Resource Efficiency

October 19th, 2012

[Free Boston Event] A Homeowner’s No B.S. Guide to Investing in Renewable Energy

BOSTON -

Next week, I’ll be hosting an event in Boston for homeowners interested in renewable energy. There’s a lot of confusion around which technology is the best, the most efficient, and what exactly the incentives and financials actually look like. Needless to say, the answers to all those questions are “it depends”.

The event is specifically for homeowners. We’re have a few great event partners and contractor who will be there to answer any questions. It’s happening on Thursday afternoon in Cambridge.

You can RSVP for the event here. Thursday October 25th at 6pm EST.

Here are more details:

The goal of the workshop is to clearly and blunty address many of the questions that homeowners have about investing in renewable energy in Massachusetts.

The workshop is for property owners that are looking to invest in renewable energy and get basic questions answered.

The workshop will be capped at 20 people.

Focus will be on three technologies

  • Solar PV
  • Solar Thermal
  • Ground Source Heat Pumps

Technology

  1. How each technology works
  2. What are the best properties and homes for each technology. How do you know if your home works?
  3. What are the risks for each technology and how are they eliminated
  4. Top 5 questions to ask any contractor that is doing work
  5. Detailed construction timelines and project photos so you can see how each  technology is actually installed

Finance and Government Incentives

  1. A Quick review of government incentives available
  2. Rebates vs tax credits vs production based incentives
  3. Buying solar cash vs debt vs 3rd party leases. What are the pros and cons of each
  4. Typicall returns for each technology based on the property

Questions and Answer: Bring them all!

About your Speaker

Chris Williams will be your host. He has designed and installed 300kW of solar PV and plenty of solar thermal and geothermal systems as well. He’s the Chairman of the Government Relations Committee at NEGPA, a consultant at Voltaic Solaire in NYC that recently completed the cities first 100% solar powered building, the Chief Marketing Officer at HeatSpring, a leading national renewable energy training company and frequently writes and has been quoted in Greentech MediaRenewable Energy WorldForbesClimate ProgressCleantechies, and Alternative Energy Stocks.

Event Partners

You can RSVP for the event here. Thursday October 25th at 6pm EST.

November 1st, 2011

What I Learned at the Harvard Business School Energy Symposium

BOSTON -

Like in today’s U.S. electoral politics, energy is an overwhelmingly partisan issue. On one end are the oil and gas types such as Dr. Matthias Bichsel (Shell), who believe that conventional energy can supply the world with all its energy supply now and in the future. On the other end are the clean energy types such as Bill McKibben (350.org), who believe that we must move entirely to renewable energy in order to avoid the worst impacts of global climate change. While both sides may be right, the former will break the planet and energy security and the latter will break the economy – neither will provide a secure, healthy and prosperous world for future generations.

The answer is clearly somewhere in between, and that’s what I appreciated most about the open-minded dialogue I found at the recent Harvard Business School’s Energy & Environment Symposium, where I attended presentations about cleantech, distributed generation, unconventional fuels and global energy policy. All of these areas and more, according to Matthew Nordan of Venrock, “are bursting with opportunity.” There are some big names below – from the CEO of A123 Systems to a high-level policymaker at the World Bank – read past the break for the transcript of the day’s presentations and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more.

+ Continue Reading

September 10th, 2011

Remembering 9/11: A Tribute to America’s Love-Hate Affair with Oil

NEW YORK -

Friday morning, the New York Stock Exchange took a moment of silence to remember the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The constant vigilance of the Bush and Obama administrations against al-Qaeda over the past decade has thwarted no fewer than a dozen major terrorist plots, killed the top two al-Qaeda leaders, and in general weakened terrorist cells around the world. “After a decade of intelligence-gathering, counter-attacks and defensive measures, America does seem a good deal less vulnerable than it was on September 10th ten years ago (“September 11th 2001: Ten Years On,” The Economist).

Just prior to this moment of silence, a Bloomberg TV anchor stated: “The terrorist attacks on 9/11 saddened our country and strengthened our resolve to maintain the American way of life.” Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more.

+ Continue Reading

June 28th, 2011

Kickstarter: The New Way to Innovate and Produce Clean Energy Products

NEW YORK -

As Michael Shimazu boasted at “The Value of a Negawatt” panel in May, the number of VC deals in energy efficiency in the US is projected to double to more than 70 in 2011, continuing an upward trend that began in 2008. This is cause for optimism for businesses – yet what happens to individuals that want to make a clean energy product but don’t have the start-up capital or marketing power to do so? Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more.

+ Continue Reading

June 23rd, 2011

Is Solar PV Worth It?

NEW YORK -

“Oppositions: Pennies From Heaven?” event with Urban Green Council in New York City was a debate about whether solar PV was worth the premium cost compared to less capital-intensive strategies such as energy efficiency measures. The event felt like the judges had made up their minds before the defendants had a chance to testify – the event was hosted at the $1B Bank of America Tower, one of the greenest office buildings in the world, and yes one that lacks solar PV. But the most damning arguments were yet to come. Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more.

+ Continue Reading