Invitation from the Chair

Welcome to the 38th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, the pre-eminent global technical conference in photovoltaics that is sponsored by the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

The 38th PVSC marks the beginning of the Conference’s second half century, and is expected to host about a thousand presentations. Its ten topical technical focus areas range across fundamentals, characterization, new concepts, all of the major commercial and next generation technologies, space and terrestrial applications, and policy and finance developments that can drive the velocity of market penetration as much as technological and manufacturing advances. The highest quality papers will be eligible for inclusion in the IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, a newly commissioned, peer-reviewed, archival publication reporting original and significant research results that advance the field of photovoltaics. This year’s technical program includes a special focus in the terrestrial PV systems area on recent developments in smart grid and module technologies that may play an important role in the future of system design for distributed generation.

The conference exhibits will be in the Austin Convention Center, a modern state-of-the-art venue, providing an ideal opportunity to access the world’s leading researchers in photovoltaics. Austin is the Texas state capital, renowned for its high-tech entrepreneurial business environment, dynamic night-life and music scene, outstanding restaurants, scenic lakes and rivers, and as a gateway to the Central Texas Hill Country.

We invite you to Austin, Texas where the 2012 conference will be held June 3-8. Join thousands of the world’s leading scientists and engineers, policy-makers and financiers, exhibitors and students at this time of massive transformation of the PV industry. After decades of sustained doubling of global production every two to three years, inexorable price reduction is driving the cost of solar PV generated electricity to grid parity in ever-expanding regions of the world. Environmental, climate change, and energy security concerns must be addressed with greater availability of clean energy to support continued global economic growth. Clearly, photovoltaics can be part of the solution, and public awareness is growing that photovoltaics can shape energy use patterns for generations. Join us in Austin and participate in the creation of this future.

Dr. Billy J. Stanbery
Chief Science Officer, HelioVolt Corporation
Conference General Chairperson