On Sunday morning, April 15th, over 80 folks gathered in the basement of the Mayflower Church in Minneapolis to learn about solar energy.
The workshop started like most of the other “Solar Works” workshops being hosted by Metro CERT over the past several months, but added a few additional components. Since Mayflower Church is exploring opportunities to install a solar array, we asked another congregation, St. Joan of Arc, to present about their system.
Additionally, a group of students learning about solar energy at Saint Paul College put together a PowerPoint and animation of what the solar system at Mayflower would look like if they installed the maximum amount of solar on their roof and parking lot. It was exciting to see nearly all of the roof space with solar on it—including a carport consisting of panels over the parking lot. A local homeowner also described his solar array and electricity production.
Lastly, Carl Nelson from Center for Energy and Environment talked about the energy efficiency programs and financing available through their Community Energy Services program, which is a great first step if you are considering solar.
There were a number of resource organizations on hand, including: The City of Minneapolis, Center for Energy and Environment, MN Interfaith Power & Light (MN IPL), and Minnesota Renewable Energy Society. The workshop was co-sponsored by the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MN IP&L).
Join us next time! This was the first Solar Works workshop in Minneapolis, and there will be another one on July 5th, 2012 in North Minneapolis. Learn more and RSVP >>
