Intersolar North America will return to San Francisco July 9-12, 2012. Co-located with SEMICON West, the event is expected to draw approximately 950 exhibitors and registered visitors from more than 80 countries to provide a true global perspective of the solar industry.

This year, the conference features a new, dedicated PV Production and Technology Hall located in Moscone North that will draw more than 200 exhibitors showcasing the latest in photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing and material science technology. The PV Production and Technology Hall will feature three full days of presentations on the latest manufacturing trends and developments, free of charge to exhibition attendees.

The innovative joint exhibition-conference venue fosters high quality learning, developing and planning of next generation PV production technology strategies, making it the most valuable exchange of ideas in the U.S. market.

The new PV Production and Technology Hall at Intersolar North America will provide a tailored platform for collaboration, dialogue and planning for the future of the U.S. solar manufacturing industry. Highly targeted PV manufacturing and technology-related programs will focus on the real needs of the industry and will provide valuable first-hand information from leaders and technical experts within the PV manufacturing community.

Equipment spending by tier-one solar manufacturers is poised to resume in 2013 with strong double-digit annual growth rates forecast out to 2016, according to NPD Solarbuzz, a market research firm that offers solar industry news and analysis.

Presenters on the PV Production and Technology Stage (partial list) include: Mark Pinto, Applied Materials, Jim Brown, First Solar, Howard Lee, STION, Eric Romano, Dupont Photovoltaic Solutions, Ned Harvey, Rocky Mountain Institute, Dr. Jason Corneille, Miasole, Danielle Merfeld, GE Solar Technologies; Andrew Beebe, Suntech Power; Eric Peeters, Dow Corning; John P. Benner, Bay Area Photovoltaic Consortium; Brent Nelson, NREL; Jef Poortmans, IMEC; Andy McIntyre, EORM (Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability); John Wohlgemuth, NREL; Dr. Nasreen Chopra, Alta Devices; Dr. Vasilis M. Fthenakis, Brookhaven National Labs; Matt Feinstein, Lux Research; Mark Thirsk, Linx Consulting, and many more.

PV Production and Technology Program Topics

PV manufacturing and technology programs (presented on the show floor stage and free to attendees) will focus on themes relating to technology, manufacturing, equipment and materials with emphasis placed on innovation for greater efficiency and cost reduction in a production environment. Programs include:

+ PV Manufacturing in the U.S. - A Vision for the Future

+ International Standards on PV Module Quality and Reliability

+ Business Benefits of Green Manufacturing in the PV Industry

+ Scaling Thin-Film PV Technology to Bankability - Supply Chain and Manufacturing Challenges

+ New Materials in PV Manufacturing - Dye Sensitized, Full Organic, Hybrid

+ Global PV R and D Research - Focus on 2-3 Year Availability to Volume Scale Manufacturing

+ Advanced Photovoltaics - Ultra-High Efficiency Technologies

The PV Production and Technology Hall marks the logical progression of the co-location between Intersolar North America and SEMICON West. As such, SEMI PV Group, the global microelectronics industry association, is now responsible for overseeing the photovoltaic production and raw materials industry segments at the conference.

Industry segments at the PV Production and Technology Hall include PV Manufacturing Equipment: Wafers, Cells, Modules, and Thin Film; Integration and Automation; Metrology; PV Manufacturing Consumables (pastes, wires, etc.); and PV Manufacturing Gases and Liquid Chemicals.