BIPV Offers Reasons to be Cheerful

Senior Analyst Eric Wesoff reports on Building Integrated Photovoltaics from the floor of Solar Power International where the mood is cautiously optimistic.

Eric Wesoff October 16, 2008

Eric Wesoff

Editor-at-Large
Greentech Media

Eric Wesoff is Editor-at-Large at Greentech Media. Prior to joining GTM, Eric Wesoff founded Sage Marketing Partners in 2000 to provide sales and marketing-consulting services to venture-capital firms and their portfolio companies in the alternative energy and telecommunications sectors. Mr. Wesoff has become a well-known, respected authority and speaker in these fields.

His expertise covers solar power, fuel cells, biofuels and advanced batteries. His strengths are in market research and analysis, business development and due diligence for investors. He frequently consults for energy startups and Silicon Valley's premier venture capitalists.

Today is the last day of exhibits at Solar Power International, the United States' largest solar show, and as mentioned previously, the place is bustling and the mood is cautiously optimistic.

Here's one reason for that optimism – Suntech's Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) business is worth more than $100 million.

BIPV was not really a category a few years ago. Today Suntech is doing big business in this emerging solar sector along with smaller firms like Lumeta and Open Energy.

BIPV has been a notoriously difficult product to sell. Most people understand the value in BIPV but establishing a sales channel has proven daunting. Now Suntech and others seem to have it figured out.

Get the rest of the story at Green Light.