Creative Energies is putting on this half-day seminar to help architects and builders include renewable energy technologies early on in their design process. There will be a morning session in Jackson, WY, and an afternoon session in Driggs, ID. Please RSVP to Jake MacArthur by email or 208.354.3001.
Download a flyer.
The blog has been a little slow lately as the installation season has been full speed ahead. Some of our recent trips include Sheridan, WY, the Snowy Range here in WY, Pinedale, WY, and the Cheyenne area. We have also been busy with some local projects around Lander and Dubois. Here are a couple images: mid-June in Wyoming and a grid-tied wind and PV installation.
Last week was the official unveiling of the NOLS Rocky Mountain grid-tie solar electric project. This project was funded in part through a Blue Sky Grant from Rocky Mountain Power. Representatives from Rocky Mountain Power were on hand for the event, as well as NOLS staff and Lander community members.
The system includes web-based monitoring and an interpretive display in the hallway of NOLS Rocky Mountain (see picture below). Here is a short video produced by NOLS from the installation of the system in November 2007, where NOLS staff were able to participate with the work:
Creative Energies co-owner Scott Kane was featured in Wyoming Energy Journal, a magazine published by the Casper Star-Tribune, as one of the ten people who will help lead Wyoming into a new energy future. Sorry I don’t have a link, here’s the article:
Creative Energies co-owner Scott Kane delivered the key note address to a crowd of sustainable living enthusiasts at the University of Wyoming on Earthday, April 22. Scott addressed the state of the solar and wind energy industries, career opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy, carbon offset programs, and the cost of energy. A few slides from Scott’s presentation are posted here.
by Jake MacArthur
As Creative Energies trots around the globe, this next entry comes to you from Switzerland. I have been living in the mountain village of Lenk, nestled between the more renown valleys of Adelboden and Gstaad, in the Bernese Oberland. Switzerland has long been praised for their environmental record and for their progressive federal projects. Upon arrival, I was interested to see how the renewable energy boom has hit this area. In my travels thus far, I have found that most of the development centers around solar, both thermal and electric. A number of chalets have photovoltaic arrays and/or thermal arrays. Given the strict building codes, I was not surprised that most of the arrays are roof integrated. I think that the widespread use of ceramic roofing tiles also lends itself to full module integration. These arrays have an incredible aesthetic quality, but they are clearly labor intensive to install.
Beyond the standard small chalet solar arrays, I have also seen a number of small scale off-grid systems in the mountains. Some of these arrays are used for the simple automation of gates and the like. I have also seen a number of small hybrid systems at high mountain farmhouses and mountain huts. Often, these systems combine a small photovoltaic array and a wind turbine. The Air-X seems to be the most popular choice for wind. These small off-grid systems power lights, communications, and other small loads.
Pictures to come…