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Vice President Joe Biden talks with staff at the National Renewable Energy Lab's Process Development and Integration Laboratory (PDIL). The PDIL brings together technical experts from NREL, the solar industry, and universities for collaborative research.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
1 of 11Vice President Joe Biden talks with staff at the National Renewable Energy Lab's Process Development and Integration Laboratory (PDIL). The PDIL brings together technical experts from NREL, the solar industry, and universities for collaborative research.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
2 of 11Steven Bohn, an engineer at SunEdison oversees SunEdison's testing facility at SolarTAC in Aurora, CO. The SolarTAC mission is to increase the efficiency of solar energy products and rapidly deploy them to the commercial market.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
3 of 11NREL scientists Ki Ye and Joe Berry peer into the glass siding of a deposition instrument to view the latest results of an experiment with a new material.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
4 of 11NREL Senior Scientist Robert Tenent working on a small sample of thin film lithium-ion conductors in the molecular layer deposition lab.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
5 of 11Brian Lawson and Kenesaw Burwell work on panels that the Energy Department is using to leverage a Power Purchase Agreement with Sun Edison and Xcel Energy.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
6 of 11A silver, silicone wafer reflects the face of NREL research scientist Hao-Chih Yuan. He is working in a lab at the Solar Energy Research Facility.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
7 of 11NREL engineer Michael Kempe, holds photovoltaic samples he is exposing to a saturated salt solution to control humidity.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
8 of 11Kyle Travis, left and Jon Jackson, with Lighthouse Solar, install microcrystalline PV modules on top of Kevin Donovan's town home.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
9 of 11Adam Modert, with Mortenson Construction uses specialized software to focus Amonix 7700 concentrated photovoltaic panels. The Amonix 7700 is the first terrestrial photovoltaic system capable of converting one-fourth of the sun's energy into usable electricity.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
10 of 11Crews work around the clock installing mirrored parabolic trough collectors, built on a site that will cover 3 square miles at Abengoa's Solana Plant in Gila Bend, Arizona. When finished, the Solana Plant will generate 280 MWs of clean, sustainable power - serving over 70,000 Arizona homes.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
11 of 11Workers construct one of a dozen molten salt tanks at Abengoa's Solana Plant. The molten salt tanks will generate clean, renewable electricity with conventional steam turbines.
Image: Dennis Schroeder (NREL)
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What does this mean for me?
This month we are hosting the SunShot Grand Challenge: Summit and Technology Forum in Denver, Colorado. The event will draw on the collective insights of the solar industry’s best and brightest to set a path forward for significantly driving down the cost of solar energy.
Leading up to the Summit, we are launching a special series on Energy.gov -- Solar Industry At Work. As part of this series, we will share the personal success stories of those who choose careers in solar -- from finance experts, to scientists, to engineers.
The solar workforce has the potential to become a major economic force. According to the Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2011, more than 100,000 Americans are now employed in the solar industry. From August 2010 to August 2011 the solar industry experienced a 6.8% job growth increase -- a rate ten times faster than the overall economy. Over the next few days you will have an opportunity to learn more about the people who make up this growing industry.
To kickoff the series, we’ve put together a solar industry slideshow -- images of real people, at work and in their element. Go ahead and take a look into the daily lives of the solar community at large.
As the Solar Industry At Work series progresses, we’d love to get your feedback every step of the way. You can send questions and comments via Facebook, Twitter, and email.
