American Solar Energy Society
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Pathways to the Renewable Energy Transformation
Poster Breakfast, UC-Boulder, Colorado
Jack Martin, Program Director
Solar Village Institute offered renewable energy installations (solar, wind, hydro, biodiesel). However small wind was a problem which required a team to install and maintain. But the bigger problem was with warranties and the exit of manufacturers. Jack Martin and Chris Carter thought a coop arrangement might alleviate the team problem. Deborah Amaral and Chris attended trainings at the Center for Alternative Technology in Wales and wanted to offer similar trainings here in the US and the Handy Village Institute was born. We took the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Homebrew Wind Turbine Workshop with Dan Bartman of Otherpower, attended the MREA Energy Fair and Small Wind Conference. We erected our turbine from that workshop and planned and executed our first workshop. We build from scratch using locally generated Renewable Energy. Attendees learn theory and the skills (steel fabrication-cutting, welding, grinding, electrical- coil winding and magnets, fiberglassing and woodworking for blades and tails). Our second turbine operates on an organic farm which is partnering with the local energy coop (Randolph Electric Coop). A blade of that machine was damaged by a cow while on display. We repaired that within a few days. Our wind coop owns six homemade machines which our team services. Our workshops have had attendees from eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and the United States. We have built up our team of instructors, craftspeople/makers, and maintainers. This year with the help of the Lowlander Institute we had six people representing three tribes from Louisiana build a machine. It will power their tribal center. We hope to be offering workshops for all six tribes of the region in the near future. One tribe is in the process of relocating due to rising waters which has covered 98% of their homeland in the past 2 decades. We all desire local Renewable Energy.
Poster Breakfast, UC-Boulder, Colorado
Jack Martin, Program Director
Solar Village Institute offered renewable energy installations (solar, wind, hydro, biodiesel). However small wind was a problem which required a team to install and maintain. But the bigger problem was with warranties and the exit of manufacturers. Jack Martin and Chris Carter thought a coop arrangement might alleviate the team problem. Deborah Amaral and Chris attended trainings at the Center for Alternative Technology in Wales and wanted to offer similar trainings here in the US and the Handy Village Institute was born. We took the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Homebrew Wind Turbine Workshop with Dan Bartman of Otherpower, attended the MREA Energy Fair and Small Wind Conference. We erected our turbine from that workshop and planned and executed our first workshop. We build from scratch using locally generated Renewable Energy. Attendees learn theory and the skills (steel fabrication-cutting, welding, grinding, electrical- coil winding and magnets, fiberglassing and woodworking for blades and tails). Our second turbine operates on an organic farm which is partnering with the local energy coop (Randolph Electric Coop). A blade of that machine was damaged by a cow while on display. We repaired that within a few days. Our wind coop owns six homemade machines which our team services. Our workshops have had attendees from eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and the United States. We have built up our team of instructors, craftspeople/makers, and maintainers. This year with the help of the Lowlander Institute we had six people representing three tribes from Louisiana build a machine. It will power their tribal center. We hope to be offering workshops for all six tribes of the region in the near future. One tribe is in the process of relocating due to rising waters which has covered 98% of their homeland in the past 2 decades. We all desire local Renewable Energy.
Links
Other Power
https://www.otherpower.com
Lowlander Center
https://www.lowlandercenter.org
https://www.lowlandercenter.org/news-and-updates/2018/5/15/alternative-energy-through-homemade-wind-turbines
First Nations
Press
National Geographic
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/160525-isle-de-jean-charles-louisiana-sinking-climate-change-refugees/
New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/24/us/jean-lafitte-floodwaters.html
Tribal Websites
http://pactribe.tripod.com
http://www.isledejeancharles.com
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai9nxn_Ykck
Handy Village Institute on YouTube
youtu.be/F8JddQimaLQ
youtu.be/aBIpvo-1Zdk
Home Power Hour Radio (Podcasts)
https://wcomfm.org/programs/home-power-hour/
Other Power
https://www.otherpower.com
Lowlander Center
https://www.lowlandercenter.org
https://www.lowlandercenter.org/news-and-updates/2018/5/15/alternative-energy-through-homemade-wind-turbines
First Nations
Press
National Geographic
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/160525-isle-de-jean-charles-louisiana-sinking-climate-change-refugees/
New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/24/us/jean-lafitte-floodwaters.html
Tribal Websites
http://pactribe.tripod.com
http://www.isledejeancharles.com
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai9nxn_Ykck
Handy Village Institute on YouTube
youtu.be/F8JddQimaLQ
youtu.be/aBIpvo-1Zdk
Home Power Hour Radio (Podcasts)
https://wcomfm.org/programs/home-power-hour/