New England is home to established PV companies including Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates and GT Advanced Technologies; a host of innovative silicon-oriented start-ups including 1366 Technologies, SiOnyx, Bandgap Engineering, and Twin Creeks; and the historical Mobil-Tyco and Crystal Systems. Local universities include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard, Yale, Boston University, Brown, Dartmouth, and Boston College. Local institutes include the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems and the Fraunhofer Center of Manufacturing Innovation, Industrial Research.

Mid-to-late October is beautiful folliage season in New England. Colorful reds, oranges, and yellows can be seen in the forests of the Blue Hills and World's End south of Boston, and when hiking Mount Monadnock or other White Mountains of New Hampshire. Neighboring seaside towns capture the maritine spirit of the region, including Rockport, Glouchester, Salem, Ipswitch, and Plymouth. Historical cities include Lexington and Concord, where the U.S. Independence War began. Other nearby attractions include Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket), Providence, Newport, and Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island), and coves and harbors of Maine. Major cities within ~1 hr plane ride include New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Montréal (Canada).