Green Energy Ohio Events: 2001

Green Energy Ohio Events: 2001

January 2001

February 2001

16 - Ohio News Conferences on Repowering the Midwest Report: The Clean Energy Plan for the Heartland - Columbus/Cleveland - Green Energy Ohio, Ohio Environmental Council, Environmental Law & Policy Center of the Midwest

17-18 - GEO Board of Trustees Strategic Planning Retreat - Oberlin College

24-March 4 - Columbus Home & Garden Show - GEO Green Machine

March 2001

March - Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Assn. Conference - Johnstown - GEO Green Machine

April 2001

17 - Green Energy Ohio Annual Meeting - Cleveland

22 - Earthfest 2001 - Cleveland Zoo - Green Energy Exhibit/GEO Solar House

25 - Ohio Alliance for the Environment Conference - Columbus - GEO Green Machine

May 2001

12 - Clean Energy Alternatives for Consumer Workshop - Westerville - Green Energy Ohio, Ohio Environmental Council, EcoTeams Columbus

19-20 - Hessler Street Fair - Cleveland - Green Energy Ohio Booth

23 - School Days at Cleveland MetroParks - Green Energy Ohio Solar House

June 2001

21 - Green Energy Ohio Wind Briefing - Lakewood - Green Energy Ohio

22-15 ComFest - Green Energy Ohio Booth/GEO Green Machine - Columbus

28 - Wind Conference - Columbus - Ohio Municipal Utility Leaders Workshop, AMP-Ohio, Green Energy Ohio Safe Energy Communication Council - Columbus

July 2001

29 - Wind Star One World Conference - GEO Exec. Director Bill Spratley on "Greening Ohio" - Camp Mary Orton - Columbus

August

August 14 - GEO Cleveland Speaker Series / Members Meeting

Guest Speaker: Qadwi Bey from Renewable Alternatives Energy Intl., Cleveland, OH

Qadwi will talk about the African American Museum's African Solar Village display, his Zimbabwe village electrification project, his research internship program, and much more.

Hear about solar projects around town and around the world! Please join us.

August 23 - GEO Solar Committee Volunteers Meeting

Treated to a tour of the Design Group's passive solar 4-story building at 515 East Main Street in downtown Columbus, 13 volunteers began work on GEO's Fall solar energy events in the Columbus area (see Sept./Oct. above). Design Group Principal Jack Hedge is Chrm. of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Columbus Committee on the Environment

September 2001

September 5-6 - GEO Exhibit/ GEO Green Machine at State of Ohio's Earth Share of Ohio Employee Giving Fair, 10 AM-1:30 PM at the Riffe State Office Bldg, 77 South High Street, Columbus on Wednesday, September 5 and same time at the Rhodes State Office Bldg., 30 East Broad Street on Thursday, September 6

September 6 - 7:30 AM Thursday Breakfast Meeting of GEO Solar/Volunteer Committee - Location to be Announced in Downtown Columbus Near GEO Exhibit at Rhodes State Office Bldg.

September 9 - 4 to 7 PM GEO Exhibit at the Westerville Riverfest at Alum Creek Park - Visit the pre-concert GEO Exhibit and GEO Green Machine along with other environmental group exhibits and fun river activities presented by FAC, Friends of Alum Creek. Westerville Electric Division Customers are encouraged to complete the Green Power Survey.

September 11 - "Renewable Alternative Energy: Solar Energy. Photovoltaic Cells and Design and Implementation of Solar Energy Systems." A Talk by Qadwi Bey, President of R.A. Energy Intl. at the next meeting of the Association of Energy Engineers. Association of Energy Engineers' Mission Statement: The Association of Energy Engineers' mission is to promote the scientific and educational interests of those engaged in the energy industry and to foster cooperative action in advancing the common purposes of its members and to promote activities designed to enable the industry to be conducted with the greatest economy and efficiency.

October 2001

October 4: GEO Solar/ Volunteers Committee Meeting, 7:30 Breakfast - Location to be announced. Join GEO in assisting with the October solar tour and solar installer workshop and other events in the Central Ohio area.

October 7: GEO Exhibit/Green Machine at Westerville Electric Division Open House, 139 East Broadway, Westerville, Ohio - Learn about "Westerville Going Solar"

October 10: "A Solar Homebuilder & Ohio's Green Market", A Luncheon Presentation by Don Bradley, President, Solar Strategies Development Corp. Temple, Pennsylvania, www.solarstrategies.com was attended by 115 people from all over Ohio at the Clarion Hotel in Worthington. The GEO Green Machine, GEO display and lots of informational brochures were available. Unfortunately, Don Bradley was unable to make it on the day of the event due to a sickness in the family. However, at this largest event ever for GEO, the Ohio Solar Tours Booklets (October 13 & 14 - see below) were presented and described along with other information by the GEO Board Members in attendance: Lisa Hong, Robert Martin, Matthew Bennett, Michelle Greenfield, Jack Hedge, Greg Kuss and John Witte. An overview of GEO was presented by GEO Executive Director Bill Spratley along with the first-ever Central Ohio Solar Tour by GEO Member Dale Hooper. Other speakers from the other co-sponsors were: Judy Jones, Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Administrator at the Ohio Dept. of Development Office of Energy Efficiency; New GEO Board Member, Jack Hedge, Principal of Design Group and Chair of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Columbus Committee on the Environment; Sadhu Johnston, Executive Director of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition; and Glen Kizer Foundation for Environmental Education. Another co-sponsor was the Safe Energy Communication Council. A late afternoon reception followed the October 10 event with a tour of the passive-solar Design Group architectural firm office building in downtown Columbus.

October 13: Northeast Ohio Tour of Solar Homes - GEO/American Solar Energy Society

The Fifth Annual Northeast Ohio Tour of Solar Homes and our first Central Ohio Tour of Solar Homes will run concurrently on October 13th. Check our website for tour details, or call us toll-free at 1-866-GREENOH for more information!

October 13: Athens Area Solar Home Tour - Third-Sun Renewable Energy Services

Reservations are required for this bus tour. There are two tours at 9 AM and 2 PM, leaving from the ACEnet parking lot, 94 Columbus Road, Athens.

October 14: Central Ohio Solar Tour - GEO/American Solar Energy Society

After a rainy morning, 23 Ohioans participated in this first ever GEO/ASES guided tour of 5 solar installations in the Columbus area from 1 PM to 5 PM on Sunday, October 14. See descriptions of the tour stops and some great photos of the

Ohio Tours of Solar Homes

GEO/ASES Fifth Annual NE Ohio Tour of Solar Homes, Saturday October 13, 2001

ASES Athens Area Solar Home Tour, Saturday, October 13, 2001

GEO/ASES Central Ohio Solar Tour, Sunday, October 14, 2001

A New Declaration of Energy Independence

Under the American flag pole lighted by solar power, Ohioans mark the first ever GEO/American Solar Energy Society Central Ohio Solar Tour on October 14, 2001 at the Westerville Electric Division. See the 3 Ohio tour links above for photos and facts about energy security from renewable resources of, by and for the people of Ohio.

October 21: Ohio Solar Installer Consumer Workshop

Solar installers met with 57 citizens from across Ohio to explain what it takes to put a solar or photovoltaic system on homes. The workshop speakers were GEO Members and solar installers: Matt Bennett, Dovetail Solar; Geoff Greenfield, Third Sun Renewable Energy; and John Witte, Integrated Solar, LLC Also at the workshop, participants learned about the Ohio Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund and how to save money by applying for a Renewable Energy Loan. Amanda Rhoads, GEO Project Coordinator substituted for Tom Maves, Renewable Energy Specialist for the Ohio Dept. of Development Office of Energy Efficiency to explain and answer questions about this new state financial incentive to promote more renewable energy. Now solar units in Ohio can be net metered or tied to the electric grid (with or without batteries) and your home's electric meter actually turns in reverse when your solar unit is producing more than your home needs. Net metering was a topic at the workshop along with discussion of residential wind and solar thermal systems and energy efficiency measures.

Ohio Solar Installers Workshop

Some 57 citizens from across Ohio met and talked to solar installers to find out what it takes to put a solar or photovoltaic system on their homes. The session was held Sunday, October 21, 2001 at the Worthington Clarion Hotel. The workshop speakers at the 2 PM to 5 PM free consumer workshop were GEO Members and solar installers: Matt Bennett, Dovetail Solar Geoff Greenfield, Third Sun Renewable Energy John Witte, Integrated Solar, LLC.

Ohio solar installers talk to workshop, left to right, Geoff Greenfield, Matt Bennett and John Witte.

Also at the workshop, attendees learned about the Ohio Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund and how you can save money by applying for a Renewable Energy Loan. GEO Project Coordinator Amanda Rhoads substituted for Tom Maves, Renewable Energy Specialist for the co-sponsoring Ohio Dept. of Development Office of Energy Efficiency to explain and answer questions about the loan fund and other state financial incentives to promote more renewable energy. Now solar units in Ohio can be net metered or tied to the electric grid (with or without batteries) and your home's electric meter actually turns in reverse when your solar unit is producing more than your home needs. The workshop moderated by GEO Executive Director Bill Spratley also covered net metering with installer discussion of residential wind and solar thermal systems and energy efficiency measures. See more photos of the workshop here.

An earlier May 12, 2001 Clean Energy Alternatives Workshop attended by 35 people from across Ohio at the Westerville, Ohio Electric Division headquarters also featured a solar installer and information about green power.

See October 25 Green Mountain Energy News Release on Ohio's First Competitive Solar Power Array at Lake Farmpark & Upcoming Wind Study

November 2001

November 3:

GEO organized a tour attended by 37 Ohioans to see eight 1.3 MegaWatt wind turbine units near Garrett and new wind farm near Somerset, PA on Saturday, November 3. Brian KilKelly and Jim Gravelle from Green Mountain Energy Company accompanied GEO onto the property and provided access to the inside of a turbine's tower. See GEO photos of tour.

November 3, 2001: Tour of Green Mountain Wind Farm in Garrett, PA

Green Energy Ohio's November 3 tour to see two wind farms near Somerset, PA included 37 Ohioans shown above who left from Cleveland and Columbus. The 10.4 MW Green Mountain Energy wind farm in Garrett, PA consists of eight 1.3 megawatt wind turbine units. The Community Energy/Exelon wind project is a brand new 9 MW project with 1.5 MW Enron wind turbines which is visible from the PA Turnpike. See GEO Wind Farm Tour Photos. Also see Pennsylvania's State Government Buys Green Power on December 5, 2001.

November 8: GEO Exec. Director Speaks at Cleveland Engineering Society Conference

"Greening Ohio" was the topic for Bill Spratley, GEO Exec. Director, speaking at the Technology and Engineering session of the 5th Annual Energy Conference of the Cleveland Engineering Society on November 8 in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. A "Train the Trainer" meeting was held at the same location to kick-off the Ohio solar installer certification program including GEO, the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Assn. and the Florida Solar Energy Center.

November 15: Hancock County 19th Annual Environmental Awards Banquet Keynote Speaker was Mary Tucker, a native of the Findlay, Ohio area, who served recently as Chair of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Board of Directors. In the late '70s and early '80s, Mary Tucker led the first solar energy movement in Ohio. In July 1998 she returned to a Hilliard, Ohio meeting attended by 60 Ohioans that eventually led to formation of the Ohio Renewable Energy Organization in 1998 and its merger with SEED Ohio forming Green Energy Ohio in 2000, becoming the Ohio Chapter of ASES. Mary now works the Environmental Service Dept.of the City of San Jose, California - the state's 3rd largest city. See her .pdf presentation on San Jose - Solar City at the Oct. 2 UPEx solar conference in Sacramento.