Calendar
JULY
13– 22, Dallas
2008 North American Solar Challenge. Contact
Cheryl Williams, 417.455.5666,
ascinfo@americansolarchallenge.org
15– 17, San Francisco
Intersolar North America 2008.
See www.intersolar.us
22– 24, San Jose, Calif.
Plug-In 2008 Conference and Exposition.
See plugin2008.com
25– 27, John Day, Ore.
Sol West Renewable Energy Fair. Contact Jennifer
Barker, Sol West/EORenew, 541.575.3633
AUGUST
17– 22, Pacific Grove, Calif.
Scaling Up: Building Tomorrow’s Solutions.
Contact ACEE, 302.292.3966,
aceee.org/conf/08ss/08ssindex.htm
25– 29, Paonia, Calif.
Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC
Compliance Workshop. Contact Solar Energy
International, 970.963.8855, solarenergy.org
SEPTEMBER
15– 17, San Francisco
Going Green 2008. Contact Michelle Hughes
415.751.0170, alwayson.goingon.com/cart/view
15– 19, Sandy Hook, N.J.
Grid-Tied PV Systems Workshop. Contact
Solar Energy International, 970.963.8855,
solarenergy.org
28, St. Louis
Green House Tour. Contact Erin Noble, Missouri
Coalition for the Environment,
314.727-0600, enoble@moenviron.org
29–1, San Francisco
Photovoltaic Design for Engineers & Designers.
Contact Christina Manansala at 707.869.9391,
sunengineer.com/workshops.htm
OCTOBER
4, Nationwide
ASES National Solar Tour. See ases.org/tour or
nationalsolartour.org
9– 12, Augsburg, Germany
RENEXPO 2008. See renexpo.com
Upcoming ASES Events
ASES National Solar Tour
Oct. 4, Nationwide
SOLAR 2009
May 11-16, Buffalo, N. Y.
Contact the American Solar Energy Society,
303.443.3130, ases.org.
Correction
Sharp-eyed reader Tim Morgan spotted
a mathematical error in Seth Masia’s
article on Low-Carbon Cars (May/June
2008). A corrected version, along with an
updated spreadsheet based on current
higher fuel prices, can be viewed at
solartoday.org/transportation.
Advertisers Index
For more information about our advertisers,
visit our website at solartoday.org.
AEE Solar 800.777.6609 aeesolar.com.....………….... 7
Aeroline Tube Systems +1149.731.93292.73
isiclick.com.........…………………………..………..…. 17
Applied Materials appliedmaterials.com/solar.......... 15
Apricus Solar Co. Ltd. apricus.com............................. 9
American Solar Energy Society
303.443.3130 ases.org .........………………… 18, 62, 69
Beijing Sunda Solar Energy Technology
+86.10.62001008 sundasolar.com.....………………... 59
Butler Sun Solutions 858.259.8895
butlersunsolutions.com.......…………………………… 69
China Sunergy Co. Ltd.
+86.25.5276.6688 chinasunergy.com ....……………. 57
Conergy 888.396.6611 conergy.us .....……………….. 2
Direct Power & Water Corp.
800.260.3792 power-fab.com.....…………………….. 61
Energy Conservation Services
352.377.8866 ecs-solar.com ......……………………… 21
Eppley Laboratory Inc.
401.847.1020 eppleylab.com......…………………….. 58
ET Solar Group 925.460.9898 etsolar.com .....…….. 31
Fronius USA LLC 810.220.4414
fronius-usa.com .......……………………………….. 36– 37
groSolar 800.467.6527 grosolar.com ....……….. 14, 63
Ivan Labs Inc. 561.747.5354
ivandelsol@bellsouth.net.........………………………… 61
Kipp & Zonen USA Inc. 631.589.2065
kippzonen.com ........…………………………………… 19
Lumberg Inc. 804.423.8969
lumberg.com/solar ........………………………………. 13
Namaste Solar Electric 303.447.0300
namastesolar.com .........……………………………….. 16
Radiantec Inc. 800.451.7593 radiantsolar.com .....… 43
Renewable Energy Roundup theroundup.org ......... 60
SCHOT T Solar Inc. us.schott.com/solar ........………. 35
SMA America 888.476.2872 sma-america.com ......… 4
Solar Converters Inc. 519.824.5272
solarconverters.com ........……………………………... 65
Solar Energy International 970.963.8855
solarenergy.org .........………………………………...... 61
Solar Pathfinder solarpathfinder.com .......…………. 16
Solar Power 2008
solarpowerconference.com ........……………………... 23
Solectria Renewables 978.683.9700
solren.com ..........………………………………………. 28
Solmetric Corp. 877.263.5026
solmetric.com ..........…………………………………… 59
Southwest Windpower 866.807.9463
skystreamenergy.com ............................................… 72
Stiebel Eltron 800.582.8423
stiebel-eltron-usa.com ..........………………………….. 55
Sun Spot Solar & Sun Spot Builders
570.422.1292 sssolar.com......... ……………………… 17
SunEarth Inc. sunearthinc.com..........……………….. 18
Suntech Power Holdings 415.882.9922
suntech-power.com ...........……………………………. 71
Sustainable Living Fair
sustainablelivingfair.org ...........……………………….. 60
Trina Solar trinasolar.com ............……………………. 25
Trojan Battery Co. 800.423.6569
trojanbattery.com...........………………………………. 29
UniRac Inc. unirac.com.............………………………. 27
Xantrex Technology Inc. xantrex.com...................... 11
Letters
Continued from page 10
of this has to do with the low cost and easy
availability of natural gas in new subdivisions. Most builders have no interest in
returning to the days of building all-electric
homes, with PV or otherwise. So fuel-switching arguments and conversion factors
abound in Building America and other similar programs. What is the problem with fuel-switching conversions to determine zero-net-energy or zero-carbon homes?
Eric Lee
Senior Engineer
Davis Energy Group
elee@davisenergy.com
Sometimes, What’s Old
Is Green
SOLAR TODAY, May/June, says we may
have hit a tipping point in terms of renewable energy, and I believe we have. (See “
Publisher’s Perspective.”) I work with an architectural company in central Florida, and just in
the past couple months there has been a
major mood shift in customers and employees alike. Everything is going “green,” as systematically as everything commercial needs
to be handicap accessible.
Another “green” idea that is hitting in
a few places, that takes no money and no
new technology, is a zoning change to mid-
1940s standards. Until then, the big cities
of the United States were like Europe and
promoted medium-density living, with
long commercial streets, retail on ground
floor, offices on second and living on third,
with three-story townhouses on the side
streets. Cars were optional, which is why
large corporations quietly lobbied for zoning change all over the United States to
encourage car transportation, and we are
only slightly out of that mind set now.
There are also some great new developments in various forms of hydrogen, which
may soon be challenging wind and solar for
preeminence in the renewable field.
I might challenge your magazine on
one item: “global warming,” which is oh so
politically correct, and equally bogus. See
iceagenow.com.
Thanks for the magazine,
John Williams
Architectural designer-drafter
Lakeland, Fla.
john.williams307@verizon.net
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