News & Events
Silicon Valley Leadership Group and SolarTech Launch the Solar Center for Excellence at Energy Summit 2007 in San Jose
(273-4743)
SAN JOSE, CA, JUNE 1, 2007 – SolarTech, a collaborative solar industry
initiative created by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, today announced
the establishment of the Solar Center for Excellence in Silicon Valley, a
technical and educational resource focused on regional economic development
and cost competitive solutions for the industry and its customers.
The announcement was made in conjunction with the Energy Summit 2007, a major
daylong conference of top industry officials and companies hosted by Cypress
Semiconductor in San Jose, featuring a keynote address by former U.S. Secretary
of State George P. Shultz.
“The Solar Center for Excellence will be a catalyst for the solar industry
in Silicon Valley to thrive and take its place next to high tech, biotech
and life sciences as core economic sectors,” said Tom McCalmont, chairman
of SolarTech and CEO of Campbell-based REgrid Power, a leading California
solar integrator and charter member company of SolarTech.
“In order to sustain the solar industry over the long term, the cost
of solar-generated power must be competitive with the cost of conventional
electricity,” McCalmont added. “The Solar Center will be a
driving force for lowering costs and increasing photovoltaic, or PV, use
in California. It will also provide access to training and certification
for prospective and industry professionals.
The center will focus on resolving the complex technological, administrative,
and financing challenges inherent in the delivery of PV systems - installation
and performance standards, utility interconnections, rebate processing, building
permits, education and workforce training, and financing.
“Many of the new technologies achieved by the solar industry originated,
and are now flourishing, in Silicon Valley due to our culture of innovation
together with abundant human and financial capital,” said Justin Bradley,
energy director of the Leadership Group, which represents 210 Silicon Valley
employers.
“The work of our energy committee in creating the Solar Center for
Excellence will enable us
to help chart the course for this burgeoning industry, creating high quality
jobs for the region.”
Plans call for a physical home for the Solar Center for Excellence in the
months ahead. For more information, visit the Leadership Group site at www.svlg.net or www.solartech.org.
About SolarTech
SolarTech (www.solartech.org) is a collaborative effort founded by members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group to create a Solar Center of Excellence in Silicon Valley. Its purpose is to identify, prioritize, and resolve technical and adoption barriers to solar technology by addressing issues of performance, processes, standards, and workforce readiness. SolarTech’s charter members include: REgrid Power, Horizon Energy Systems, Miasole, Silicon Valley Power, SunPower, NOVA Workforce Board, and PG&E, as well as Sharp Solar, SolFocus, SV Solar, Generating Assets, Tyco Electronics, and the Silicon Valley-based colleges
About the Silicon Valley Leadership Group
The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents 210 of Silicon Valley's most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation, education, housing, health care, tax policies, economic vitality and the environment. Leadership Group members collectively provide nearly 250,000 local jobs, or one of every four private sector jobs in Silicon Valley. For more information, visit www.svlg.net, or call (408) 501-7864.
