Intersolar North America Announces Inclusion of AWARD Programs

SAN FRANCISCO, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersolar North America, the premier exhibition for solar professionals to exchange information and develop business opportunities in the U.S. solar market, is now home to the Intersolar AWARD, the industry-renowned solar technology honor. Intersolar AWARD winners will be presented at the "Hall of Fame" exhibit during the three-day exhibition in San Francisco. Additional awards ceremonies at Intersolar North America to include Solar for All design contest and NorCal Solar's City and County Awards.

The third annual Intersolar AWARD pays tribute to outstanding innovations by companies and institutions within the solar industry from around the world. The competition is open to exhibitors participating at Intersolar Europe in Munich or Intersolar North America in San Francisco.

The Intersolar AWARD recipients are chosen by an independent panel of judges for pioneering products and services in the Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal Technology and, new for 2010, PV Production Technology categories. The PV Production Technology category has been introduced to address the critical division within photovoltaics, with the support of the PV Group, an initiative of the international semiconductor association SEMI and co-organizing partner with Intersolar North America. Winners will be announced during the award ceremony, taking place one month earlier at Intersolar Europe in Munich on June 9.

"Intersolar North America is proud to be honoring innovative companies with leading-edge products for the improvement of the solar industry and its constituents," said Professor Eicke Weber Ph.D., Intersolar North America Conference Committee and Solar for All Jury Chairman, and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. "Intersolar supports emerging markets and is a proud supporter of important global and local social projects, like Solar for All and NorCal Solar. The solar industry will ensure that people around the globe can prosper from the benefits that solar energy has to offer."

Intersolar North America will also host the Solar for All global initiative, which aims to change the energy landscape in developing countries by holding a design contest to find the most innovative solutions for providing affordable solar photovoltaic systems to low-income, off-grid households. The overall goal is to make solar energy affordable to the 1.6 billion people worldwide without access to electricity.

The competition, focused on the needs of the end-users, is open to all participants from across the PV supply chain including manufacturers, PV system integrators, and social entrepreneurs. Applications will demonstrate improvements to the modularity, scalability and replicability of PV systems, advance innovative payment and financing schemes, and strategies for market implementation.

The winner of the Solar for All design contest will be awarded a $250,000 investment by Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation. Three finalists will also be recognized for innovations in technology, finance and marketing. Participants in the contest may also be supported by a projected $100 million solar investment fund. This new fund, to be established by the Solar for All initiative, will invest across the PV solar value chain, including microfinance or other end-user financing schemes to help make the product affordable to the end-user.

Maintaining a focus on the local impact of solar technology, Intersolar North America will for the second year host NorCal Solar's annual City and County Solar Awards Celebration. This awards program recognizes cities and counties in Northern California for leadership efforts in promoting and adopting solar energy within their borders. There will be more than 24 cities and counties honored during an awards ceremony and networking event. During this time, NorCal Solar will also officially unveil the NorCal annual Bay Area Solar Installations (BASI) Report, which details and classifies solar installations based on multiple factors and criteria.

Web Resources:

More information is available on the Intersolar AWARD Web page.

Click the following link for more information on the Solar for All design contest.

More on the City and County Solar Awards can be found on the NorCal Solar Web site.

About Intersolar

With over 2,600 exhibitors and 80,000+ visitors spanning three continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition-series for the solar industry.

Intersolar North America takes place annually in San Francisco's Moscone Center West Hall. Since its establishment in 2008, the exhibition and conference have developed into the premier platform for the solar industry in North America. Intersolar North America focuses on photovoltaics and solar thermal technology and has quickly established itself among manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers and service providers as an international industry meeting point. About 550 international exhibitors, 20,000 trade visitors and 1,600 conference participants are expected to attend in 2010.

Intersolar's storied history of international exhibitions and conferences spans almost 20 years. Taking place in addition to Intersolar North America are Intersolar India, taking place in Mumbai from 2010, and Intersolar Asia in Shanghai, launching in 2011. The world's largest exhibition for the solar industry is Intersolar Europe in Munich.

The organizers of Intersolar Europe are Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg WirtschaftTouristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG. The exhibitions in North America, India and China are organized by the international subsidiaries Solar Promotion International GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Management and Marketing International GmbH (FMMI).

For more information on Intersolar North America please visit:  http://www.intersolar.us/

SOURCE Intersolar North America