Wishing you could be in Copenhagen for the Climate Conference? If you can't get to Denmark, there's an alternative closer to home.

The Solar Energy Industries Association of Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia (MDV-SEIA) will be hosting a solar energy sustainability conference this week. Lectures and workshops will focus on making solar energy more affordable and available to consumers in the long run.

The conference will be held from December 3 - 5 at the Hilton Hotel in Gaithersburg, Md. Featured speakers on Friday include John Byrne, a member of the 2007 Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Jigar Shah, CEO of Carbon War Room. The conference will also include smaller-scale discussions on topics ranging from regional solar policies and incentives to testimonials from residential solar panel users.

Registration fees vary from $295 for non-members to $85 for students. Contact the MDV-SEIA for registration information.