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May 2012
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| THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS: | |
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Thanks to our new and renewing Professional Members and Solar Supporters!
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| Solar Ambassadors |
TrekHaus Portland, OR
Ella and Randy have been on a Goal Net Zero "trek" for over a decade. Their journey culminated recently in the construction of a duplex that incorporates passive and active solar, phase change materials in the walls, triple-glazed windows, a heat-pump water heater, a mini-split heat pump, a heat-recovery ventilator, and a system of monitors to track the building's performance.
TrekHaus was featured in the 2012 Goal Net Zero Tour earlier this month. Much of the inspiration for TrekHaus came from homes Ella and Randy visited on the 2010 Goal Net Zero Tour. What a treat to see attendees from past tours realize their dream to construct their own futuristic and sustainable home! Thanks for sharing your journey with the rest of us, Ella and Randy, and for pushing the frontier of sustainability in residential construction (and behavior)!
>>Click here to read more about TrekHaus
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| Volunteer for Solar Oregon! |
 Contact Volunteer Coordinator Emily Krafft to find out about upcoming opportunities at emily@solaroregon.org
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World Comes to Denver for ASES/WREF Conference
By Solar Oregon Board Member Doug Boleyn
Delegates from across the globe came to Denver last week for the World Renewable Energy Forum (WREF), which included the 2012 American Solar Energy Society Annual Conference. It was a busy week in Denver that also brought the Developing Unconventional Oil (DUO) Conference held at the same time - at the same Denver Convention Center!
>>Click here to read more
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Join Solar Oregon!
Solar Oregon has lowered the cost of annual Individual Membership to $40.00! Last year Solar Oregon spent a great deal of time working on our three-year strategic plan, hiring and training staff, relocating to a new home, starting new community programs, and working to ensure that solar energy incentives become available to everyone in Oregon. Thanks to your generosity our organization is now stronger and more able to drive demand for solar in our region.
There are still m any challenges and obstacles to overcome in the coming years for solar energy in Oregon. Now, more than ever, we require support from people like you to keep the momentum towards a carbon-neutral future on track. Support through membership directly impacts our ability to continue educating and advocating for solar energy throughout Oregon.
To become a member today, click here.
Please call the office or email adam@solaroregon.org with any questions you have. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Science Pub Portland
"Driving on Sunshine"
As more solar power comes online and more plug-in electric vehicles begin driving through our communities, it is increasingly important that we design creative solutions that intelligently connect these technologies to our electrical grid. How can solar power and electric vehicles work together to support a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid? What needs to be done to safely and affordably integrate these technologies into our neighborhoods and cities? Hear from Cameron Coleman from InSpec, in partnership with the Citizens' Utility Board of Oregon and Solar Oregon, who will discuss what our sustainable energy future could look like.
Date: June 19, 2012 Time: Doors open at 5:30pm. Presentation begins at 7:00pm Cost: $5 suggested cover charge. No RSVP or tickets required. Location: Mission Theater: 1624 NW Glisan Street map it Access: 21+ with ID, or minor with adult >>Click here for more information about this event
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Meet Solar Oregon's new
Events Coordinator!
Born and raised  in the Portland area, Kaleen Boyle has long been an avid supporter of sustainable living. She graduated from Portland State University (PSU), where she focused her studies on Sustainable Community Development, and spent two years coordinating Portland's Multi-Family Recycling Program through Community Environmental Services, a research and service unit within the Center for Urban Studies in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at PSU.
After college Kaleen spent two years in Dublin, Ireland, soaking up the Irish approach to renewable energy and the local culture.
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Anti-Dumping Duties Set at
31% to 250%
By Seth Masia
Reprinted courtesy of Solar Today, the online magazine of
The U.S. Department of Commerce today posted anti-dumping duties of just over 31 percent on solar cells and modules from the Chinese factories Suntech, Trina and about 6 0 other companies that provided data in cooperation with investigors. Chinese companies that declined to respond to the DoC investigation will pay 249.96 percent.These duties apply retroactively, back 90 days to mid-February. Importers must post bonds for these duties on all product shipped in since then. "It's too soon to tell how the market will respond to the new tariffs," said Ben Santarris, head of corporate communications for SolarWorld USA, the lead complainant in the case. "What we can say is that the government has found the Chinese industry guilty of criminal trade practices."
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Renewable energy technologies come into focus
An article by Gauri Kambhatla
8th Grade, Rachel Carson Environmental Middle School
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Solar Oregon Americorps Member Emily Krafft mentored Gauri Kambhatla
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Solar Oregon's youngest volunteer has been researching renewable energy as part of an independent project for her 8th grade class. In the article she wrote below, she shares with us her research findings and experience as a Solar Oregon volunteer.
We see it all around us. Every single day, when we look up in the sky, when we go to the beach, when we see leaves rustling in the wind. Renewable energy is in and can be used from all these places, from the giant gas ball above our heads to the waves crashing against the shore. It can be used from the hot water under our feet to the wind blowing through valleys high in the mountains. We all know what renewable energy is. Of course we do. But do we really? How do we capture this energy? How do we convert it into electricity? How does it work, what are the systems like? Do they work the same way every day despite the time of year, the climate, the elevation?
My name is Gauri Kambhatla, and I am an 8th grade student at Rachel Carson Environmental Middle School. I was interested in renewable energy and I wanted answers to questions like the ones above.
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Can your company help the environment?
Threats to our natural world are growing, as are demands on the lands, water, food, energy and other resources people and w ildlife need to thrive. As green as Oregon is, it's simply not enough. We need more people and businesses supporting the environmental movement. EarthShare Oregon is working with Solar Oregon to make that happen.
EarthShare, of which Solar Oregon is a member, engages people at their workplaces to garner new support for environmental endeavors throughout your local community, across Oregon, and around the world.
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You should have been there! 2 bus loads of zero net energy enthusiasts toured 5 different goal net zero homes on a wonderful spring day. The May 5th event started at the inspiring June Key Delta Community Center where we were given a tour of the soon to be LEED Platinum building. The morning tour included 2 new Passive House homes and one ambitious remodel. The afternoon tour gave us all a chance to see a bucolic home in the countryside and a home remodel with a long history of experimentation. Our tours were guided by a host of knowledgeable homeowners, architects, and contractors.
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June Solar Drinks
Solar Hot Water: Residential Applications
Presented by: Andrew Koyaanisqatsi of Solar Energy Solutions and
Kendal Hansen, Residential Solar Energy Advisor with Energy Trust of Oregon
 Network and rub elbows with solar industry professionals. We will be discussing the practical and various uses of solar hot water for residential homes. Solar hot water expert Andrew Koyaanisqatsi will be presenting on the benefits of glycol, drainback, and thermosiphon solar hot water systems. Kendal Hansen of Energy Trust of Oregon will be on hand to discuss state incentives and the benefits of choosing solar hot water for your home. This is a great chance to have your questions about solar hot water answered, and to meet other people in your community who have already made the switch.
Tuesday, June 12th6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Hotlips Pizza - 2211 SE Hawthorne
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 Upcoming Events |
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