SOLARCON India 2012 Kicks Off on September 3 in Bangalore - Focusing on the Promise of Affordable Solar Power in India

SOLARCON India 2012, the fourth edition of India's largest solar-focused technology and business event, will take place in Bangalore on September 3-5 for the first time.

The event, organized by SEMI India, includes an exhibition, a conference and parallel technical events. Located at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), SOLARCON India 2012 provides a high-profile platform for industry, government, NGOs and other eco-system partners to come together to discuss and evolve plans to help the growth of the local solar industry. This year, the event has over 100 exhibitors and expects 6,000 unique visitors. The event will be inaugurated by Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.

Inaugural keynote addresses will be delivered by: James CP Chen, vice president, Solar Business Group, AUO Group, Taiwan; Dr. Martha Symko Davies, Solar business manager, NREL, USA; and William Polese, managing director, Lux Research Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Singapore.

SOLARCON India 2012, certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a premier forum to showcase the latest products, services and applications in the solar, photovoltaic and renewable energy fields in India. Key highlights of the event include:

-- CEO panel discussion on "Key Requirements of Short-Term and Long-Term Solar Manufacturing Sustainability in India"
-- CEO Forum on "Can India Touch 100 GW Installed Solar Power Capacity by 2030?"
-- CFO Forum on "Solar Power Project Financing & Price/KWH of Solar Power - Setting Realistic Expectations"
-- "Manufacturing Cost Reduction" session
-- "The Indian PV Landscape by 2022" session
-- "Manufacturing Innovations in PV: Technology Outlook & Trends" session
-- Off-grid sessions: "Policy & Regulatory Enablers for Off-Grid Solar PV Growth in India" and "Rooftops, Micro Grids and other Off-Grid PV Applications."

Debasish Paul Choudhury, president, SEMI India, states, "According to industry reports, India's renewable energy generation potential is roughly 89,760 MW, of which Gujarat accounts for 14 percent followed by Karnataka with 12 percent (11,071 MW).  Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), Karnataka's proactive Renewable Energy agency, has set a target of installing 200 MW of solar projects by 2016 and has plans to set up a 1,000 hectare solar park on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by 2013.  SEMI is backing the KREDL initiative by bringing the best professionals from the industry, government, academia and financiers to discuss key implementation aspects and challenges ahead for both On-Grid and Off-Grid Solar."

In addition, SOLARCON India 2012 will feature a short skill development course on "Thin Film PV Technology - Cells to Systems," in technical collaboration with the NCPRE (National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education) based at IIT- Bombay during September 4-6.