Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival 2013

Start Your Summer Celebrating on the Hudson River
Music, Dance, Storytelling and More

Saturday and Sunday - June 15 & 16, 2013

Saturday & Sunday - 10am to Dusk

On the Shores of the Hudson River - Croton Point Park
A natural park on a river peninsula with sandy beaches and sweeping views of the Hudson, Village of Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York
http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/ for complete information on the event.

SolarFest PRE-FESTIVAL WORKSHOP

SolarFest's 2013 5-Day Intensive Training opportunity in partnership with Solar Energy International (SEI) is PV203

Dates: Friday, July 5 through Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Location: Forget-Me-Not Farm, Tinmouth, Vermont (Home of SolarFest)

Title: PV203 - Solar Electric Design (Battery-Based)

Class Fee: $795 per student (Includes lunch each day!)

Optional On-site Camping: $50 per student July 5 - 9

Prerequisite: PV101, 2011 NEC Book

This year SolarFest is excited to bring back our Pre-Festival Workshop Training. We are equally as excited to be partnering with one of the oldest and largest renewable energy training organizations in the country, Solar Energy International (SEI). Flint Richter, of SEI, will be our lead instructor and trainer.

SEI was founded in 1991, as a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization focused solely on renewable energy, SEI's mission is to provide quality training to advance the renewable energy industry.

Jeff Spies, a leading industry advocate, recently wrote, "Solar Energy International (SEI) stands alone and I can say without hesitation they are the best solar training organization in the industry. SEI has the broadest course selection, best training curriculums, and the best instructors working in the solar training field today. The fact is that SEI has trained more top level solar trainers and industry professionals than any other solar training organization in the industry."

2013 Course Title Description: PV203 - Solar Electric Design (Battery-Based)

This year's 5 day course will include approximately 4 days of classroom time (at a nearby elementary school) with 1 of on-site hands-on installation of one of the systems integral to the operation of our annual Sustainable Living Festival. The course will build upon the core concepts from PV101, with a specific emphasis on battery-based system design. Students will work through step-by-step design process for battery-based solar electric applications, including stand-alone (off-grid), grid-tied with battery back-up, and hybrid systems. Topics such as load analysis, component selection, battery safety, voltage drop, and commissioning procedures will be presented. In addition to sizing exercises and calculations, students will explore additional design considerations unique to battery-based systems.

This course is ideal for people looking to design and install battery-based solar electric systems, and for solar professionals who have been working in the grid-direct market and need to learn about battery-based systems in preparation for the NABCEP Solar PV Installer Certification Exam.

Prerequisite: PV101 - As part of our partnership with SEI any student registered for this PV203 course at SolarFest will get $100 off the price of the SEI PV-101 Online Course.

Students who complete the workshop will be able to perform the following:

• Diagram a battery bank in series and parallel configurations
• Identify the proper safety protocols for working with batteries
• Draw a three-line schematic of a residential battery-based system, including the array, controller, batteries, inverter, disconnects, overcurrent protection, and grounding (including the equipment grounding conductors, ungrounded conductors, grounded conductors, the grounding electrode(s), and the system grounds)
• List the pros, cons, and applications of hybrid and AC and DC coupled systems
• Define depth of discharge, days of autonomy, equalization, and efficiency of a battery
• Create a maintenance schedule for batteries
• Calculate maximum charge rates for batteries and determine state of charge
• Identify the pros and cons of using valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) verses flooded batteries in specific system designs
• Specify either a PWM or MPPT charge controller depending on system parameters
• Specify a battery-based inverter given electrical load and surge requirements
• Evaluate a client's electrical load and size a stand-alone system (including inverter, controller, battery bank, and array)
• Perform sizing calculations for their battery-based system
• Size a grid-tied with battery back-up system (including inverter, controller, battery bank, and array)
• Calculate voltage drop for all circuits in a system
• Calculate and diagram appropriate series fusing for a battery-based system
• Identify appropriate disconnect and overcurrent protection placement
• Provide all NEC required labeling for a battery-based system
• List the order of commissioning and decommissioning, as well as potential safety hazards, for battery-based systems

Class Materials: This class comes with a notebook of Power Points, quizzes and exercises.

Participants are expected to bring a 2011 NEC book with them.

NABCEP Training Hours: 5 Day In-person = 40 hours or 18 Continuing Education Units for NABCEP recertification.

We need to register a minimum of 10 Students prior to June 10, 2013 in order to hold this training - so don't delay!

Click here to sign up! Or email us with questions.

SolarFest

The New England Renewable Energy Festival
Three days of Renewable Energy & Sustainability Workshops
and Music on 100% Renewable Energy Powered Stages

July 12, 13, 14, 2013

12 McNamara Road, Tinmouth, Vermont
solarfest.org for complete information on the event.

Richard Gottlieb Solar Array at
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's
Greenfield Energy Park

Dedicated Earth Day 2012

Last Earth Day weekend, NESEA members, friends, sponsors and affiliates gathered in the Greenfield Energy Park to honor the memory of long-time NESEA member and solar pioneer Richard Gottlieb through the dedication of a new solar array in the Greenfield Energy Park. Donated by Renewable Sales, these panels replace the damaged array that was previously situated in the park. Richard's wife, Carol Levin, was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

NESEA and the Greenfield Energy Park are located at 50 Miles Street Greenfield, MA.
Visit the NESEA web site.

Ulster BOCES ISPQ Training Program Accreditation

PORT EWEN - The Ulster BOCES Adult Career Education Center Photovoltaic program and two of its instructors were granted professional recognition by the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality, (ISPQ). The Adult Photovoltaic program is the fourth post-secondary school to be awarded and the first BOCES in New York to qualify for this designation. Further, photovoltaic trainer Richard Gottlieb was conferred the status of ISPQ Certified Affiliated Master Trainer, only the second trainer in NYS to achieve this level of recognition. PV instructor John Foster was also granted recognition as an ISPQ Affiliated Certified Instructor, one of six instructors.

Details on the WAMC web site.

The Homeowners Guide

Educational Opportunities Nationwide

SolarPro Magazine is a periodical independently published by the wonderful folks at Home Power Magazine, who have been publishing both a hardprint and now electronic formats of a wealth of solar and renewables information since 1987. Home Power Magazine is for anyone interested in renewables and has been focused on the do it yourself market. SolarPro Magazine is for professionals who are working, or wish to be working, in the RE industry. They are now publishing the following link to a database of national educational programs in the renewable energy industry. Pick a state, pick a month to find what's now being offered country wide. http://solarprofessional.com/resources/training/

WAMC Northeast Public Radio's Alan Chartock...In Conversation with Richard Gottlieb

ALBANY, NY (WAMC) - Alan Chartock is joined by Richard Gottlieb, president and chief engineer of Sunnyside Solar. © Copyright 2010, WAMC.

Listen to the interview here.

Brief history of the modern Northwest off-grid inverter by Robin Gudgel of MidNite Solar.

Click here for a brief history if the inverter from Robin Gudgel who was there through it all.

The Solar Generation USA Road Trip

PV Installations in US: 2000 to Present

The The Open PV Project of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has posted an excellent visualization map of the number of PV installations in the US since 2002. Be patient, it takes a while to load.

Get Your Power from the Sun

Are you thinking about buying a solar electric system for your home or business? If so, this booklet is an excellent consuner resource for some basic information that can help you.

DSIRE:
Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy

DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

The New Solar Home by Dave Bonta and Stephen Snyder, ISBN 13:978-1-4236-0390-0 and ISBN 10:1-4236-0390-7 (Hardback and Quality Paperback), published by Gibbs Smith

Authors Dave Bonta and Stephen Snyder of USA Solar Stores illustrate exceptional homes that are groundbreaking not only in their use of renewable energy but also in their commitment to recycling and repurposing materials used in construction and reducing the impact on the surrounding environment through sensitive building methods. With details on why these homeowners decided to go solar and how having a solar home can save money in the long run, these solar beauties are sure to inspire homeowners to create or remodel their own solar sanctuaries.

Order by phone 1-800-835-4993 or online.

THE NEW SOLAR ELECTRIC HOME: The complete guide to photovoltaics for your home, 3rd edition. by Joel Davidson and Fran Orner. Aatec Publications, Christine Bych, 734-995-1470, aatecpub@SolarElectricBooks.com www.SolarElectricBooks.com won the "Living Now Book Award' - a "Must-Read for the "Earth-Friendly". New Edition Offers Reality-Based Education in Home PV Systems - Covers chapters on PV basics and decision making, system components, nots and bolts instruction and a glimpse into the future with many illustrations, tables , worksheets, checklists, NEC article 690 information and solar radiation and peak sun hour data. $39.95. Distributed by Chelsea Green . ISBN 978-0-937948-17-0

NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam Interactive Study Guide:^© definitive guide to prepare for the NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam by Halsey Street Publishing

More than 400 simulated test questions, interactive flash cards, more than 100 videos, a hyperlinked glossary of terms, Exam Success Guide, two timed simulated tests.

System Requirements: Windows XP or higher. DVD drive. Sound card. 1 Gig RAM. Windows Office 2003 or higher. Internet access not required.

To order email Sunnyside Solar, Inc. info@sunnysidesolar.com for details. $79.95

Life Styles of the Solar Famous DVD - $18.00, produced by Nathan Koenig and Shelli Lipton of White Buffalo Media. A survey of various early adopters of photovoltaics throughout the Northeast, along with commentary by a number of supporters of renewable energy, with informational segments on the PV technology by Richard Gottlieb.

To order email Sunnyside Solar, Inc. info@sunnysidesolar.com for details.

Going Green Checklist
101 Ways to Get Started
Get it here (PDF)