Intersolar is about showcasing the most innovative parts of the solar energy industry and you can expect no less than the wave of the future. Exhibitioners at the 2010 event showcase their ideas currently propelling the green revolution from various industries including: solar panels, inverters, mounting systems, tracking systems, light meters, manufacturing equipment, factories, green news media, and many more. As we wandered the three floors of Moscone West in San Francisco, a few exhibitioners caught our eye with their unique services which were a far cry from the myriad of solar manufacturers.

For example, Via: Sys products are widely used to protect solar power facilities that produce approximately 180 megawatts of solar generated energy. We sat down with their senior account manager, Anson Moran, to see how this kind of security system would be useful in not only large solar power plants, but also residential systems. Solar systems are expensive to install, and a sizeable investment for homeowners, businesses, and power plants alike. Anson Moran explains this integrated surveillance system is specifically designed to filter out irrelevant events (like weather, for example), and streamlines the videos themselves. Instead of security watching 16 monitors, they see one which is only triggered during relevant events. Via: Sys is also developing a new line of tamper proof mounting systems for residential and commercial use.

We interviewed Willard MacDonald, President of Solmetric Corporations, on the debut of their new SunEye model, and what they plan on making next to help measure solar gain and assist installers of any size find the best site for a solar array. Now, if you've been reading this newsletter then you are already familiar with Solmetric and their impressive Suntracker mobile device which provides a site survey analysis for local installers and engineers; this device maps the light readings and shading by local objects and conditions, displaying the theoretical yield of an installed system in a variety of situations.

A new type of solar panel also made its debut at Intersolar, created by SierraTherm. Concentrating solar panels are the latest innovation for a more efficient type of panel. This setup works by using conical mirrors to direct sunlight onto a smaller solar cell; thus yielding better results using fewer solar cells. These panels allow even residential systems to get higher efficiency, whereas concentrating solar panels were seen in industrial scale systems initially.

…And this barely scratches the surface of our experience. Although we focused on more residential related companies, there were countless proud representatives from industrialized and large scale solar arrays. Siemens, for example, sponsored the entire event.

Thanks again for all that came and we look forward to seeing many of you at Solar Power International October 12-14 in LA. Also, if you're interested in seeing some of our interviews first hand, check out our Intersolar Video Blogs! or follow the links in the newsletter.