InREA » Upcoming Events

Union City Hosts Boomtown III on Friday, Oct. 21; Energy Programs for Everyone

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:14:23 +0000

Boomtown III will be presented this year in Partnership with Clean Fuels Ohio and Greater Indiana Clean Cities on Friday, October 21.

The event will take place on Friday, October 21 from 9AM – 4 PM at Union City Community High School in Union City, Indiana.

For more information about how to participate as an Exhibitor see: BOOMTOWN III Sponsorship Package

You can review the agenda and register here via EventBrite. http://boomtowniii.eventbrite.com/

More details forthcoming soon.

Want to participate in upcoming ASES/InREA Solar and Renewable Energy Tours in Indiana Sat., Oct. 1st?

laura — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:30:26 +0000

The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is sponsoring the National Solar Tour (NST) again this year and planning is now underway for Indiana Solar and Renewable Energy Tours throughout the state of Indiana on Saturday, October 1, 2011. This will be the third year that the Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) will be coordinating tours.

There will be a big push this year to collect information on all solar and renewable energy projects throughout the state whether or not these projects are actually on the physical tours. The compilation of this data is expected to result in a new Virtual Solar and Renewable Energy Tour presentation which will be unveiled at InREA’s annual meeting in November 2011 and will eventually be uploaded for viewing on this website.

In the meantime, we urge everyone with a solar photovoltaic system to also participate in The Open PV Project sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This is the type of data base that InREA hopes to create and we need your help.

Please let us know if you would like to participate by sending an email to: info@indianarenew.org.

See EVENTS http://www.indianarenew.org/events/.

Solar PV Training Program Offered in Brown County to Prep for NACEB Exam

laura — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:38:32 +0000

Greetings Fellow InREA Members:

Hey, how are you doing?

I wanted to reach out and spread the word about an upcoming solar training in August at the Brown County Career Resource Center located in Nashville, IN. This course will prep participants to sit for the NABCEP entry level exam. BCCRC is only one of two NABCEP approved “Entry Level” providers in the entire state of Indiana. You don’t have to drive to Wisconsin or Ohio!!

This is a fantastic opportunity to garner a RE credential and get a head start in the renewable energy field. The NABCEP credential is nationally recognized. If you know someone who might be interested, by all means…. pass this e-mail on.

The Details:

Solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) program at the Brown County Career Resource Center August 8-13, 2011

The Brown County Career Resource Center, located in Nashville, IN is offering a week long solar electric workshop. The course is designed for people looking to gain basic knowledge with solar PV technology and provide participants to sit for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) PV Entry Level Exam. Students attending the workshop will learn solar PV electricity basics, solar energy fundamentals, PV module fundamentals, PV site assessment, PV system components, PV system sizing, PV system design, working safely with PV and PV markets and applications. Participants will be given some hands-on training. Participants who have completed the workshop will be able to sit for the NABCEP PV Entry level exam.
The last day 8/13, will be a 1/2 day review to help students prepare for the exam, then the exam will be administered that afternoon.

The workshop is taught by NABCEP certified PV installer, Alex Jarvis.

Learning Objectives

The NABCEP PV Entry Level exam program is based on a set of learning objectives developed by a committee of PV subject matter experts. The learning objectives include ten (10) skill sets:
Photo Voltaic (PV) Solar Markets and Applications
Safety Basics
Electricity Basics
Solar Energy Fundamentals
PV Module Fundamentals
System Components
PV System Sizing
PV System Mechanical and Electrical Design
PV Siting
Performance Analysis, Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Time Table:
August 8-12 from 8:00 am – 5:00 PM
NABCEP Test August 13 or by arrangement.

Location:
Brown County Career Resource Center
246 E. Main Street, P.O. Box 2087 Nashville, IN 47448

Cost:
$650
Includes textbook, workshop materials and the NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam.

This coursework is offered at easily twice the price from other training providers.
We have tried our best provide excellent training while at the same time keeping the enrollment cost down. Space is limited so don’t wait too long to enroll.

Please contact: David Bartlett (812) 988-5880 or dbartlett@brownco.k12.in.us
or Shiela Roccia, sroccia@brownco.k12.in.us

Thank you,
Alex Jarvis

Watch This Space! An open letter from INREA President

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:16:00 +0000

Welcome back to the beginning!

Many INREA members have been wondering where we went as instability in membership on the board has slowed both progress and communications. But, if you watch this blog and our soon-to-be-new website, you will soon see the results of a new ground swell of activity in INREA. Since the new board was voted in at the end of February, momentum has been building.

We will soon be asking for you, our membership, to become more engaged, and we will provide ample and specific opportunities for that engagement.

First–restating our mission. We are renewing our focus on building public awareness and aiding in the education on issues of renewable energy in all its forms.

How will we do that? This year, we will focus on two very high-profile activities:

1. The Indiana Renewable Energy Conference, July 20-21.Discussion panels are being formed now on topics of geothermal, small wind, solar thermal, and PV thermal. There will be many opportunities to teach, learn, and most of all, HELP!

2. The National Solar Tour, October 1. You can see details from previous solar tours on the indianarenew.org. We will need local organizers throughout the state to help and/or host tours in their own communities, to showcase real people who own real renewable systems and allow-close-up experiences.

Next–mobilizing our membership. This may be the first you have heard of these events. Why might that be? We have not gotten the word out as effectively as we should. Well, we’re making some significant mechanical changes to improve communications to our members. Here is what is happening:

*** The new members of the board have gotten acclimated and are starting to gain traction. Those new board members are:

- Chris Rohaly, President

- Chris Maher, Vice President

- Mark Oehler, Treasurer

- Travis Murphy, At Large Member

*** The website, indianarenew.org, is undergoing a refresh, and should be updated in the near future. If you are web-savvy and can volunteer of your time to help with upkeep once the transition is complete, please let us know.

*** The ASES convention in May — INREA will represent the state of Indiana in the person of Chris Maher, Vice President.

*** Our IRS tax status, which has been a bit of a soap opera, appears close to being resolved after the resubmission of lost paperwork.

*** For those who are following energy legislation, this has been a busy year in the State House. Please see the IDEA blog (indianadg.wordpress.blog) for all the details.

I’m pleased to trusted to serve as your president. We (the Board of Directors) have great plans: more programs, face-to-face meetings with members, membership drives, newsletters: but these plans cannot be executed by a board of directors. We welcome your input, invite your suggestions & expertise, and more than anything, request your involvement. That alone will enable the resurgence of INREA and further renewable energy understanding across the state.

Please feel free to contact any of the board members with questions or input. Information on every member, including contact information, will be included on the updated website, or you can reply to me via this blog post.

Thanks for your past and future support. Let’s get the word out!

Best Regards,

Chris Rohaly

Green Alternatives, Inc

2011 President, Indiana Renewable Energy Association

Save the Dates: July 20-21, 2011 for Indiana Renewable Energy Conference

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:15:00 +0000

For more details and updates CLICK HERE.

WIndiana 2011 will be even Even Bigger and Better!

After 3 years of being Indiana’s only statewide wind industry conferences WIndiana 2011 is expanding to include the Indiana Renewable Energy Conference. Plus this year the Indiana Renewable Energy Association will be involved in the planning and presentation of entire track of “how-to” sessions for residential and small business owners on wind, solar PV and solar thermal systems.

DATES: July 20-21, 2011

PLACE: Indianapolis Convention Center

This year’s conference will include:

Sessions on Utility-level Wind, Solar, Biomass
How-to sessions for residential/small business Wind-Solar PV- Solar Thermal
National and State Speakers
Wind farm Tour-Solar Installation Tour-Biomass Tour
Expanded Exhibition Floor and hours
Continuing Education sessions for K-12 teachers

Registration Opens Soon!

Come back here and check for the opening of registration, or follow us on Twitter: IndianaEnergy

Interested in being a sponsor or exhibitor at WIndiana 2011? Click Here for Details.

This information brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.

Pre-election Look at Federal Energy Legislation Options by Neil Brown with Office of Sen. Lugar

admin — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Join us for a Webinar on October 21

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat Now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/792913553

The Indiana Renewable Energy Association in conjunction with Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates are sponsoring a Special Webinar with Neil Brown with the Office of Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana.

Sen. Lugar and his proposed federal energy policy was the subject of a recent Indianapolis Star Guest Editorial by John Mutz. See http://indianarenew.blogspot.com/2010/10/mutz-says-lugar-plan-outshines-other.html

Although no one can predict the outcome of the November 2nd elections and its impact on federal energy policy, we can look back at what policies and proposals were introduced and look forward to see those that might be on the table during the lame duck session of Congress.

In early June, Sen. Lugar introduced his Practical Energy and Climate Plan or S. 3464. Later in June, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) prepared a memorandum that provided a short summary and comparison of four legislative proposals that were under some level of consideration in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Lugar’s proposal was one of the four discussed. While all four proposals fall within the broad category of energy and climate change policy, the specifics of the proposals vary significantly, and their approaches vary in many ways.

For more details and a link to the CRS report, visit http://indianadg.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/crs-comparison-of-selected-energy-climate-change-bills/

Brown will both look back and look forward on these federal energy and climate change proposals.

Neil Brown is an advisor to Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana. He serves as a Senior Professional Staff Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with responsibility for energy security and the Nunn-Lugar non-proliferation program. Neil earned masters degrees in political theory and forced migration while studying as a Rhodes Scholar at University of Oxford (UK). He also holds a BA from Harvard University. He has done substantial field work while living in South Asia, Namibia and Egypt, and he has previously worked with the Harvard Institute for International Development and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2009, Neil was a Washington Fellow of the National Review Institute. He is a board member of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars, a trustee of the Merton College Charitable Corporation. Neil is from Iowa, where his family farm is located.

Webinar Title: Pre-election Look at Federal Energy Legislation Options by Neil Brown with Office of Sen. Dick Lugar

Date: Thursday, October 21, 2010

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.