Explore green and solar homes near you!   

From the coast to the desert, Rogue Valley to the Columbia Gorge, Oregonians are gearing up for The Oregon Green and Solar Tours--one of the biggest events of their kind in the nation.  The tour in Bend will include LEED Platinum and Net Zero houses. John Day's tour includes an off-grid home. Ashland's tour boasts the Solar Pioneer II site, a community solar electricity-generating facility. Wherever you are in Oregon, there's an exciting tour near you!  

 >>Click here to learn more  

Getting to Zero Net Energy for Transportation   

 
By Bruce Barney, Solar Oregon Board Member

 

I bought a Nissan Leaf in June, and have been driving it extensively ever since.  Through the process, I've developed some ideas about pros and cons of EV's, characteristics of who might be a good candidate for enjoying owning an EV, and how to evaluate an EV (and comparisons to hybrid vehicles and plug in hybrids).  I wanted to share some of these ideas, and thought the readers of Solar Oregon's newsletter might benefit.

>>Click here to read more

The Oregon Department of Energy is seeking input on their new Energy Incentives Programs (formerly the Business Energy Tax Credit), and the Residential Energy Tax Credit program. The Department will present a framework for the new programs and solicit public input through two webinars.  

As the webinar proceeds, the public may submit written comments and questions, which Department staff will take into account when drafting temporary rules set to be released at the end of October. A process and schedule for permanent rulemaking will also be released in October.

Solar Oregon encourages you to participate and make your voice heard!! 

 >>Click here to read more and register with the Oregon Department of Energy to participate!   

 

Meet Joe Balich,
Solar Oregon's News Management and Social Media Intern! 

 

 Joe Balich recently moved to Portland from Washington DC where he spent a year working in the U.S. Senate for a Congressional Leadership office. In 2010, he received his Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Environmental Policy from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. Being a conservationist at heart, Joe has worked as a zoo keeper in Oakland, CA (his hometown) and conducted hands on research in Rainforest Management in the jungles of Queensland, Australia.  

>>Click here to learn more about Joe

Save the Date!

Solar Oregon will celebrate it's first annual fundraising dinner on November 2nd at A Cena Ristorante in Sellwood! Purchasing a ticket gets you a five-course meal with wine pairings at one of Portland's best restaurants; more importantly, it will support the programming and workshops Solar Oregon provides throughout the state.

More details will follow in next month's newsletter. 

Goal Net Zero Interest Group

September 19 

Join us this evening to hear author and conservationist Andy Kerr talk to us about his super insulated, active- and passive-solar, zero net energy, toxin-free home. The discussion will detail major solar design and other green features and discuss choices and tradeoffs between cost, "greenness," and effectiveness of the material and design choices.

>>Click here for more information and to RSVP

It's the first ever Salem Solar Drinks!

Join us this month at the Historic Grand Theatre and Ballroom in downtown Salem! Building owners Eric Kittleson and Carole Smith will talk to us about the process of retrofitting an historic building in Salem.

Local wine will be provided by Solar Oregon professional member National Solar.

>>Click here for more info and to RSVP