Hello All!

Just a quick note to remind everyone of our August Solar First Saturday seminar topic.  We will be covering the Berkeley Plan, which will provide solar (among other energy efficiency measures) at no out of pocket expense to the customer.  Even with rebates the out of pocket expense can be too restrictive for the widespread adoption of solar solutions.  This plan fixes that issue by providing low interest loans to cover the costs.

Here is the description for this weekend’s seminar :

August Topic: HB1937 a.k.a. “The Berkeley Plan”… What it is… What it will do for you… And how to implement it.

HB1937 gives municipalities the authority to create special districts to finance energy conservation improvements like PV systems and solar water heating for individuals who then pay back the loan over a period (expected to be 20 years) as a line item added to their property taxes.  This means that essentially there would be no out-of-pocket expense for the homeowner to put solar on their home.  Coupled with the rebates offered in Austin and many other parts of the state, it makes for a very compelling proposition for those interested in clean renewable energy for their homes.

The bill becomes effective on September 1st, but the work has only just begun.  Although the Governor has signed the bill, it is up to the grass roots efforts of each community interested in such a plan to get it implemented.

We will also discuss PV system configurations including microinverter approaches.

Date: August 1st, 2009

Time: 9am to 12pm

Location:
Habitat Suites
500 East Highland Mall Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78752
Habitat Suites is Austin’s award winning “green hotel.” Ecological Consciousness in Action is Habitat Suites’ commitment to creating an environmentally sustainable future for us all.  Click here for more information on Habitat Suites.

See you Saturday!

Richard

ImagineSolar’s Summer/Fall Schedule has an exciting line-up.  We will be hitting the road in August and September, but will remain in Austin in July for a 40-hr NABCEP-approved PV System Design & Installation Workshop.  Solar First Saturday returns in August.  We will be presenting 2 topics – the recently passed HB1937 and a bird’s eye view on micro-inverters. In August we also head to Dallas to conduct a NABCEP-approved 40-hr PV System Design and Installation Workshop at the Electrical Training Center.  Both workshops are filling up fast so enroll while there are available seats.

September is a busy month for ImagineSolar.  We have introduced an Advanced PV-1 class to take place the first weekend in September.  Students will have the opportunity to prepare for the NABCEP PV Installer Certification Exam.  Prerequisite for this weekend workshop is our 40-hr PV System Design and Installation Workshop or equivalent training.  Following Advanced PV-1, on September 7th, learn about one of the most exciting technology advances in the solar industry – Micro-Inverters – in a 1-day seminar.  Rounding out September in Fredericksburg, we will be holding a 40-hr PV System Design & Installation Workshop as a training partner with TREIA and TXSES prior to the weekend Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair.

Finally, in October, we introduce our very first weekend class – for those of you that are unable to enroll for our workshops held on weekdays, we hope this 2-weekend workshop will give you the option to attend.

Stay tuned for additional schedule additions.

~Nora

Michael Kuhn, President & CEO of ImagineSolar, has been awarded Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) Master Trainer accreditation by Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).  He is the first accredited ISPQ Master Trainer in Texas to secure this prestigious award and one of eight in the country.  The ISPQ Standard was developed by the Institute for Sustainable Power (ISP).  In July 2005, IREC became the North American Licensee for the ISPQ Standard. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council is managing all aspects of the ISPQ accreditation and certification designations and is responsible for the application, audit, award and maintenance of the award. This International Standard specifies requirements for competency, quality systems, resources, and qualification of a curriculum against which trainers and training programs can be evaluated.  After a rigorous application and audit process through Spring 2009, Michael Kuhn was awarded ISPQ Master Trainer accreditation on June 18, 2009.

The courses specifically covered by the ISPQ Affiliated Master Training Certification are the following Austin Community College courses:

HART 1071 Solar Electric Systems, Entry Level; HART 1072 Advanced Solar PV Installer; HART 1073 Solar Thermal Systems; HART 1074 Problem Solving for PV System Design & Installation; and, ELMT 2474 Solar Photovoltaic Systems

ImagineSolar President and CEO Michael Kuhn will speak on the Shades of Green radio show on station 91.7FM KOOP on Thursday July 2^nd from 1-2 PM CST.  Shades of Green is “Austin’s Environmental Talk Magazine” covering topics in sustainability & conservation, health, renewable energy, permaculture, & natural building.  Michael will talk about solar energy issues and the project to get KOOP radio solar powered.  The show is hosted by John Hoffner, Ken McKenzie-Grant, and Jenny Nazak.

Here is the Livescribe “pencast” of Michael’s interview on KOOP 91.7.  Please not that you can click on any portion of the notes to hear the audio that was being recorded at the time the note was taken: