{"id":100010,"date":"2022-09-23T12:54:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T16:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarpowerworldonline.com\/?p=100010"},"modified":"2022-09-26T13:05:08","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T17:05:08","slug":"solar-panel-and-energy-storage-sights-at-re-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarpowerworldonline.com\/2022\/09\/solar-panel-and-energy-storage-sights-at-re-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar panel and energy storage sights at RE+ 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

RE+ was actually insane. The Solar Power World<\/em> editors are no strangers to the tradeshow scene; we hit the ground running each show to find the hottest products and latest trends. But even we were overwhelmed in the sea of 27,000 attendees \u2014 27,000!! \u2014 and finished each day absolutely spent. My shoes filled with blood! But I do it to stay on top of all the U.S. manufacturing rumors and see how batteries are becoming even more synonymous with the solar industry.<\/p>\n

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SPW editors Kelsey and Kelly ready for Day 1!<\/p><\/div>\n

No longer the “Wild West,” I did hear many times that the U.S. solar and storage (and even the EV) industry is entering a “gold rush” scenario now with favorable legislation and tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) \u2014 which is apparently pronounced “Ira,” by the way. But that rush to enter the market will demand more standardization in the industry’s products. The U.S. renewable energy industry has a desperate need for a trained workforce<\/a> to meet these climate goals we’ve set. It’ll be even more difficult to install all these solar panels when contractors have to learn different techniques for different brands of the same product.<\/p>\n

That’s my biggest takeaway from RE+: Everything is getting bigger, whether it’s residential energy storage systems or solar panels themselves \u2014 and there’s no consistency. No longer can we just call solar panels 60-cell or 72-cell versions. Depending on wafer size and whether the cells are half-cut or use other technology advances, solar panel sizes are all over the place. Seeing large-wafer solar panels in-person, and next to previous “traditionally sized” modules, it’s jarring. I know I’m not the typical solar installer, but why can’t a 5-ft., 2-in. person place panels on a sloped roof? It looks absolutely impossible right now with these big modules.<\/p>\n

Even though I can’t get my arms around them, that doesn’t make the advancements in solar panel and battery designs any less remarkable. Just think how much has changed since the last Solar Power International in 2019! I’m happy to present some of my notable findings at the 2022 show here. I hope you were following along with me on Twitter<\/a> all week.<\/p>\n

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