As with SMT, expect consolidation, especially in China.

For those of us who came to the solar industry from electronics, it is hard not to draw comparisons between their respective trade shows. Especially as this year, the world’s top solar shows are as big as some of the leading electronics shows, filling numerous halls in some very big venues. I should point out that last year, I would not have thought of comparing the two sectors’ events. The year before that, many solar shows were almost insignificant; three years ago, a solar event would typically have filled a single hall in an average exhibition center. Visiting Taiwan two years ago, I walked an entire exhibition in 15 minutes. But that’s all changing, and rapidly. In fact, the speed at which these events are growing is like nothing else we’ve ever seen, and that holds true wherever you are in the world.

By dint of the fact that Germany is still the largest and best established photovoltaic marketplace, Europe still hosts the world’s largest events, such as the big shows in Germany, and the annual EUPVSEC, held in Valencia on alternate years. Some major shows in the US, particularly on the West Coast, are also growing quickly.
And as China grows exponentially as a solar market, Shanghai, too, with its proximity to the main solar manufacturing areas, and for its excellent access, is proving to be a massive and fast-growing success. That said, it is, like all the Asian events, smaller than its European counterparts, presumably because there are so very many to choose from. If you were so inclined, you could visit a different solar show in China almost every week.

That the solar industry is global can be seen from the fact that wherever you go – Europe, Asia, the US – the shows are all pretty much the same, apart from their size. And it's striking that they are so all-encompassing. Everybody’s there, from the companies making the big smelting furnaces that melt silicon and grow it into ingots, through cell manufacturing equipment people like us, the panel manufacturing and assembly equipment suppliers, the firms that make the fixtures that you bolt to your roof to house the panels, the panel installation equipment suppliers themselves, right through to the guys who provide the ladders and cherry-pickers for getting the whole shooting match up onto your roof. 

And that’s before you go to the non-PV-specific shows. The events promoting solar in general add in the dimension of thermal solar and all the equipment, consumables and issues involved in this part of the solar energy marketplace. From sand to water to sunshine – a vertical, horizontal, highly diversified marketplace.
This must be because solar is relatively new. Clearly, the challenge for any new show is to fill the halls and raise the exhibitor and visitor numbers. As the event grows, however, it will get to a point where its large size can be a disadvantage. Consider only that the visitors who want to discuss cell manufacturing equipment with us are extremely unlikely to be the potential future clients of the rooftop installation equipment guys down the aisle in booth B4. That’s OK in a smaller show, but in a larger exhibition, even if well organized into distinct sectors, high diversity can become dissipative, and for the visitor, extremely bewildering. There must be a point at which it makes more sense to divide a large event into smaller, dedicated exhibitions – which will arguably have more vigor, thanks to their new focus, permitting them to grow into their own specific potential.

This is exactly what happened in the electronics sector, with shows like Electronica, now in its 24th edition. Based in Munich, this now biennial show, spanning a broad spectrum from electronics manufacture to electronics products and applications, grew swiftly, to the point that after just five editions, the decision was made to split the electronics production sector into its own dedicated show, Productronica, leaving Electronica with a specific focus on components, systems and applications. They now share the same venue, taking place on alternating years, and have both grown immensely since those early days – testament to the vision and courage of their organizers. Many electronics events followed similar evolutionary paths as they grew – and  outgrew – their remits. Others merged, as a natural consequence of there being too many shows  for exhibitors and visitors to support.

In the near future, it is likely we will see the same thing happening in the solar show circuit. The larger shows will divide into more targeted events, while the smaller shows, especially in China, where there are simply too many to visit, will probably merge or disappear. As industry growth settles and exhibitors define advertising budgets accordingly, it is likely that in a few years’ time, there will be a handful of big shows worldwide. These will be chosen by participants for their focus, capability, and it has to be said, for their costs, which, compared with similar electronics events, are currently very high. They will foreseeably form the solar industry’s base, as launch venues for the latest and greatest in solar, attracting global interest from exhibitors and visitors alike. And, like their counterparts in today’s electronics sector, they are likely to be supported by various orders of smaller events that invite participation through their specific technology, market and regional focus. For us at DEK, who have seen it happen elsewhere, and who believe absolutely in supporting our industry well, this is a scenario that makes a great deal of sense.

Andy Ure is business development director, Americas at DEK Solar (dek.com); aure@dek.com.