The GW Solar Institute held its 3rd Annual Symposium on solar energy, discussing it as a critical component for meeting clean energy challenges. Key barriers to greater solar energy adoption are its higher upfront costs compared to conventional electricity and variability of output. However, solar energy is becoming relatively more attractive given issues with other energy sources like instability in the Middle East, the Gulf oil spill, Japan's nuclear crisis, climate change concerns, and environmental damage from activities like fracking and coal extraction. Avoiding these external costs of other energy sources helps offset solar's initial cost difference.