Thousands Attend Solar Energy Trade Show At Philadelphia's Convention Center
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Thanks to rising interest, thousands of people are attending a solar energy show, through tomorrow, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The sun shines on all of us equally, but it takes solar panels and other hardware to harvest it as electricity. Brian Tully of Solar Energy Trade Shows says it's clear that interest is up.
"This is the second iteration of the PV America trade show, the first being in 2009," he told KYW Newsradio this morning. "This one has grown by 25 percent in terms of the number of exhibiting companies, and we're thinking, by the registration lines out there I'm seeing, we might grow by 25 percent on the registration side as well."
The first two days are largely business to business. On Tuesday, the public is invited to attend free, 10 AM to 2 PM.
Rod Viens of Gro Solar says prices are down, and technology is improving:
"Panel sizes have come down dramatically. You're getting more power for less size, so you have more dense panels, so most roofs will take a 5,000-watt system."
Which provides about half of a home's electricity.
Reported by John Ostapkovich, KYW Newsradio 1060.
