July Meeting Announcement

This is a reminder that the monthly meeting for Solar NV, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society is Thursday, July 20 at 6:00 PM.

This month’s meeting will feature a report on Solar 2006, the annual convention of the American Solar Energy Society. Solar NV vice president Chris Brooks went to Denver for the show and will fill us in on what he found there.

Everyone, including nonmembers, are welcome to attend Solar NV meetings so please feel free to invite your friends!

The meeting will be held at The Gardens at the Springs Preserve. The Gardens is located at 3701 W. Alta Drive, east of Valley View Blvd., near US 95.

Location details, directions and a map can be found on our Meetings page.

Special thanks to our good friends at the Springs Preserve who so generously provide such a wonderful meeting space. If you are not familiar with the Springs Preserve, it is a very special, beautiful and educational experience that should not be missed.

Through August 2006, nothing changes and Solar NV will meet once per month, every third Thursday, 6 PM at the Springs Preserve.

However, starting in September 2006, our new meeting day becomes the third Wednesday of each month and the meeting location will change to the main offices of Nevada Power. Be sure to mark you calendar accordingly. Details, directions and maps can be found here. Due to the work being done in preparation for the new Springs Preserve opening next year, we will no longer be able to meet there. We are very grateful to the Springs Preserve for hosting our meetings at their wonderful facility. Special thanks to all the staff who are always there for us!

We would also like to express our gratitude to NV Power for their generous offer to host our monthly meetings. Thank you!

Solar NV Welcomes New Board Members

Solar NV is a volunteer organization that depends on the efforts of many people for its existence. A few long time members who served on the Solar NV Board of Directors announced recently that they had to leave for various reasons.

Although three members left, each of them did so independently and in each case it was due to changes in careers that were taking them out of town or requiring more of their time.

We would like to thank John Pack, Saby Chatterjee and John Garan for their invaluable contributions to Solar NV and our community. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and look forward to seeing you at our meetings as your schedules allow.

As called for in our by-laws, the board has appointed two new members. Solar NV is pleased to announce that Pamela Vilkin and Gary Wood have joined the board of directors. Both Pam and Gary have a wealth of knowledge and experience pertaining to our mission. Please join us in welcoming them!

From Solar 2006 - We Must Do It

Build Smart, Think Big and Act Fast

By Rebecca Cantwell

DENVER July 12—Architecture and building design must undergo a rapid transformation as a key step toward reducing carbon emissions enough to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming.

That was a central message from the international experts who addressed SOLAR 2006’s plenary Wednesday morning.

“What has seemed too hard becomes what simply must be done,’’ said Princeton University engineering professor Robert Socolow. Unlike other research fields, he noted, “”experts are more worried than lay people,’’ about the effects of uncontrolled carbon emissions.

Earth Day founder and solar pioneer Denis Hayes acknowledged he is sad that “in 2006 we still have to hold a conference linking energy and climate change,’’ noting it’s already too late to avoid hurricane Katrina and the clones of Katrina , and probably too late to save wild polar bears.

more

Solar Energy Technologies Program

The following U.S. Department of Energy document is now available online: DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program - Overview and Highlights. To download the document, go to http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy06osti/39081.pdf (PDF 5.1 MB).

This 20-page, highly graphical document provides engaging information about DOE-sponsored solar R&D and is written for a mostly non-technical audience.

2006 Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour

The 2006 Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour is in the planning stages. Please visit our web site for more information. If you know of a home that would be a good candidate for the tour, please let us know.

Experience has shown that people who attend a solar home tour are much more informed about renewable energy and energy efficiency. They are more likely to take action.

Details about the tour can be found on the Solar NV web site.

Upcoming Events

Solar NV Mission Statement

Some Things to Think About

Keep in mind that what we do is a group effort. We welcome ideas and submissions for articles for the newsletter and the Solar NV web site. If you would like to contribute something of interest (articles, links, photos or ideas), and we hope you will, please email it to us at info@solarnv.org.

If you appreciate the Solar NV eNewsletter and would like to become a member of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, please visit our membership page and sign up today. We are a pending 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

This eNewsletter is published by Solar NV, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society.

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