8th Renewable Energy Conference Agenda
March 20, 2010 - 8:30am - 4:00pm
8:30 – 9:00 am Registration
9:00 – 9:15 am Welcome – Matthew Dykstra, Education Director of Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
9:15 – 9:45 am State of Renewable Energy in Michigan – John Sarver, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Grow
9:45 – 10:45 am Keynote Address: Beyond Sustainability - Surviving the Oil Depletion and Climate Change with Community Solutions’ Plan C – Pat Murphy, Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions
11:00 – Noon Concurrent Session One – Pick One
Green House at Grand Valley State University
Shirley Flieschmann, Grand Valley State University
The Green House on Watson project is a partnership between the GVSU School of Engineering, Westown Jubilee Housing and Heartland Builders. The goal was to design and build a highly energy efficient home at an affordable price for a low-income family.
Peak Oil and the Future of Transportation
John Richter, Institute for Sustainable Energy Education
What will the future of transportation look like? This presentation will examine various options including tar sands, synthetic fuels, biofuels, efficient vehicles, electric vehicles, hydrogen, and redesigning our infrastructure to reduce the need to drive.
Introduction to Renewable Energy in Your Home
Dan Alway, Four Elements Energy
Assess need, explore conservation measures, and evaluate cost-effectiveness and feasibility for renewable energy options including solar (passive and active), wind, geothermal, and other alternatives.
Noon - 1:15 pm Lunch, Networking, and Special Session
Special Lunch Session – will be offered twice at 12:05pm and 12:40pm
New Sustainable and Appropriate Energy Technologies
John Barrie, Appropriate Technology Collaborative
Renewable energy and creative design need not be only for wealthy individuals. John Barrie will discuss the amazing work that he and the Appropriate Technology Collaborative are doing to improve people’s lives throughout the world.
1:15 – 2:15 pm Concurrent Session Two
Designing a home to your environment
Kerry Krcek
Kerry will talk about his experience designing and building his home, which is off the grid. The earth berm, passive solar house includes an indoor green house, walk-in root cellar, and uses thermal mass to store energy. Kerry will also discuss quality of life issues as they pertain to home ownership and community living.
Food Security and Local Foods in Michigan
Chris Bedford, Chris Bedford Films
Energy and food are closely related, especially in our modern society. This presentation will explore the relationship between energy and food and what communities can do to improve their food security.
Financing your Renewable Energy System
John Sarver, DLEG and MPSC representative
There are a number of financial incentives to help reduce the costs of renewable energy systems to homeowners. This discussion will highlight those incentives and help you analyze how much installing a renewable energy system might cost.
2:25 – 3:25 pm Concurrent Session Three
Renewable Energy Home Stories
Dale Anderson and Glen Swanson
Dale and Glen will share stories of their experiences incorporating renewable energy into their homes and other buildings.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Wind Charging
John Patten, PhD, PE, Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (WMU) developed a plug in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in December 2008. The PHEV is charged with the wind turbine located at the Parkview Engineering campus. The talk will describe the operation and performance of the wind charged-PHEV.
Wind Energy in Michigan
Charles McKeown, Land Policy Institute
An overview of the status of the global, national, and Michigan wind industry, Michigan wind resources, and the industry in the state.
3:30 – 4 pm Question and Answer Panel Discussion and Closing
Videos of some of last year’s presentations are available here.