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Fact Finding Missions
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Each year, SEPA takes a group of utility decision makers outside
the United States to gain international perspectives on solar
technology, policy, and grid integration.
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SEPA's Fact Finding Missions have quickly established themselves as one of the best resources to get hands on experience with solar technologies, programs, and policies. Trip objectives:
2010 - Japan SEPA's Fact Finding Mission is taking place this week in Japan with representatives from 14 utilities. The week will be spent engaging in fruitful dialog with Japanese utility counterparts, government officials and solar industry representatives, as well as seeing first-hand examples of successful PV integration into the grid. The group expects to come back with an in-depth understanding of how Japan has developed a sustainable solar market and how they are technically preparing for even greater solar integration in the future. It is important to SEPA that the knowledge gained from this trip be shared with those who were unable to participate, so we invite you to engage in the learning real-time and in the future: 1) Twitter - Follow SEPA's president & CEO, Julia Hamm, on Twitter via username: JuliaHamm 2) Blog - Visit Martin Rosenberg's blog throughout the week at www.energyblogs.com/rosenberg. Mr. Rosenberg, a Fact Finding Mission participant, is the Editor-In-Chief of EnergyBiz Magazine. 3) Post-Trip Report - SEPA will release a comprehensive post-trip report later this summer. 4) Participant Panel at Solar Power International - A selection of utility representatives will discuss their learning experiences in a panel discussion on Tuesday, October 12.
More Information: Fact Finding Mission 2010
For more information or general inquiries please contact Bianca Barth at bbarth@solarelectricpower.org.
In May 2009, SEPA took a group of 16 utility executives and managers to Spain. In 2008, more than 3 gigawatts of solar electricity was integrated into the Spanish grid, resulting from a high feed-in tariff with no market limits; 98 percent of the installations were ground-mounted and only 2 percent roof-mounted. Spain provided an excellent learning environment for the SEPA group, which explored both photovoltaics and concentrating solar thermal electric installations during the trip. Upon returning from the trip, SEPA hosted a webinar to share lessons learned with all its members who weren't able to make the trip to Spain. The MP3 of the webinar is available for download by members.
2008 - Germany
In June 2008, SEPA took a group of 31 utility executives and managers to Germany. Germany is one of the top photovoltaic markets in the world, largely due to its long-established feed-in tariff program. The country has developed both rooftop and ground-mounted PV market segments, as well as a strong manufacturing base. A summary report of the trip and its findings is available to members and non-members |
Quotes from Participants
"The Spain trip provided our utility with a timely insight into the future of utility scale solar plants. Meetings with Spanish policy-makers and utility counterparts will help us to work with our local regulators and contribute to the near-term evolution of solar generation in California." "SEPA's Fact Finding Mission to Spain provided the perfect balance of meetings, site visits and interactions such that the overall benefit was maximized. The information gained from one short week easily replaced months worth of desk and internet research, which even then wouldn't have been a suitable substitute for the hands-on learning available from the in-country observations." "This trip was a very valuable use of our time. The tour was very well organized and gave us a good appreciation of the developments in solar PV and CSP technologies. The information gained from this has helped us to recognize the need to prepare ourselves for the large influx of these systems over the next few years as the price of these systems continue to fall. We need to respond to these as opportunities to build a brighter future rather than as a threat as some utilities see it." "Before last week, I was skeptical as to whether solar energy would be a viable option in a reasonable time frame without huge subsidies. I now think it will be a meaningful part of this country's energy supply portfolio within five years." "This was my first exposure to utility scale solar energy. SEPA's program brought my learning curve up exponentially. Not only did I get to witness Solar power of all types, I really benefited from interaction with utility executives from around the globe who shared their practical experience in ways I could immediately understand." |
