The solar industry will be the focus of the upcoming SunShot Initiative Summit and Technology Forum on June 13-14, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. Hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE), the forum aims to develop a plan to achieve grid-parity solar energy within the decade.  To promote development, the DOE is sponsoring a Grand Challenge series designed to address the scientific, technological, and market barriers to achieving breakthroughs in national energy challenges.

The SunShot Summit and Technology Forum will include sessions featuring industry leaders and Energy Secretary Steven Chu; offer discussions focused on key priorities and transformational ideas needed to achieve the SunShot goal of cost-competitive solar by the end of the decade; and offer a technology forum featuring exhibits from a wide range of SunShot partners and grant recipients, as well as Department of Energy National Laboratories.

Leading up to the SunShot Initiative Summit, Energy.gov is running a special series that shares personal success stories from across America’s growing solar workforce – from finance experts, to scientists, to engineers. According to the Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2011, more than 100,000 Americans are now employed in the solar industry. The kick-off, which took place yesterday, featured a solar industry slideshow, giving a look into the daily lives of the U.S. solar community at large.