By Corey Dahl
SOLAR TODAY Associate Editor
Solar Power International kicked off this morning with Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, declaring today the solar industry's "4th of July" and unveiling a Solar Bill of Rights.
The document states that Americans are entitled to things like the ability to buy solar electricity from their utilities and ethical treatment from the solar industry -- all rights Resch vowed SEIA and other industry organizations would continue working toward.
"These rights are a simple matter of common sense," Resch said. "You might even call them ‘self-evident.' But they're not always self-evident to those in power."
While solar has made strides in the past several years, everyone involved with solar is going to have to work harder to make sure that progress continues, Resch said. He encouraged everyone to join organizations and get involved.
"This isn't a battle that we can win without ammunition," he said, noting that the oil and gas industries will spend millions on marketing, public relations and advertising alone this year.. "We have relied, as an industry, on goodwill long enough, and if that's the only arrow in our quiver, we lose."
Also presenting at the opening address was Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, who outlined her vision for a new clean energy economy. Working with the secretaries of Housing, Education and Energy, she hopes to increase training programs, see more solar installations placed on public housing and provide new green jobs for the communities hit hard by the auto industry's demise.
"The U.S. can remain one of the leading importers of foreign oil, or we can become the leading exporter of renewable energy," she said. "The path before us is clear, but it will not be easy."
Seth Masia
Liz Merry
