Highlights this year include:

Strong Technical Program: We will continue our traditional eight topical areas with two additions.  We created a separate Area for Organic Photovoltaics in an effort to fully capture this growing technical area.  We have also created a new area titled: “Advances in Characterization of Photovoltaics”, which is focused on methods of characterization of photovoltaic materials and devices.  Please follow the Technical Program link on the left for more detailed information. 

Full Day of Tutorials: To start the conference on Sunday, we will have nine tutorials each consisting of half-day lectures taught by experts in the field.  The topics will range from the basic physics of solar cell operation to details about the latest trends in the industry that will be valuable to newcomers to PV as well as seasoned veterans. 

Industrial Exhibition: Taking advantage of our awesome location in the Hawaiian Convention Center, we will have over 60,000 square feet of exhibit space designed to bring together the commercial sector and the Photovoltaic Technologist within the Exhibit Hall.  The Exhibition will be integral with the technical sessions with posters and coffee breaks held within the Exhibit Hall to maximize interchange between Exhibitors and Researchers.  Our Exhibition will have special focus on measurement and characterization tools, and we will be highlighting space PV applications.

Student Participation: We are committed to fostering student participation for this conference.  Our Technical Community is only as vibrant as our student body, so we have created many incentives to entice and facilitate undergraduate and graduate students to attend and be active participants in the conference including reduced registration and tutorial fees, special student hotel rates, and best student presentation awards in each technical area.  Please refer to Student Central for a listing of everything and check back often for updates. 

Hotel Accommodations:  One of the primary assets of the PV Technology Area is the Photovoltaic Specialist Community, and the Photovoltaic Specialist Conference provides the meeting place for this community.  To extend this community beyond the Technical Sessions and Exhibition hall in the Convention Center, we have created a large room block at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  Using the Hilton as our Base Hotel allows us to maintain our continuity as a Community, and you cannot find a more beautiful location right on Waikiki Beach, within easy walking distance of the Convention Center and we will have periodic shuttles.  The Hilton has worked with us to establish very low conference rate ($179/night which matches the Federal Government per diem rate) and an incentive package for our attendees staying at the hotel.  Please visit the Hotel Accommodations Page for full information.

Auxiliary Program:  Our conference will hold a full set of programs in parallel with the Technical Sessions that address broader issues within the Photovoltaic Community.  The “PV Velocity Forum” will take advantage of the assembled mass of finely tuned technical expertise to improve the knowledge of regulators, policy makers, legislators, investors and PV industry executives to explore methods to accelerate the transition of new technology from research through production and into the market.  The “Women in Photovoltaics Symposium” will consider the question: what does the historically male-dominated Photovoltaic World need from women to reach its objectives?  Symposia discussing real-world impediments to PV grid integration will be held that specifically benefit from our location since Hawaii has been a leader in PV grid integration and members of the Hawaiian State Government and Hawaiian Energy Company will join us.  Please visit the Auxiliary Program Page for full details. 

Social Program:  Our Social Program Chair, Patricia Walters, has done an outstanding job of designing an awesome social program.  Continuing with our theme of the Photovoltaic Specialist Conference enhancing our Photovoltaic Specialist Community, our goal is to create relationships on a social as well as professional level amongst our attendees, families, and companions.  From the conference related events like the Cherry Award Reception on Tuesday and the Conference Banquet on Thursday to the daily sightseeing tours to places like the Dole Plantation, North Shore, and Pearl Harbor, the social program is going to be a blast.  Also, with our collective buying power, we have negotiated special, low conference rates, so register now.  Please visit the Social Program Page for full details.

We urge you to register for the meeting, as well as to make your hotel reservation, well ahead of the deadline. The increased interest PV is likely to lead to greatly increased attendance and the hotel will maintain our group rate and room block for a limited time. Please join us in Honolulu and help to make the 35th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference a memorable event.

Robert Walters
General Chair