Rarely does a month go by when one or more of Inovateus’ 40-plus team members doesn’t attend an industry conference. These events range from premier corporate events such as Intersolar North America and Solar Power International to smaller local conferences that help us keep in touch with our Midwest base. Suits and fancy booths are more the norm among the industry’s top players at these shows.
The Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, however, is different from any other item on our show calendar. For 28 years, the event in Custer, Wisconsin, has drawn a crowd more closely aligned with the solar industry’s West Coast 1970s roots. With its super-friendly atmosphere and laidback vibe, the fair was a wonderful change of pace from the more straight-laced conferences I have attended. Along with my three fellow Inovateus team members, we engaged with attendees over the extended mid-June weekend, promoting our supply group and making the most of our first time as a sponsor.
Organized by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, the temporary tent city featured more than 150 vendors, presenting everything from high-tech EV charging station design and solar installation services to composting toilets, off-grid cookware and maple syrup-making gear. The educational portion of the fair had a full schedule of seminars and workshops, and when it was time to eat, there were plenty of tasty food and drink options, featuring mostly regionally sourced organic options.
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The fair attracted a very diverse group of people to Wisconsin. Here’s one example of the wide range of folks on hand. Early one morning, Michael Allen, an attorney for Cleantech Law Partners, approached the Inovateus booth. A pioneer in the field of renewable energy law, the full-service firm’s network of lawyers can be found across the U.S., working exclusively for solar, storage and wind developers and other stakeholders. The next fellow who came to our booth had “LOVE” prominently tattooed on his face and did not practice law. He showed us his solar-powered vehicle, which operated on a combination of solar and pedal power. He made me feel like I was at the Woodstock of renewable energy events.
The main tent had enough seating for more than 500 people and included a main stage powered by 12 electric bikes, which were pedaled by a rotating group of sweaty volunteers. I managed to “power ride” for the lunchtime and dinner keynote speakers, the latter of which was JB Stroubel, chief technical officer and co-founder of Tesla. A Wisconsin native, JB gave an exciting talk about the future of the electric grid, energy storage, and Tesla’s direction as a company of societal change. His engineering team has 30 patents and is overseeing the rollout of the new Model 3 electric vehicles, a half-million of which will be available by next year, according to Tesla.
There was a lot of fun to be had at the fair as well. Live music provided a welcome soundtrack throughout the weekend, with bluegrass group Sloppy Joe tearing it up on the main stage Saturday night. Meanwhile, a rowdier crowd enjoyed the solar car demolition derby next door, featuring shoebox-sized remote-controlled electric cars and drivers dressed as Mario Kart characters. You haven’t lived until you’ve watched solar-powered vehicles crash and burn in a tiny arena surrounded by screaming patrons and strobe lights with Rage Against the Machine blaring. A moving interview with the late Richard Perez from Jeff Spies’ upcoming documentary film paid tribute to the one of the original solar pioneers. Perez, who played a significant role in the growth of solar in the early years of the industry, founded Home Power magazine, which provided practical information on just about everything homeowners needed to know in order to buy and install solar for themselves.
On behalf of the Inovateus team, I’d like to give big shout out to the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and its volunteers, who did a fantastic job welcoming and helping the vendors. We had a great time and met a lot of good people, and plan to be back in Custer for next year’s fair.
By Tim Powers, strategic research administrator, Inovateus Solar
