By John F. Wasik, Guest Writer
November 8, 2007

Chicago, Il. - Greenbuild is a great idea. Too bad the organizers didn't have their act together. I was there at Chicago's sprawling McCormick Place West yesterday. Combined with the other convention facilities in the complex, McCormick Place comprises the largest exhibition area on the continent -- and one of the largest buildings in the world. There's four million square feet of space. With that huge area, you would have thought that convention planners and the city would have figured out some basic things like adequate registration booths, a bigger ballroom, simulcasts and food service.

I feel it necessary to rant about Greenbuild's awful organization because it's such an important show and tens of thousands wanted to be there to hear some truly leading-edge minds. Sponsored by the US Green Building Council, they had four -- yes four -- pre-registration booths, all of which operated at a snail's pace. When I got there at 9am, this line stretched the entire length of the main atrium. I estimate it was at least 500 feet long. Some 22,000 people waited for hours to get in, missing Bill Clinton's and a host of other presentations that were not to be missed (more on that later). At 3pm, there was still a queue. Even if there had been more registrars, attendees wouldn't have been able to get into the grand ballroom, which was at standing-room capacity and closed down. There were overflow rooms with video simulcasts, although someone managed the technical blunder -- and this takes talent -- of broadcasting the audio before the video, which was incredibly disconcerting. Silly me, I thought this was the 21st century. Wait, it gets worse. Some of the most popular sessions were also filled to capacity, but provided NO overflow simulcasts, so attendees who had paid to get into the show were literally shut out of the presentations.

Shame on the USGBC, which I hold in awe for its LEED program, for blowing the logistics of this show. That's the extent of my rant. Whoever managed the show and planned pathetically inadequate food service should be sweeping streets. The city of Chicago, which didn't run the show, can do much better with this world-class venue. If not, hello Las Vegas and Orlando, two repulsive towns vying -- and taking -- Chicago's convention business.

Here are the highlights:

* Bill Clinton announced a series of initiatives to "green" commercial buildings and schools. He had a passel of people on stage with him to launch the program for his foundation. "We can do this," said the charismatic former president, "and there's a tremendous economic opportunity here." Bravo for Bubba! Where was Al Gore? All he does is win an Oscar and Nobel Prize and he was nowhere in sight. What's he doing to actually stem global warming? Clinton has GE Real Estate, school boards, teacher's unions and a host of other groups on board to actually do something. It's a win-win situation for everyone and has almost nothing to do with his wife's presidential campaign. Well, maybe something, but that's a discussion for another day.

* The Exhibition Floor. It was disappointing, dominated by mainstream flooring and companies like Kohler and Armstrong. Kohler makes any number of fixtures to save water, although most of what they sell are designed to make you consume as much water as possible. Notable for their absence (except for Kyocera) were the major solar panel and heating companies, which are making major inroads into lowering their production costs. Why isn't our Congress doing what Japan, Germany and most of Europe have done by offering juicy incentives to put solar on every rooftop in America? There was no mention of the energy/climate change bills snaking through Congress at GreenBuild (write your Congressman now). But the news on solar is good and getting better.

By Christopher Martin, Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- First Solar Inc., a Phoenix-based power-module maker, climbed as much as 38 percent after reporting a 10-fold increase in third-quarter profit on higher sales of its thin-film photovoltaic panels. First Solar rose as much as $62.88 to $230 and was up 37 percent at 11:11 a.m. on the Nasdaq Stock Market, valuing the company at $17.8 billion. The earnings statement was released after the close of regular U.S. trading yesterday. The company first sold shares at $20 on Nov. 6, 2006.

``This is an amazing growth story that nobody really expected would go this far,'' said John Hardy, an analyst at American Technology Research in Greenwich, Connecticut, who raised his price target on the stock today to $230 from $114.``The most positive signal was the cost reductions, which really improved their gross margins in a way that looks sustainable for the next couple years.''

Solar power demand, driven by government incentives in Germany, Spain and California, has increased 40 percent annually over the past four years. In the 25 states that require increased use of renewable energy, solar power has become the first major alternative to wind turbines. Third-quarter net income climbed to $46 million, or 58cents a share, from $4.29 million, or 7 cents, a year earlier,the company said. Sales more than tripled to $159 million. The company was expected to earn 19 cents a share, the average of nine analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Low-Cost Photovoltaics

``We believe low-cost PV represents an attractive solution for regulated utilities,'' Chief Executive Officer Michael Ahearn said on a conference call yesterday. ``First Solar is seeking opportunities to open new markets that are not dependent on the level of subsidies that traditionally have supported the PV industry.'' Second-generation technologies, like First Solar's thin-film process that uses less refined silicon, will reduce costs to where it may be cheaper than getting electricity from utilities in the next four years, executives and analysts say. Gains made by First Solar, which sells its modules to 12 suppliers of solar panels for rooftop and larger land-based systems, has helped raise the outlook for other solar manufacturers.

SunPower Corp. the largest supplier of panels in California, rose $15.45, or 11 percent, to $160.45. Evergreen Solar Inc. jumped $3.40, or 25 percent, to $17.05. Suntech PowerHoldings Co. gained $7.98, or 12 percent, to $72.78.

Falling Costs

First Solar's average production cost dropped 17 percent to$1.15 per watt in the third quarter from $1.39 in the second quarter as it increased output, Chief Financial Officer Jens Meyerhoff said yesterday on the call with analysts and Eco investors. The cost will be cut by up to 50 percent by 2012. The company plans to make panels that can generate as much as 390 megawatts next year from about 200 megawatts this year, Meyerhoff said. Solar module efficiency, or the amount of sunlight converted into electricity, rose to 10.5 percent in the third quarter, up from 9.7 percent in the previous quarter.


* GreenBuild Speakers. There were some great presentations on green homes and communities. Most notably, Douglas Farr of Park Associates blew the roof off with his new approach to designing communities so that you don't need cars. Much of his philosophy is based on New Urbanism, but he takes it a step further by plotting pedestrian "cool spots" and re-orienting foot traffic to popular destinations. Check out his work. You're going to be hearing more from him and his group.

So what can I take away from Greenbuild? First, the planners need to be less anal about on-site registration and let attendees print badges on their own computers. Then ask them to recycle them. Second, either book bigger halls or offer multiple presentations of the same sessions. Some of the rooms were literally packed to the brim with every seat filled and people standing outside. There's no excuse for this.

There also should be some lobbying aspect to the event. Without a doubt, most of the speakers were preaching to the choir, a group that could be mobilized to get some important energy legislation passed. Those 20,000-plus people can make a huge difference in getting higher mileage standards, bigger solar incentives and new green building codes passed through that lumbering beast called Congress. Greenbuild's next venue is in Boston next November. The world can't wait that long for what needs to be done to "green" the world economy.

By John F. Wasik
Author, The Merchant of Power, Lake County, Illinois
www.dailywombat.blogspot.com
www.johnwasik.com

Something New Under the Sun -

Cheaper Solar Technology Attracts More Homeowners;

By JIM CARLTON, Oct. 4 (WSJ): When Bill and Margaret Oliver decided to take the plunge into solar energy earlier this year, the retired Long Beach, Calif., couple searched for months to find someone who could install 35 newfangled solar panels atop their three-bedroom home.

Despite the hassles -- and though the panels cost them $39,000, after government rebates -- the Olivers say they're ecstatic to be escaping power bills that had soared to almost $400 a month. The panels contain a relatively new technology for the home called "photovoltaic cells," which convert direct sunlight into electricity. With the installation complete, their latest monthly bill totaled just $1.34.

"We had a cake party when they finished the job," recalls the 85-year-old Mrs. Oliver.

For decades solar energy use was largely confined to a small fringe of die-hard conservationists. And their sole option was typically a "solar thermal" system that stores heat from the sun to warm pools or appliances. But these days, solar power is going mainstream in many more homes, helped along by a proliferation of new solar technology like cheaper photovoltaic cells and new solar-powered gadgets.

Photovoltaic cells, most of which are made from silicon, have exploded in use around the country over the past five years as once-prohibitive costs for home use of the technology have declined. Between 2002 and 2006, the number of new photovoltaic systems installed in U.S. homes nearly tripled to 7,446 from 2,805, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council in Latham, N.Y. Industry officials say that such installations are expected to top 11,000 this year.

Consumers who can't afford a full photovoltaic system may also be able to get solar for parts of their home. A San Diego firm called Envision Solar Inc., for instance, says it plans to start selling carports covered with photovoltaic cells to generate power for the home and hybrid cars late next year. The carports are expected to sell for between $5,000 and $8,000.

The most economical approach of all, industry officials say, is to buy one of the growing number of new homes already equipped with solar. Homebuilding giant Lennar Corp. is building about 2,500 homes in California in a partnership with SunPower Corp. of San Jose, Calif.

Officials of the Miami-based builder say they can sell the homes -- priced at $450,000 to $600,000 in the biggest tracts around Sacramento, Calif. -- without charging extra because of tax credits and the lower costs of installing solar equipment in a new home. In return, Lennar officials say the sales rate for their solar homes is running almost three times greater than conventional ones in a down market.

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