar Energy Society Conference. The Conferences, held at the Intercontinental Hotel, covered all things solar. The Exhibit Hall, located next door at the Moscone Conference Center, was three large floors filled with 550 booths of solar equipment and services providers. The conference attracted such "big names" as Governor Jerry Brown and the mayor of San Francisco as keynote speakers. 

Intersolar is typically the largest gathering of the solar industry in the U.S., with more than 10,000 visiting the exhibit areas. The ASES Conference itself drew 200+ attendees, but any registered attendee of either Intersolar or ASES could attend sessions in both conferences as well as attend the Exhibit areas. This was a notable year because it was 60 years ago, in 1954, that the first solar photovoltaic cells were developed and proven by Bell Laboratories. One of the exhibits in the Exhibit Hall featured actual cells from the Lab from 1954.

The most dramatic observation one could make from the Conference is that solar is now officially "big business" - and is growing fast. It's clear that in many markets and applications, solar photovoltaics has crossed the "cost-effectiveness" barrier.