Final Technical Report

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) has been holding an annual solar conference since 1995. From 1995 through 2003, the event was known as the Utility PhotoVoltaic Experience Conference (UPEx), largely focused on utility experience with PV, and attracted between 200 and 300 attendees and 20-30 exhibitors. However, by 2003, it became obvious that a larger business-to-business event, including solar technologies beyond PV, was necessary to help the U.S. industry develop strong markets. In 2004, SEPA partnered with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to re-brand its annual conference as the Solar Power Conference and Expo. SEPA submitted a proposal for DOE support of the 2004 and 2005 conferences, and was awarded DOE grant number DE-FG36-04GO14349. Solar Power 2004, held in San Francisco, and Solar Power 2005, held in Washington, DC in conjunction with DOE’s Solar Decathlon, both exceeded expectations each attracting approximately four times the number of attendees at previous years’ conferences, as well as more than double the number of exhibitors