Year's Largest Solar Industry Meeting in Westminster

Colorado's largest solar energy gathering of the year is drawing leading industry executives from around the nation who want to be part of paving The Path to a Million Solar Roofs. Solar Power Colorado is slated for February 5 and 6 at The Westin in Westminster as the annual gathering of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. The conference is the year's biggest business-to-business opportunity for networking with solar industry executives, identifying new market opportunities and learning about exciting new solar products at the Expo Hall. Registration is now open, and there are prime locations available for exhibitors. But prices go up after January 25, so register today at this website. With an anticipated 500 industry leaders in attendance, Solar Power Colorado will kick off the Million Solar Roofs campaign and lay the groundwork for this exciting initiative to dramatically increase the amount of all kinds of solar energy in use in Colorado. Through keynote addresses and expert panels, solar leaders will flesh out the vision and develop concrete steps to reach this ambitious goal. Solar is already a $100 billion industry globally and Colorado is widely recognized as a national leader. David Eves, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel Energy) will share insights into the future of solar from the perspective of Colorado's largest utility. Del Worley, CEO of Holy Cross Energy will offer a co-op perspective on solar and other utility leaders will also speak. Policy leaders confirmed include former Gov. Bill Ritter and state senator Gail Schwartz. Chief executives from a range of leading solar companies will share their insights. Confirmed speakers include: Danny Kennedy, Founder of Sungevity; Ole Pilgaard, President of Heliodyne; Blake Jones, President and CEO of Namaste Solar, Julia Hamm, Executive Director of the national Solar Energy Power Association, and Paul Spencer, President and Founder of the Clean Energy Collective. These speakers and others will help lay the Path to a Million Solar Roofs. The goal is provide about 3 Gigawatts of solar energy in Colorado by 2030 through a combination of photovoltaic electric systems and solar thermal heating and cooling systems. The campaign will enlist public support, utility partnerships and public-private collaborations to encourage the growth of solar energy from small arrays on homes to large utility-scale projects, and from community solar gardens to industrial rooftop projects. To reach this goal, solar would supply about a fifth of our state's energy needs. "We are excited to outline our Million Solar Roofs campaign at the conference and to enlist industry leaders to help us flesh out the details and to develop an effective plan for reaching this ambitious goal,'' said Neal Lurie, executive director of COSEIA. Attendees will learn the latest about a variety of innovative programs including the COSEIA-led Solar Friendly Communities and how it is making a tangible difference in driving down the cost of going solar. Community solar gardens have debuted across Colorado in the past year and a panel of experts will share lessons they have learned. A panel featuring representatives from leading retailers will examine why some of the biggest brands in America are so keen to go solar. Throughout the two days of the conference, the exhibit hall will be chock full of the latest and greatest in all kinds of solar technology from about 100 organizations. And new for 2013 will be a stage where product trainings and presentations will increase the educational content. For more information about exhibit hall opportunities or registration, please contact Jason Henderson at COSEIA (jhenderson@coseia.org).