Workshops

Accelerating Market Adoption of PV Technology – Tuesday April 16, 8:30am-4:30pm – Hyatt Baltimore Room

Solar 3.0 LogoIf you are in the solar PV business, or work in a city that would like to grow its local solar industry, we invite you to participate in a one-day workshop, “Accelerating Market Adoption of Photovoltaic Technology.” The program is offered free of charge by Solar 3.0, an activity of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative.

Attendees can register for this workshop here. To view more information on this workshop, please click here.

Success in Solar – Tuesday April 16, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM – Baltimore Convention Center Room 305

This workshop was specifically designed for those who are new to solar contracting.  Based on lessons learned from 19 years of experience running solar energy companies I’ve developed a special program to unlock the hidden potential in your company.  In this workshop, Jeff Gilbert will discuss his list of the Top 10 most critical mistakes that solar contractors make, and what to do to avoid them.  He will also discuss the 12 most important “foundational” parts of a successful solar contracting business.

These include:

  1. The opportunity of solar contracting and some different business models
  2. Critical aspects of a business plan and the pitfalls to avoid
  3. Understanding all the incentives for Solar
  4. Solar project cost estimating
  5. The best software tools for PV design and analysis
  6. Complete site evaluations in half the time and with no errors
  7. Crafting your offer
  8. Writing winning proposals
  9. De-mystifying financial analysis:  Methods and tools to increase sales
  10. Successful selling by simply being yourself and having fun
  11. What you don’t know that you don’t know that’s holding you back
  12. Low-cost marketing strategies that will catapult you ahead of your competition

If you’re serious about growing a successful solar business you won’t want to miss this workshop. The cost of this workshop will be $100.  Attendees can register by calling Lisa at the ASES office at (720) 420-7928.

Solar Roofing Best Practices – Wednesday April 17, 1:30 pm-3:15 pm – Baltimore Convention Center Room 312

indexQuick Mount PV will be hosting this workshop at no cost. Roof penetrations are potentially a tremendous liability for solar installers. In this presentation we discuss how to follow important roofing best practices to maintain roof warranties, protect the roof, and reduce installer liability. Various mounting and flashing methods for composition/asphalt shingle residential roofs. The following will be covered in the workshop: Quick Mount PV background, past mount systems revisited, problems in the industry, solar roofing best practices, and Quick Mount PV products.

Attendees can register by calling Lisa at the ASES office at (720) 420-7928.

The Fundamentals of Electric Transportation Workshop - Saturday April 20, 9am-5pm - Baltimore Convention Center Room 301

Chevy Volt at the WREF 2012

Chevy Volt parked outside the Denver Convention Center at the WREF 2012

Electric and hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and HEVs) offer dramatic advances in sustainability, especially when combined with solar electricity. Unfortunately, the public discourse surrounding these vehicles is often clouded by mis- and disinformation. Automotive engineer Dave Erb has over 25 years of experience with power train electrification, from transit buses to race cars. This workshop is designed to cut through the fog, illuminating both the advantages of EVs and the challenges inherent in their design and adoption. Though mostly technical in nature, the workshop also considers electric transportation in a societal context.

The cost of this workshop will be only $75, which is a great deal for a full day of instruction by one of the best in the business.  Attendees can register by calling Lisa at the ASES office at (720) 420-7928. See the detailed workshop agenda here.

Peak Luxury Workshop – Saturday April 20, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM – Baltimore Convention Center Room 304

What is the typology of the hotel today? It has become a unique hybrid that has morphosized over time where it is not simply a destination to sleep. It has become a series of layers that contribute towards the experience that makes them iconic such as Las Vegas strip and “Burj Al Arab” in Dubai. One critical angle that is rarely discussed is the demand of energy at peak load and how that information determines the architectural design. This is crucial in order to change our perspective towards development especially because of our current economic climate and energy consumption woes. With this in mind we take the challenge of re-creating a hotel envelope that responds to the peak loads with no reservations.Participants will: perform basic heat load calculations; implement principles of heat load to better understand the relationship of enclosure; explore the energy performance of the building; and improve the design building enclosures they design by using the principles and calculations presented in the workshop .

The cost of this workshop will be only $50.  Attendees can register by calling Lisa at the ASES office at (720) 420-7928.

PV Design and Installation- Saturday April 20, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM – Baltimore Convention Center Room 302

This workshop was originally created for electrical contractors who understand PV systems but would like guidance with the complete design of a grid-tied system from start to finish.  This workshop is also ideal for engineers, architects, and those with general knowledge of grid-tie PV systems.

The workshop walks attendees step by step through the design and installation process of an actual PV system. Each step is explained with general theory and advanced PV lessons, which are then applied to the engineering and installation of a real PV project (previously installed).

This workshop counts toward the training requirements for NABCEP PV Certification and is also valuable practice for those preparing to take the NABCEP certification exam.

Attendees will learn how to design and install residential and small commercial utility interactive PV systems.  Lessons will include:

·theory of system components and operation
·conducting site evaluations and shading analyses
·conducting performance analyses
·sizing components, conductors and over-current protection as per the 2011 National Electric Code
·string sizing for central inverters
·best practices for installation
·installation safety
·proper grounding methods
·proper labeling of all components

The cost of this workshop will be $200.  Attendees can register by calling Lisa at the ASES office at (720) 420-7928.

Small Wind Power for Homes, Farms, Business, and Schools- Saturday April 20, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM – Baltimore Convention Center Room 303

The target audience for this workshop includes PV distributors/dealers/installers, educators, students, and renewable energy advocates.  The workshop will be excellent for individuals considering wind power installations including homeowners, farmers, ranchers, small business owners, and managers of public facilities such as schools.  The workshop will be valuable to anyone who wants an overview of small wind applications and of the current technology in the market.

This workshop will provide an overview wind power with an emphasis on small wind turbine applications.  Attendees will understand the fundamental considerations of wind resource, wind turbine technology, and economics.  Participants will understand the basic steps of a successful small wind project including system sizing, tower height, micro-siting, and permitting.  The workshop will also explore the complementarity of solar and wind resources.

The cost of this workshop will be $50. Attendees can register by calling Lisa at the ASES office at (720) 420-7928.