Principal Solar, Inc. recently launched the Principal Solar Institute, an effort by the company to help keep all interested in solar power abreast of the latest and greatest information in terms of policy, technology and more. The company is working to create what it calls a distributed solar utility. The Institute will sponsor educational events, including webinars, resource guides and white papers.

The program is being led by Director Matthew Thompson, Ph. D., who has worked in the semiconductor process development and yield enhancement field with Motorola and Freescale Semiconductor for more than two decades. “The Principal Solar Institute is committed to rapidly advancing the mainstream adoption of solar energy,” Thompson said. “We see enormous opportunities in commercial and utility-scale projects as the cost of PV modules plunges. By helping installers, developers and investors keep abreast of changes in this accelerating industry, we support Principal Solar's objective of becoming the Nation's leading distributed solar utility company.” 

To help make that happen, the company is offering educational tools for free. “The Institute provides recorded web events and insightful analysis, all available at no charge on The Principal Solar Institute website,” Thompson said.

One of the daunting challenges for anyone in the solar industry is just keeping up. The institute is working to make that happen through a number of ways, according to Thompson. “The accelerating rate of solar energy development  has created a corresponding increase in the rate of information that is available. We use this information stream, along with our industry, government and business collaborators to provide a concise analysis,” he said. “This enables solar energy stakeholders to focus on their core business, and we expect they will value the in-depth analysis delivered in our white papers and live presentations.”  

While the institute sees the importance of educating all players about the latest developments of players in the industry, including potential investors. “It is essential for investors to understand the issues and opportunities in solar energy in order to place their capital effectively.  The Principal Solar Institute believes that grid-parity for PV solar power is imminent, and its mainstream adoption will create value for both financiers and consumers,” Thompson said.