Featured Event – Passive Conference Plenary:

• The Mythic Modern: Mythology, Ecology and Technology….the Spirit of Place, delivered by Travis Price, FAIA, author of “The Archeology of Tomorrow: Architecture and the Sprit of Place”

Emerging Architecture & Passive Building Technology

Daylighting, Modeling & Building Automation

• the 38^th National Passive Solar Energy Conference
• the 8^th ASES Policy and Marketing Conference, and
• the inaugural Young Professionals in Renewable Energy Conference.

The American Solar Energy Society invites participation from professionals with special knowledge in the solar, renewable or sustainability fields. Program selections are based solely on the merit of the abstract or proposal. Acceptance of abstracts or proposals for presentation is based on a review of submitted materials by the designated Solar 2013 review committee. Proposals may include technical papers (to be presented at the conference) as well as forum sessions.

 Technical paper presentations at the conference include:

• Oral presentations – Typically 10-20 minutes per paper presentation (length to be determined and included in acceptance information).
• Poster presentations – Presenters will create a poster to display and will have the opportunity to do a brief overview, followed by discussion.
• “Ignite” presentations – Each presenter has 5 minutes, 20 slides, 15 seconds per slide.

Forum sessions may include:

• Panel discussions organized on a specific topic.
• Demonstrations of technology or techniques.
• In-depth discussion or debates.
• “Shoot-outs” or comparisons of competing (or complementary) technologies.

These are the topical areas for Solar 2013:

Annual National Solar Conference

• Photovoltaics
• Concentrated Solar Power
• Solar Thermal
• Distributed Wind
• Resource Applications and Integration
• Sustainable Transportation
• Water and Energy Technologies
• Cross-Track, Multi-Technology, or Other

Passive Solar Conference

• Emerging Architecture & Passive Building Technologies
• Daylighting, Modeling and Building Automation

Solar and Renewable Policy & Finance Conference

• Finance & Industry Development
• Policy & Sustainability

 Young Professionals in Renewable Energy

The inaugural Young Professionals in Renewable Energy Conference will include sessions from other tracks at Solar 2013. If you would like your proposal to be considered for inclusion, please enter the appropriate information during the abstract submission process. Additional information will be available at solar2013.org.

Continuing Education Credits

Depending on topic, ASES may be able to offer professional continuing education credits for various technical sessions and forums.  Having a session approved for credit can potentially increase attendance and expose your presentation to interested conference attendees.  Presentations that qualify for CEUs will be grouped with other qualifying presentations to enable the entire session to offer credit. If your proposal meets the criteria and is accepted, additional information may be requested from you.

Important Information and Deadlines

• The deadline for submission is November 6, 2012.
• The review process is “blind” – author/submitter names are withheld during the review process.
• Please do not submit multiple formats (e.g., paper and forum) on the same research.
• You will have the opportunity to select your presentation-style preference
• Registration: the presenting author for accepted papers, as well as organizers of accepted forum proposals, must register by February 15, 2013 in order to secure the presentation in the schedule. Other registration information is included in the Terms and Conditions.

Happy-Bird-Solar-Sipper. Winter water for back-yard birds.

OK, I admit it, I’m a bird geek. I’m one of those “silly” people who get up early every Saturday morning, year-round, no matter what the weather, to meet up with other like-minded people to look for birds. With binoculars slung around our necks, bird guides in our pockets and identification apps ready on our phones, we head into the wilderness, or the city park, or sometimes even a cemetery, to see what we can find.

Enjoying birds doesn’t have to require a lot of time or energy. If you like birds but prefer to watch them from the comfort of your home, you can install a bird feeder, a bird house or a bird bath then relax on your porch or in front of your picture window to watch the show. And best of all, you can get feeders, baths and houses that are all SOLAR POWERED!

What could be nicer than a bird bath with water circulation powered by solar cells, or a bird house with a solar powered night-light or maybe a bird feeder that doubles as a solar-powered garden light in the evening? There are even passive-solar drinking stations that provides winter water for birds. It’s a double play…your feathered friends get well-being provided by your generosity while you enjoy watching them as they eat, bathe and raise a family, and it’s all solar-powered!

And if your attend an ASES-sponsored Solar Home Tour next October, you may even get to see a solar feeder or water station. Click here to find out about the ASES National Solar Tour.