• 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.

Monday morning five experts from three countries came together at the World Renewable Energy Forum to kick-off the Energy Generation, Distribution, & Transportation track. In a session exploring the Opportunities for Renewables in the Transportation Sector, they shared visions and research findings for a transportation system powered by the sun and other renewables.

According to the EPA, transportation sources contributed approximately 27% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation is also the fastest-growing source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 47% of the net increase in total U.S. emissions since 1990. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum dependence in the transportation sector will be a critical component of our national and global strategies to address climate change and reduce dependence on imported oil.

The panelists presented different visions of what this future could look like. Rob Swenson from the International Institute of Sustainable Transportation shared his vision for the The Pod Car City, a transportation system utilizing small, shared vehicles that are 100% powered by the sun. Both Takaki Kameya from Tokyo University of Technology, Japan and Syed Husain Imran Jaffery from the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan presented research findings for solar powered urban rail networks. Kari Burman from NREL shared the role of alternative vehicles, including hydrogen-powered vehicles, as part of a net zero project on a military base in Hawaii. To conclude the presentation section of the session, Austin Brown presented a joint study conducted by NREL, the DOE, and the Argonne National Laboratory focused on under explored greenhouse-gas abatement and oil-savings opportunities related to transportation.

The possibilities presented in this session for incorporating renewables into the transportation sector demonstrate the variety of exciting avenues for cities to explore. Whether the the future is solar powered trains or hydrogen powered cars or a variety of technologies, the potential exists for our transportation system to run entirely on clean energy.

All of April is Earth Month at ACC and on April 11th RESA is co-hosting Clean-EnergY Factor: Women in Clean Energy where students and others can meet successful women from the renewable energy field. Keep Saturday, April 21st in mind as well for an event called Alternative Transportation: the greener choices.