Solar trade show
St. Albert residents will get to quiz provincial election candidates on green power next weekend as part of a free conference on renewable energy.
About a thousand Edmonton-area guests are expected at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s CAT Building this April 6 for a free trade show organized by the Solar Energy Society of Alberta. The event features a variety of talks and workshops on renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as an electric car showcase and a solar car race.
New this year will be an all-candidates forum on renewable energy.
It’s an election issue, and it’s important to know where the parties stand on it, said Todd Herron, executive director of the solar energy society. All parties have been invited, and society members are now working on the questions.
“We certainly see a global trend towards renewables, and we want to see how they (the candidates) are going to position Alberta to take advantage of it.”
St. Albert renewable energy expert Leigh Bond will be at the conference to talk about Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), while Desmond Bull will discuss how renewable power has helped transform Maskwacis and the Louis Bull Tribe.
Andrew Mills will speak on how the Eco-Solar Home Tour has changed over the last 20 years.
This annual renewable power and energy efficiency showcase started as a spinoff of a solar conference back in 2000 with just five homes, Mills said. Last year’s tour had 21 and hosted some 3,000 guests, and this year’s tour will for the first time include homes in Calgary.
“These are not exclusively show-homes of the future,” Mills said, when asked about the tour’s popularity – these are real homes with people living in them.
“These are people who are choosing to take environmental action and are willing to show you how to do it.”
Visit solaralberta.ca for details.
