- Green Business Practices in Action
- Growing the Renewable Energy Workforce: A Review of National and State Resources and Actions
- Passive Energy Preferred (PEP)
- Women in Solar Forum

- Attracting Solar Home Buyers
- Growing Small Wind Workforce for Today’s Economy
- Renewable Electricity 24/7
- Solar Access Laws
- Solar Water Heating Installation Issues

- Discovering the Distribution-Capacity Value of PV
- Filling the Workforce Gap - Green Skills in the Golden State
- Showcasing LEED Institutional Buildings in California
- Solar Charged Agriculture
- Status of the Feed-In Law Movement in the U.S.

- New Tools and Strategies for Green Communities
- Renewable Energy at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
- Spirit and Sustainability
- State Solar Policy Initiatives: Recent Developments and Lessons Learned

- Beyond the Sale: Creative Uses of Solar Installation Data
- Federal, State, and Local Incentive Programs
- Tackling Climate Change

2:00pm to 3:30pm

- Buildings That Teach
- Certification and Testing: Keeping Pace with Growing Markets
- Concentrating Solar Power
- Local Government’s Role in Building a Solar Infrastructure
- Small Wind, Big Impact: Smart, Effective Marketing Tips for Small Wind Retailers

2:00pm to 3:30pm

- The Bright Promise of Thin Film Photovoltaics
- Smart Grid
- Two Thumbs Up - Videos that Spotlight Renewable Energy Solutions to Climate Change

- An Update on the Status of Renewable Energy Forecasting
- Climate Change: Ethics, Politics, and Energy Behavior
- Two Global Presentations -- How to Get to the Renewable Energy Future

- Real Stories from Real Buildings
- SBSE Architectural Education Initiatives
- Solar Thermal = Electricity = Natural Gas! - A Hot Way to a Cool Climate
-U.S. Photovoltaic Markets

- Growing Green Grassroots
- LEEDing to Residential Solar
- Making Installations Easier: Zoning For Renewable Energy
- Solar Schools

MONDAY, MAY 5

11:00am to 12:30pm

Green Business Practices in Action

Moderator: Claudia Wentworth, President, Quick Mount PV

In this session, each speaker will focus on their company’s environmentally responsible and cost efficient best practices to help form a better understanding of their implementation in any business. We will touch on the psychological motivation of environmentall responsible decision-making and implementation on employees, as well as the cost effectiveness of these practices to help business managers build a case to motivate a change to green business practices in their companies.

Speakers Include:

• Tom Thornhill, Mendocino Wine Company/Parducci Wine Cellars
• Cheri Chastain, Sustainability Coordinator, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
• Bruce Lymburn, Lead Council for Clif Bar, Wendel Rosen Black and Dean LLP

Growing the Renewable Energy Workforce: A Review of National and State Resources and Actions

Moderator:  Barbara Martin, Instructional Designer Consultant

Significant growth in the renewable energy market sectors leads to jobs in manufacturing and distribution, design and engineering, sales and marketing, and installation and service as well as other building trades such as electricians, plumbers, and roofers.  Along with the growth and new jobs comes the increasing demand for quality training.  This session looks at some of the teaching practices and educational models that are underway around the country and discusses national and state resources and actions.

Presentations Include:

• Trends in Workforce Education & Development
  Jane Weissman, Interstate Renewable Energy Council
  
• Environmental and Sustainable Energy Workforce Development Opportunities
  Todd Trammell, Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center
  
• US Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative – Solar Workforce Development
  Katie Bolcar, Solar Energy Technologies Program, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
  
• Community Colleges as Catalyst for Economic Growth:  The Hudson Valley Community College Case Study
  Joe Sarubbi, Hudson Valley Community College

Passive Energy Preferred (PEP)

Moderator:  Harold R. Hay, H.R. and E.J. Hay Charitable Trust

Media attention to renewable energy (RE) results from the abundance of research funds, demonstrations, subsidies, and legislation favoring active solar electricity.  Passive energy (PE) for comfort heating and cooling, water heating and desalination receives negligible government funding and national press coverage.  PE use can immediately relieve resource depletion, pollution, and climate change crises RE requires many additional years of research and implementation to economically meet a minor part of the growing energy use.  Developed countries must demonstrate PE usable by China, India, and countries increasing coal use for electricity generation.

Speakers Include:

• Steve Baer, Zomeworks Corporation
  
• Harvey Bryan, Arizona State University, School of Architecture
  
• Bruce Haglund, University of Idaho

Women in Solar Forum

Moderator:  Marlene Brown, President, New Mexico Solar Energy Association

Calling all you women in solar! This year’s "Women in Solar" Forum will highlight amazing women from California and listen to their successes in solar.  Are you working in the solar industry or interested in getting started? California has the most aggressive incentives for solar and there are endless accomplishments to highlight. There are also many women working in the solar industry that have helped make this happen.  The forum will be followed by an exciting "Women in Solar" luncheon. The luncheon will have a keynote speaker and there will be plenty of time to network.

Speakers Include:

• Irene M. Stillings, Executive Director, California Center for Sustainable Energy
  
• Elaine Hebert, Northern California Solar Energy Association and California Energy Commission
  
• Susan Munves, Energy and Green Building Program Administrator, City of Santa Monica
  
• Kelly Larson, NAPCEP Certified Solar PV Installer

MONDAY, MAY 5

2:00pm to 3:30pm

Beyond the Sale: Creative Uses of Solar Installation Data

Moderator:  Liz Merry, Verve Enterprises

Now that there is a critical mass of PV systems installed it is increasingly clear that post-consumer information, including system installation data, consumer reviews, and production data is extremely valuable. Yet, this "end of the trail" information is rarely made available and is lowest on the priority list when designing new solar incentive programs. Learn how several remarkable projects have used solar installation and consumer feedback information to transform the PV marketplace.

Presentations Include:

• Unlocking Solar Incentive Program Data with Fleet-wide Analysis, Simulation and Reporting
  Jeff Ressler, Clean Power Research
• Linking People to Solar Professionals - The Findsolar.com Service
  Scott Cronk, Energy Matters LLC
  
• Empowering Solar Initiatives with Installation Data
  Liz Merry, Verve Solar Consulting
  
• The Many Faces of DSIRE
  Susan Gouchoe, NC Solar Center
  
• Solar Mapping and Advancing with Utilities
  Steph Stoppenhagen, CH2M Hill

Federal, State, and Local Incentive Programs

Moderator:  Adam Browning, Executive Director, Vote Solar

Despite continued advances in solar technology and vast market potential, solar electric generation remains a relatively small fraction of the United States’ total energy mix due in part to the fluctuating state of renewable portfolio standards, regulatory and incentive inconsistency and the challenges of operating in what continues to be a highly fractionalized marketplace. Join three solar policy experts from the private sector as they discuss the government incentives that continue to shape the renewable energy marketplace. They will speak to the importance incentives in creating green collar jobs and accelerating solar adoption across the US.

Speakers Include:

• David Hochschild, VP of External Relations, Solaria Corporation
  
• David Kopans, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Fat Spaniel Technologies
  
• Mark McLanahan, VP of Marketing and Strategy, MMA Renewable Ventures

Tackling Climate Change with Renewable Energy and Efficiency

In January 2007, ASES released its landmark 200-page report, "Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.," which describes how energy efficiency and renewable energy can drastically reduce U.S. carbon emissions (see www.ases.org/climatechange). Dr. Chuck Kutscher, who chaired the SOLAR
2006 conference and led the effort to produce that report, has given a highly popular presentation on this subject at conferences around the country. In this special session, he will describe how the latest scientific data has underscored the urgency of addressing climate change, and he will show the potential for efficiency and renewables to address it. His presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period and a general audience discussion of what the renewable energy community can do to help solve what many have called the greatest technological challenge of our time.

TUESDAY, MAY 6

11:00am to 12:30pm

Attracting Solar Home Buyers

Moderator: Claudia Chandler, Assistant Executive Assistant, California Energy Commission

In today’s challenging housing market, builders must identify ways to attract buyers and differentiate themselves from the competition. As homebuyers begin to demand more green technologies in their homes, solar panels, much like granite countertops ten years ago, will evolve from being a luxury item into an expected standard feature in new homes throughout the U.S. With state and federal incentives helping to offset costs, solar panels are becoming an affordable and standard feature in many new California communities. This session will address how solar is changing the face of the Golden State’s housing market.

Speakers Include:

• David Blanke, New Construction Manger, Environmental Design Programs, SDG&E
  
• Bill Kelly, SunPower Corporation
  
• Mark Fischer, CFO/SVP, The Grupe Company
  
• Jennie Stabile, President, K Street East LLC

Growing Small Wind Workforce for Today’s Economy

Moderator:  Megan Amsler, Executive Director, Cape & Islands Self-Reliance Corporation

Educational Opportunities for Building Small Wind into Your Career or BusinessSmall wind has great growth potential, however, getting up the learning curve is essential and somewhat difficult if you are not familiar with the educational opportunities and the multitude of issues you need to be prepared to address in order to grow the market successfully. Finding places to learn about small wind and get hands-on exposure to the technology can be a daunting task.  This forum will offer presentations from some of the leaders in the small wind educational field.

Speakers Include:

• Richard Lawrence, Clean Energy Program Coordinator, Cape Cod Community College
  
• Tim Sanderson, Wind Energy Instructor, Minnesota West Community College
  
• Brent Summerville, Project Manager, North Carolina Wind Energy Center, Appalachian State University
  
• Jenny Eigenberger, Wind Program Director, Lakeshore Technical College

Renewable Electricity 24/7

Moderator:  John Reynolds, Prof. Emeritus, Architecture, University of Oregon

Renewable-sourced electricity is available every hour of every day, even in the dark and in winter. Although of our best-known renewable sources, PV is a daytime-only source and wind is highly variable, there are other renewable electricity sources that produce 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Experts on biomass, geothermal and ocean wave energy will compare their energy sources with PV, and invite audience response.

• John W. Lund, PE, Director of the Geo-Heat Center, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering,, Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology
  
• Rainer Aringhoff, President, Solar Millennium LLC
  
• David Eveland, Graduate Student, Wallace Energy Systems & Renewables Program, Oregon State University
  
• Peter Sawicki, Business Development Manager, Marubeni Sustainable Energy, Inc.

Solar Access Laws

Moderator:  Larry Sherwood, Sherwood Associates

As solar energy systems are installed in record numbers in the U.S., how can the owners of those systems ensure that their access to the sun is protected from present or future impairment? This session will discuss existing solar access and solar rights laws, give some exemplary examples, and present proposed federal legislation.

Speakers Include:

• Existing Solar Access and Solar Rights Laws
  Colleen Kettles, Florida Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation
  
• California Solar Access and Solar Rights Laws
  Scott Anders, Energy Policy Initiatives Center, University of San Diego School of Law
  
• Proposed Federal Legislation
  Scott Hennessy, Solar Energy Industries Association

Solar Water Heating - Installation Issues

Moderators: Alison Mason, SunJuice and Mark Thornbloom, Viessman

Do you have questions about which technologies are preferred by installers?  Do you wonder what techniques and products your competition favors?  If so, this forum is for you.  Please come and participate in a lively discussion of installation topics with a panel of experienced installers.

Panelists will include:

Justin Weil, Sunwater Solar Inc
David Smith, Solar Energy, Inc.
Tom Lane, ECS Solar Energy Systems, Inc
Jake Tornatzky, Solar City
Hal Slater, Solartistry, Inc.
William T. Guiney, Johnson Controls, Inc.
Brett Butler, Butler Sun Solutions
August Goers, Luminalt Energy Corporation

TUESDAY, MAY 6

2:00pm - 3:30pm

Buildings That Teach

Moderator:  Vikram Sami, Lord Aeck Sargent Inc.

Education is one of the key components in the success of the green building movement, and what better teaching tool than green buildings themselves?  This session brings together a team of nationally-recognized green building experts to explore the potential of green building to foster meaningful connections between visitors and the environment, accelerating the transition to a greener society.  Drawing from lessons learned and strategies employed in community facilities designed explicitly to showcase green building, the presenters will explore how tactile, visual and experiential green building solutions can provide meaningful metaphors, helping communities connect to their cultural and natural ecologies.

Speakers will include:

• Victor Olgyay, Rocky Mountain Institute
  
• Steve Cannon, Gwinnett County Environment Heritage Center
  
• James Nicolow, Lord Aeck Sargent Inc.

Certification and Testing: Keeping Pace with Growing Markets

Moderator:  Jerry Ventre, Interstate Renewable Energy Council

Some say certification programs are too expensive and bring extra layers of bureaucracy to the market.  Others say that certification organizations need to expand more quickly and become more efficient to absorb increased demands.  This forum will bring up-to-date information on a variety of product and practitioner certification programs and address some of the questions on the table.

Presentations will include:

• Solar Thermal Hardware Certification
  Les Nelson, Solar Rating & Certification Corporation
  
• Photovoltaic Testing and Certification at Arizona State University Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory
  G. Tamizh-Mani, Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory, Arizona State University Polytechnic
  
• Small Wind Turbine Certification
  Larry Sherwood, Sherwood Associates
  
• Testing Small Wind Turbines at the NREL's Wind Technology Center
  Karin Sinclair, National Renewable Energy Lab
  
• Credentialing Programs for Practitioners & Training
  Jane Weissman, Interstate Renewable Energy Council

Concentrating Solar Power

Organizer: Byron Winn, Colorado State University and SRCC

Several Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants are currently either operating, under construction or planned.  This Forum will present information about the U.S. Department of Energy's involvement in CSP, a utility perspective, and panelists talking about solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies involved in concentrating solar power systems.

Panelists will include:

• Frank Prager, Xcel Energy
  
• Sarah Kurtz, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  
• Fred Morse, Abengoa Solar
  
• Thomas Mancini, Sandia National Laboratories

Local Government’s Role in Building a Solar Infrastructure

Moderator:  Stuart Cooley, City of Santa Monica

Come learn how to build a local solar initiative from those who are doing it! Don’t wait for the Feds or the State to draft Draconian legislation. Work with your local municipality to develop a common sense program that leverages existing programs and at the same time meets local needs. See how it works in other progressive cities - what works and what doesn’t - and find ways to champion the effort to put solar on as many roofs as possible.

Speakers will include:

• Susan Munves, Energy and Green Building Programs Administrator, City of Santa Monica
  
• Cal Broomhead, Energy and Climate Programs, Department of Environment, City of San Francisco
  
• Brady Radovich, SolarCity Corporation

Small Wind, Big Impact: Smart, Effective Marketing Tips for Small Wind Retailers

Moderator:  Miriam Robbins, Southwest Windpower

For the small wind retailer, marketing encompasses everything from what products you choose to sell, what you have on your website and how often you talk to your local newspaper editor. Join a panel of small wind marketing experts to learn about best practices for marketing small wind to a mainstream audience. This forum is for businesspeople passionate about small wind, in search of marketing tips for taking their businesses to the next level. Panelists will cover a range of topics including, how to best use your website to communicate with customers, how to reach your audience through media relations and how to become a local small wind expert. Join this panel of marketing, advertising, public relations and sales experts to learn how to take your small wind business to the next level.

Speakers Include:

• Lindsey Burgess, Account Manager, Porter Novelli
  
• Michelle Venus, Marketing Manager, One Tribe Creative
  
• Meredith Greig, All Season Home Improvement
  
• Bob Hayes, Owner, Prevailing Wind
• Miriam Robbins, Marketing Manager, Southwest Windpower

TUESDAY, MAY 6

4:00pm to 5:30pm

Real Stories from Real Buildings

Moderator:  Nicholas Rajkovich, Society of Building Science Educators

This session will present findings from selected building case studies conducted by students, faculty and practitioners using methods and equipment from the Vital Signs and Agents of Change curriculum projects. This session is jointly sponsored by the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE).  The projects to be presented take a scientific look at building performance. The concept is simple: visit real buildings; make observations; develop questions and hypotheses about performance; make measurements and talk to building users; develop understandable conclusions that can inform future design efforts and building operations.

Presentations Include:

• Lighting the Atrium
  Emily Hoyt and Taylor Mikosz, Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning
  
• Instrumentation & Visualization: A Comparative Assessment of Thermal, Luminous, and User Interface Performance in the Educational Setting
  Rhonda Lowe and Lindsey Frizzell, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  
• Monterrey Building Energy Audit
  Nickolas Arnold and Michael Bejrowski, The University of Texas at San Antonio
  
• Why is it so COLD in here?
  Jake Keeler and Britni Jessup, University of Oregon, Department of Architecture

SBSE Architectural Education Initiatives

Moderator:  Christopher Theis, Louisiana State University

How are architecture schools responding to the increasing evidence that buildings and the building industry are significant contributors to global climate change? Many architecture professors, through no fault of their own, are unprepared to teach students how to design more environmentally sensitive buildings. It’s not that they don’t care - they do!  They just lack the knowledge to provide their students with the appropriate approaches and tools. How can they best gain this knowledge in a short period of time? Please join members of the Society of Building Science Educators in a discussion of this problem and ways to solve it.

Panelists will include:

• Walter Grondzik, Ball State University
  
• Bruce Haglund , University of Idaho
  
• Alison Kwok, PhD, University of Oregon
  

Solar Thermal = Electricity = Natural Gas! - A Hot Way to a Cool Climate

Moderator:  Chip Bircher, USH2O Facilitator, USH2O

Solar thermal is hot…and very cool!  Solar thermal heating and cooling are attracting renewed attention in today’s renewable and carbon markets, and with good reason!  Equipment is reliable, cost-effective, and available off-the-shelf.  Advanced metering allows accurate measurement and reporting of system performance.  Innovative business models are creating new market opportunities.  These factors make solar thermal a strong contributor for meeting RPS requirements, supplying green energy, offsetting greenhouse gases and creating RECs. Come and hear what the major players from utilities, industry and states are accomplishing.

Speakers Include:

• Tina Halfpenny, KeySpan Energy
  
• Les Nelson, Solar Rating and Certification Corporation
  
• Andrew McAllister, California Center for Sustainable Energy 
  
• Bernadette Del Chiaro, Environment California
  
• Nick Chaset, California Public Utilities Commission

U.S. Photovoltaic Markets

Moderator: Larry Sherwood, Sherwood Associates

Photovoltaic markets in the U.S. are growing.  This forum will answer the following questions – Where is the growth the fastest?  Why?  What policies lead to PV installations?  What policies are needed to sustain growth?  What market growth can we expect in the next several years?

Presentations Include:

• PV Policies Leading the Way
  Susan Gouchoe, NC Solar Center
  
• Risks to Growth and Range of Prospects through 2012
  Travis Bradford, Prometheus Institute
  
• State Markets Follow Policies
  Larry Sherwood, Sherwood Associates

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

10:30am to 12:00pm

Discovering the Distribution-Capacity Value of Solar

Moderator:  Yasmeen Hossein, Solar Electric Power Association

In efforts to deploy PV cost-effectively today, utilities are increasingly recognizing the value of PV in deferring distribution capacity investments and/or enhancing distribution system performance.  This value is overlooked in typical customer-driven PV projects and in utility contexts, if utilities base their solar acquisitions only on average costs and supply-side values. However, opportunities for significant utility savings - in a range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per kilowatt - exist for projects that use PV to defer distribution upgrades and expansions or to improve distribution performance.  This forum explores ways utilities are testing this approach today and the technical and policy measures to support widespread replication.

Speakers Include:

• Chris Robertson, Strategic Solar Solutions
  
• Jeff Curry, Lakeland Electric
  
• Richard Perez, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center , State University of New York
  
• Alex Kim, San Diego Gas and Electric, Sempra Energy

Filling the Workforce Gap - Green Skills in the Golden State

Moderator:  Elaine Hebert, Northern California Solar Energy Association

Jobs, jobs, jobs! As the renewable energy industry grows in California, and energy efficiency and green building efforts expand from the state’s mandates for its own government buildings to the private sector, we need more people with the right skills to perform a job well done. Several independent efforts have arisen to meet the needs of present and future job markets in green energy and energy efficiency. Come hear about opportunities for teaching and learning green skills in the Golden State.

Presentations Include:

• Re-Energizing Community College Technical Education Programs
  Greg Newhouse, Program Manager, San Diego Miramar College
  
• Answering the Need for Instruction in Solar Electricity: An Overview of the Photovoltaic Installer Program at East Los Angeles Skills Center
  Brian H. Hurd, The East Los Angeles Skills Center, Los Angeles Unified School District, DACE
  
• Energy Training for Recognized Industry Certifications
  Tom Chatagnier, Diablo Valley College
  
• Filling the Workforce Gap – Green Skills in the Golden State (Invited)
  Carla Din, Apollo Alliance

Showcasing LEED Institutional Buildings in California

Moderator:  Claudia Wentworth, President, Quick Mount PV

A session of interest to any City Manager, large facility manager, architect, sustainable system designer or construction professional, we will focus on the success and challenges as well as long range economic benefits of sustainable resource management of large facilities. The panel will present examples of large institutional facilities (colleges, prisons, juvenile facilities, etc.) that have instituted resource management best practices utilizing solar electric, fuel cell, large scale water management, conservation etc.

Speakers Include:

• Michael Miller, Butte-Glenn Community College District
  
• Matt Muniz, P.E., County of Alameda, GSA/TSD 
  
• Brian L. Swanson, Fidelity Roof Company
  
• Narinder Bansal, Professor, Ohlone College – Center for Health Sciences and Technology
  
• George Rodgers, Professor, Ohlone College – Center for Health Sciences and Technology

Solar Charged Agriculture

Moderator: Steven Heckeroth, Chair, ASES Renewable Fuels and Sustainable Transportation Division

Experts have estimated that it takes 8-10 units of air polluting fossil energy to put 1 unit of food energy on American tables. It has also been estimated that it takes the equivalent of 10 barrels of oil per year to feed every person in the country. Approximately 30% of the fossil inputs into agriculture are used to manufacture fertilizers, 20% to fuel farm machinery, 16% is for transportation of food from farm to store, 13% for irrigation, 8% for raising livestock, 5% for crop drying; 5% for pesticide production, and 3% other. As the realities of declining fossil fuel supplies and Climate Change become apparent, everyone will face challenges in the rising cost of mobility and energy but the most important challenge may be to maintain an affordable and nourishing food supply. Speakers in this forum will suggest that solar charged sustainable agriculture holds the solutions to many of these challenges.

Presentations include:

• Actual Experience With Growing and Pressing Bio Diesel Feedstock on California Farms
  Ken Kimes, Farm Fuel Inc.
• Solar Agriculture: Financial Solutions and Opportunities
  John Whisman, Commercial Sales Manager, Stellar Energy Solutions, Inc.
• Solar Charged Agriculture
  Steven Heckeroth, Chair, ASES Renewable Fuels and Sustainable Transportation Division

Status of the Feed-In Law Movement in the U.S.

Moderator: Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

The grassroots movement to bring European-style feed-in tariffs to North America is gaining momentum as several states and Congress weigh the policy. Following the success of the campaign for Advanced Renewable Tariffs in Ontario, Michigan Representative Kathleen Law introduced HB 5218 (2007) for a full-featured ARTs policy in the state. Several other states may soon follow suit and a bill may be introduced into both the US Senate and the House. This forum provides a status report on state and federal campaigns for feed-in tariffs in the USA, the barriers faced, and the opportunities that can be seized.

Presentations Include:

• Introduction of HB 5218, Michigan's Renewable Energy Sources Act
  Representative Kathleen Law, Michigan House of Representatives
• California & the Feed-in Tariff Movement
  John Geesman, former Commissioner, California Energy Commission
• Moving Toward Advanced Renewable Tariffs in Wisconsin
  Michael Vickerman, Focus on Energy

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

2:00pm to 3:30pm

The Bright Promise of Thin Film Photovoltaics

Organizer:  Peggy Hock, United Solar Ovonic, LLC

The world needs less expensive PV systems! Advances in Thin-Film PV production and innovations in Thin Film applications are likely to be the most rapid and best available means to achieve it. Come learn how and why from a panel of industry experts.

Presentations include:

• Low Cost Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) by the FASST Process
  BJ Stanbery, PhD, CEO, HelioVolt Corporation
  
• Building Integrated Thin Film, Benefits of the Unique Properties of Technology
  Arthur Rudin, Vice President of Product Development, Solar Integrated Technologies
  
• The New Standard: 5.7m2 Solar Modules
  Craig Hunter, Director, Solar Business Group, Applied Materials  
  
• Update on the US Thin Film Market
  Peggy Hock, United Solar Ovonic LLC

Smart Grid

Moderator: Byron Winn, Colorado State University and SRCC

There is currently a great deal of interest in the concept of a smart grid. Xcel Energy is planning a pilot study for a city of approximately one hundred thousand populations. Several bills have been introduced in Congress. This forum will consist of a panel representing utilities, legislators, Smart Grid experts, and Independent Systems Operators.

Panelists include:

• Scott Anders, Energy Policy Initiatives Center - University of San Diego School of Law
  
• Roy Palmer, Managing Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs & Director of the Xcel Energy
• Smart Grid City Project, Xcel Energy
  
• Jim Blatchford, Senior Policy Issues Representative, California ISO

Two Thumbs Up - Videos that Spotlight Renewable Energy Solutions to Climate Change

Organizer:  Paulette Middleton, Aspen Hill Films

Have you seen any good entertaining and thought-provoking renewable energy videos lately?  Would you like to help get the climate recovery messages out to people who may not yet be aware of the climate change issues and the benefits of “thinking green” to address these issues?  Come to this ASES mini film festival, share your ideas about video content and form that might appeal to diverse audiences, and enjoy meeting other filmgoers and filmmakers.  We are not just talking “An Inconvenient Truth” or “The 11th Hour” here; with the emergence of YouTube and other web-based distribution methods, the opportunities for organizations to embrace video as a way of addressing their renewable energy and climate recovery messages, and for filmmakers to have new audiences with which to convey their messages using their creative talents, have never been better.   Many examples of excellent short subjects are already out for distribution via the web and even the art cinema houses.  This forum brings together a diverse group of filmmakers to show examples of their work and discuss how this artistic format is helping organizations get their critical messages out to larger audiences.

Featuring:

Clay Atchison   “Solar Decathlon: A Solar Village on the National Mall”
Jessica Kellett  “ClimateQuest”
Dave Bowden: the "Clean Energy News" series:
    "Buying A Solar Electric System" and "Building A Solar Home"
Dave Wann  “Secrets of the Sun”
Dave Renné & Paulette Middleton  “Voices in the Light”
James Rawsthorne  “NREL in 180 seconds: A case study in Institutional Storytelling”
Ted Stern, James Dean Conklin,  & Elisa Zazzera  “Solar Circus”

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

4:00pm to 5:30pm

Growing Green Grassroots

Organized by Gwen Rose, VoteSolar and Paulette Middleton, Panorama Pathways

Looking for new ideas to inspire and activate your communities to get greener?  Want to share your greening success stories?  Join us at the Growing Green Grassroots Forum.  We will be discussing successful, innovative ways to organize, grow and get the important jobs of greening done.  The Forum will start with presentations on community organizing, online organizing, and art & activism.  We will also provide a survey of how Web 2.0 tools are being used by social and environmental activists, with a look at blogs, mashups, and social networking (e.g. Facebook.com, Change.org, WiserEarth.org).  The forum will feature speakers from VoteSolar, EcoArts, Focus the Nation, SolarOne’s I-heart-PV campaign and other special guests.  Come with your questions.  Come with your ideas.  Come with your passion!!!

LEEDing to Residential Solar

Moderator:  John Reynolds, Prof. Emeritus, Architecture, University of Oregon

Get passive solar design into LEED guidelines for new homes! If we are serious about Leadership in Energy Efficient Design, then solar energy should have a strong role in the design of new homes. Learn what has happened to date, and how you can help make the right things happen in the near future.

Presentations Include:

• The LEED for Homes Implementation Process
  Ann Edminster, Design AVEnues
  
• A Promising Technology Pathway to Net ZEH
  Bruce Baccei, BIRA Director for ConSol
  
• A Promising Technology Pathway to Net ZEH
  Johua Plaisted, President, Kineo Design Group, LCC
  
• Possible Pathways to LEED for Solar Homes
  Bion D. Howard, Consultant, Building Environmental Science and Technology

Making Installations Easier: Zoning For Renewable Energy

Moderator: Jim Green, National Renewable Energy Lab 

A zoning permit application is often the first exposure town and county planning officials have to small renewable energy installations. Depending on the board’s previous exposure to wind or solar energy, the environment may or may not be welcoming to the installation. The difference is critical as a zoning policy has the power to determine whether or not installations happen. This forum offers the perspectives of those with experience developing supportive zoning polices, installers and consumers who worked to get policies in place in their communities, and representatives from the radio industry who will share decades of experience working with zoning officials.

Speakers Include:

• Meg Gluckman, eFormative Options
  
• Jim Green, NREL
  
• Thomas Diskin, Affiliation San Mateo County Community College District
  
• Megan Amsler, Cape and Islands Self Reliance
  
• Aaron Godwin, Renaissance Group
  
• Dan Juhl, Next Generation Energy Systems

Solar Schools

Moderator: Nathalie Osborn, Honeywell Building Solutions

Several states and hundreds of schools around the country have active solar schools programs, which bring a combination of active system installations (grid tied and stand-alone), hands-on solar activities & curriculum, and real-time data monitoring and visualization to the hands of students, teachers, administrators, and the public at large.  The intent of these programs is to illuminate the solar possibilities and teaching principals in the classroom, catalyze interest in solar as a technology in the home and community, and provide specific tangible activities to develop the minds of our future thought leaders.   The Solar Schools Forum is designed to present an overview of national programs, real world examples of solar and energy efficient schools, including teacher training and educational curriculum used to bring solar into the classroom.

Presentations Include:

• Solar Learning Stations
  Alyssa Newman, Solar City
• Bring Solar into the Classroom – Teacher Training Elements
  Barry Scott, National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project
• Improving School Facilities with Energy Efficiency and Solar
  Nathalie Osborn. Honeywell Building Solutions
• Real World Experience of School implementing Solar and Energy Efficiency
  TBD, School District with Solar Project

THURSDAY, MAY 8

8:30am to 10:00am

New Tools and Strategies for Green Communities

Moderator: Elaine Hebert, California Energy Commission 

As the market demand for environmental responsibility increases, many developers claim that their communities are "green." Often, however, design decisions are made based more on trends or intuition than on meaningful information regarding the environmental and economic implications of design strategies. The development of sustainable communities can benefit from a rigorous analysis of design alternatives.  This session will showcase three software tools designed to help planners and developers evaluate and optimize energy and environmental parameters at the neighborhood, community, and regional level. The session will also present a set of technical, market, and policy strategies for energy-efficient community development in California.

Presentations Include:

• Setting the Context: The Land Use, Energy, and Climate Change Connection
  Joe DiStefano, AICP, Calthorpe Associates (invited)
  
• New Tools and Strategies for Green Communities
  Elaine Hebert, California Energy Commission
  
• Orienting the Neighborhood: Let the Sun Shine In
  Craig Christensen, NREL
  
• Systems Integration at the Community Scale
  Doug Newman, National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities

Spirit and Sustainability

Moderators:  Dave Panich and Paulette Middleton

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of SOLAR 2008 to give a swift lift to your spirit.  Join us for an engaging session of sharing, brainstorming and spirit lifting. 
The forum begins with inspirational comments from Michael Connolly Miskwish of the Compo Band of the Kumeyaay Indians.
Next, attendees will have up to two minutes of “rapid reflection” on one of these questions:
--What does sustainability mean to you?
--What is the Earth saying to you?   
--What would you say to a Presidential candidate in your 30-sec elevator ride together?   
--What is in your happiness bag?  
Before reentry into the exciting pace of the conference, the forum concludes with some light conversation about what the group as a whole has presented and some fun and relaxing meditation.  Bring your ideas; bring your spirit.

Solar Energy Enters into UN Climate Change Negotiations

Moderator:  Ron Swenson, EcoSage Corporation

Until now, the solar and renewable energy communities have not played a major role in formulating the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). This forum will address the potential of solar energy to mitigate climate change and how the solar community can participate in the negotiations for climate change initiatives that will be put in place after the Kyoto protocol expires.

Presentations Include:

• Solar Energy Enters into UN Climate Change Negotiations
  Ron Swenson, EcoSage Corp
  
• Status of Renewable Energy on the UNFCCC Agenda
  Chuck Kutscher, NREL
  
• Monetizing the Loss of  Ecosystems Services
  Allan Baer, President, SolarQuest, Inc.
  
• The Solar Grand Plan and the UNFCCC
  Ken Zweibel, President, American Solar Action Plan
  
• Converting Transportation Networks into Solar Collectors
  Bill James, President, jPods Corp

State Solar Policy Initiatives: Recent Developments and Lessons Learned

Moderator:  Mark Sinclair, Clean Energy States Alliance

As states seek to develop a sustainable solar market, common strategies have emerged to overcome the financial, regulatory, and institutional barriers to solar deployment.  In this session, policy experts will report on the latest and greatest in state initiatives to: include solar in the electricity mix; target high-value solar applications; market solar to the consumer, and drive down solar PV costs.

Presentations Include:

• Introduction: Recent Developments in State Policy Support for Solar
  Mark Sinclair, Clean Energy States Alliance
  
• New York State: Building a Local Solar Market
  Jeff Peterson, NYSERDA
  
• California Solar Initiative: Progress Report
  Sanford Miller, Renewable Energy Program, Lead, New Solar Homes Partnership, California Energy Commission
  
• New Jersey Solar Policy Innovation
  Scott Hunter, Renewable Energy Program Administrator, NJ Office of Clean Energy, NJ Bureau of Public Utilities
  
• Use of Renewable Portfolio Standards to Advance Solar
  Ryan Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

THURSDAY, MAY 8

10:30am to 12:00pm

An Update on the Status of Renewable Energy Forecasting

Moderator:  Bart Nijssen, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, 3TIER

The generation of electrical power based on weather-driven renewable energy has characteristics such as intermittency and non-dispatchability that complicate its integration into existing generation and distribution networks. Accurate and reliable forecasts of energy production can facilitate this integration. Recent experience with the development and application of wind forecasts can provide important lessons for the development of solar forecasting techniques. This forum will bring together experts from academia, government, and private industry to discuss the current status of renewable energy forecasting as well as opportunities and challenges for the development and operational delivery of solar energy forecasts.

Presentations Include:

• An Update on the Status of Renewable Energy Forecasting
  Bart Nijssen, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, 3TIER
  
• Operational Forecasting for Renewable Energy Projects
  Eric Grimit, PhD, Director of Forecasting, 3TIER
  
• Solar Resource Forecasting Methodologies
  David Renné, PhD, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  
• Solar Forecast Evaluation in the IEA Task 36
  Richard Perez, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center , State University of New York
  
• Ground Truth Verification of Resource Forecasts
  James Bing, PE New Energy Options, Inc.

Climate Change:  Ethics, Politics, and Energy Behavior

Moderator:  Barbara Farhar, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Ret.), University of Colorado (Adj.)

Climate change involves significant ethical and moral considerations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that the developing world will be more negatively affected than will the developed world by rising sea levels, lack of water, changed weather patterns such as hurricanes and droughts, and other negative impacts of global warming. The technical solutions to mitigating this situation are well-defined and attainable. Adaptation to these impacts is less well understood. A crucial issue is whether the currently-living generations in developed and rapidly developing countries---and their institutions---will recognize and act upon the moral imperatives of the global warming crisis. The forum speakers will address this problem from diverse standpoints, including the politicization of the global warming debate, the difficulty of assigning international responsibility, and the emergent coalition of climate scientists and evangelicals. As the moral dimensions of climate change are more completely understood and acknowledged, a shift in energy behavior will occur. Panel presentations will be followed by facilitated discussion of ASES participants.

Presentations Include:

• Eden’s Covenant: A Judeo-Christian Environmental Ethic
  Robert H. Walker, Senior Pastor, Peachtree Baptist Church
  
• Changing Public Opinion on Climate Change
  Andrea Cook, Climate Change Manager, California Center for Sustainable Energy
  
• Climate Change as a Human Rights Issue
  LesleyK. McAllister, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor, University of San Diego School of Law
  
• Your Life, Your Planet, Your Choice
  Barry Butler, Owner, Butler Sun Solutions

Two Global Presentations -- How to get to the Renewable Energy Future

This forum session will feature two speakers who will describe the key global summits held to advance renewable energy this spring.  Descriptions of the events, the visions presented and how they will impact the American market will be presented.  30 minutes each.  The balance of the session will be allowed to answer questions.

• Michael Eckhart, President, American Council for Renewable Energy
  Michael will report on the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference.  Billed as the “most important Ministerial level conference ever held in the US” this event should set the stage for new international cooperation to advance deployment of renewable energy technologies.
• Brad Collins, Executive Director, American Solar Energy Society
  Brad will report on the MASDAR initiative and the $15 billion dollar effort by the government of Abu Dhabi to create a sustainable and zero-carbon city, establish a world class renewable energy university and create a manufacturing base in the UAE for global clean energy companies.

Questions will be taken from the audience after the presentations.