January 23, 2013 is when #SolarChat will focus on what lies ahead in solar 2013. Solar fortune telling, so to speak?

Joining Raina Russo (@EcoOutfitters), co-founder and president of EcoOutfitters.net,  will be James Tong (@CleanPwrFinance), senior director of strategic initiatives at Clean Power Finance; Paula Mints (@PaulaMints1), founder and chief market research analyst of Solar PV Market Research; and Barry Cinnamon (@BCinnamon), founder of Akeena Solar.

In 2011 and 2012, Mr. Tong researched and designed three projects to address the soft costs of solar and was awarded a total of $4.5MM from the Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. He is currently leading the development of the National Solar Permitting Database: the online, open-source database will consolidate data and best practices for permitting requirements of AHJs throughout the nation and make them freely accessible to all stakeholders. Mr. Tong previously served as VP of marketing at Acro Energy and consulted for multiple companies and organizations promoting the adoption of solar. He brings expert knowledge of the key cost drivers for solar installation and the barriers to mass-market adoption and has spoken at various conferences, including Solar Power International. Prior to entering the solar industry, he served in various management positions at GE, where he completed its premier commercial leadership program. Mr. Tong earned a BA in economics from Yale University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Ms. Mints began her solar market research career in 1998 with Strategies Unlimited. In 2005 she left Strategies Unlimited for Navigant where she continued her practice until October 2012, when she founded SPV Market Research. Ms. Mints provides classic market research products based on primary research and focused on the supply and demand sides of the solar industry and its technologies.  She publishes often with Renewable Energy World and Renewable Energy Focus.  Recently her chapter, Overview of Photovoltaic Production, Markets and Perspectives, was published in the Fraunhofer/Elsevier book Advances in Photovoltaics Volume 1, edited by Dr. Gerhard Willeke and Dr. Eicke Weber. In 2012, Ms. Mints spoke at several conferences, including the IEEE PVSC and EU PVSEC, where she presented her work on photovoltaic technology pricing.  She is currently working on a book for Artech House titled Future Photovoltaic Technology Development and Market Direction.

Mr. Cinnamon is a long-time advocate of renewable energy and is a widely recognized solar power expert. Based on decades of hands-on industry experience, Mr. Cinnamon develops business strategies for renewable energy companies as they navigate this rapidly changing business environment. He started his career in the late 1970’s as a researcher into new flat plate and concentrating collector designs, and developed the first residential energy audit program for utilities. He went on to design and install active solar, passive solar and ground coupled heat pump systems. In 2001 he founded Akeena Solar – which grew to become the largest national residential solar installer by the middle of the decade. He partnered with Westinghouse to create Westinghouse Solar in 2010, and merged the company with CBD Energy in 2012. His pioneering work on reducing costs of rooftop solar power systems led to over 30 issued and applied for patents, including a number of products that transformed the solar industry -- including Andalay, the first solar panel with integrated racking, grounding and wiring; the first UL listed AC solar panel; and the first fully “plug and play” AC solar panel. His current efforts are focused on reducing the “soft costs” for solar power systems, which cause system prices in the U.S. to be double those of Germany.

For those new to Twitter, a hashtag (#) is an easy way to find and follow people who are tweeting about a certain topic. #SolarChat, founded by EcoOutfitters.net's Raina Russo, has a simple mission: Curious consumers, energy experts, and installation professionals can tune into Twitter at the designated chat time to share advice and resources, weigh in on discussion topics, pose questions or concerns, and work together to advance solar awareness.

#SolarChat is held on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST.