When you think of Sol Fest 14 think Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Arianna Huffington, electric cars, green building, bio-dynamic food, live music, native American storytelling and a plethora of demonstrations, workshops and events celebrating sustainable living.
After a year’s hiatus, Sol Fest, the extravaganza of all things green, will be held at the Redwood Empire Fair Grounds in Ukiah September 25 and 26. Saturday’s keynote speaker will be Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 3 p.m., followed on Sunday by Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post at 5 p.m.
John Schaeffer, founder and president of Real Goods and one of the founders of Sol Fest, said in a recent Ukiah Valley Television interview that he was thrilled to have Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speak this year and that he’d been trying to schedule him for 14 years.
“He’s about the most inspirational speaker I’ve ever seen,” explained Schaeffer.
“We’re really honored to have him,” said Daniel Arendt, marketing and communications manager of the Solar Living Institute in Hopland.
“It’s an amazing event,” said Arendt. “Our mission is to inspire folks with what is possible, and … turn inspiration into action.”
The event, previously held at the Solar Living Center, has grown steadily over the years and this year more than 10,000 people are expected, said Arendt.
“Sol Fest had gotten to be so popular that it outgrew the Solar Living Center’s property,” added Arendt. “The Ukiah Fairgrounds make it easier for parking and more attendees to camp out overnight.”
Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight is Moondance, featuring Kenyan musician Sila, winner of the 2010 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding World Music Album, and the 2009 SF Weekly Music Awards for Best International Act.
After a day of nibbling new foods, engaging with dynamic speakers and trying their hands at various permaculture practices, Moondance gives festival goers a chance to listen to live music, relax and party. “That’s just pure fun and dancing,” said Arendt. DJ Dragonfly and The Jug Dealers will open the show.
In addition, Poor Man’s Whiskey will play at 4:15 p.m. Saturday and Dgiin will play at 2 p.m. Sunday along with a variety of other bands and musicians throughout the festival.
More than 50 workshops and panel discussions from bio-dynamic farming to earth building to economics and the rain-forest and starting a green building business will be offered throughout the festival.
“We’re delighted to bring world class speakers and panel discussions to inspire you and keep you informed,” said Karen Kallen, managing director of the Solar Living Institute. “Even seasoned solar veterans can see the newest technology and engage with the broader solar and sustainable community.”
Children will find plenty to entertain them including juggling workshops, native American story telling with David Rain Ortiz, puppet events, Acro Tumbling Workshops with Mecca and kid’s open mic opportunities, to name a few.
“Children 12 and under are free,” said Kallen. “And welcome to enjoy bee keeping exhibits, hands-on earth building, recycling projects and more.”
You can download the full schedule and look under the Family Stage for events and times.
“Job seekers and career changers can get connected in our Network Café,” said Kallen, where the focus is on networking with other green and sustainable living professionals, added Arendt.
There will also be a Green Economy Leadership Training workshop at noon Saturday.
Advanced tickets are available and necessary for campers. See website for pricing.
Without camping, a weekend pass is $50 or $35 Saturday (10 a.m. to midnight), $25 Sunday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Moondance only is $15.
Kids 12 and under are free.
Organic food, beer and wine will be for sale from numerous vendors at the festival.
Everyone will enjoy the music on the Solar Stage, organic food and beverage, and films of environmental heroes,” said Kallen. “It’s time to celebrate all things Solar & Sustainable – join us at SolFest XIV.”
Useful Links
Participate in the Solar Jobs Census | Renewable Energy World.
The Solar Foundation is putting together a census for the solar industry. The purpose is to get a good handle on how many jobs the U.S. have been created in solar PV, solar thermal and CSP. This is your last chance to get included in the count.
The Census is closing tomorrow. The Solar Foundation is encouraging everyone involved in the solar industry to fill out the online survey before the end of business on Friday, August 27.
The results will be released in aggregate – they will not release personal information. If you’re in the solar industry, it’s important to add yourself to the Solar Jobs Census.
You can access the online survey here.
Back in July PACE programs nationwide were dealt a severe blow by the FHFA with their ruling that such programs violated lending policies in place by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP) is indeed still up and running. Lawsuits filed by Jerry Brown and Sonoma County seek to overturn the FHFA decision. But, folks, at this stage these things take time to resolve.
In the meantime, other options for financing energy retrofits and solar exist. Like what, you ask? Register with the CBPCA’s second series of webinars to learn more about these alternatives and how to present these option to your clients. The webinar will be lead by energy efficiency financing specialist, Rick Williams and will be presented in separate installments starting on August 31, 2010.
Department of Energy – Department of Energy Extends Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Solicitation.
Dept. of Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, announced on August 20 that the department is extending the application deadline Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Solicitation to October 5th, 2010.
“The Department is committed to bringing as many commercial renewable projects online as possible to help us meet our clean energy goals and generate more jobs,” said Secretary Chu. “By extending the time applicants can file, we will be able to support additional projects that diversify the country’s clean energy mix and strengthen our economy.”
Round 8 is intended to give companies additional time to develop and submit Part I applications. The Round 8 Part II application deadline is December 31, 2010. The application deadline of August 24, 2010 for Round 7 Part I applications remains the same.
Additionally, the DOE, recently launched an online application portal to simplify and facilitate the process. Key features include:
- Suggested applicable solicitations based on information provided by applicants.
- Applicants receive guidance as to how they might increase the likelihood the applications will continue to the next phase.
Sonoma County residents who own their homes with the assistance of a low-income government or non-profit program will soon be able to apply for a full solar installation through the Oakland-based non-profit Grid Alternatives.
Since 2004, Grid Alternatives (GA) has installed more than 500 solar power systems throughout California at low or no cost to homeowners, according to Sarah Shimmin, GA Outreach Coordinator in Oakland.
How it Works
GA, who manages the California Government program, SASH (Single-family Affordable Solar Homes), covers the upfront costs of the entire installation, with homeowners assigning its SASH rebate over to GA.
“In general, the total cost of an installation ranges from $10,000 to $20,000, (retail value of $30,000) leaving a funding gap after rebate of 10 to 40%,” said Shimmin. “The rebate is determined by the size of the installation and level of incentives they qualify for.”
If a homeowner owes a portion of the cost, GA looks into local, city or county funding to help the homeowners meet that funding gap.
“We work with the homeowners to look for additional funding to help cover costs where it’s available,” said Shimmin. “Basically our goal is to have the homeowner saving money after day one of the installation. On average, the systems we install save the homeowner about 75% on their electricity.”
GA manages the SASH program, a $108 million fund administered by the California Public Utilities Commission for solar installs in low-income homes through 2016 or until the money runs out, said Shimmin. Close to $4 million has been spent or reserved so far. The program is rate-payer funded, meaning PG&E and other California investor-owned power companies provide the funding from a portion of revenue received from customers.
“This means that local dollars are leveraged as high as 10 to one, while also helping local governments to meet their climate action goals, their workforce development goals, and helping individuals to save up to $20,000 in energy costs over the life of their systems,” said Shimmin.
Who Qualifies
Home Owners qualify based on their income, (SASH requires the household income to be 80% less than the area median, see 2010 limits below) and the income zoning (California Public Utilities Code 2852) of their homes.
“The way that we’ve defined this has expanded recently,” said Shimmin. So it is best to call. Basically if a homeowner receives some sort of government subsidy funding to purchase or rehab their homes and meets the income requirements below they could qualify.
Sonoma County 2010 Income Limits: 1 person $45,050 2 people $51,450 3 people $57,900 4 people $64,300 5 people $69,450 6 people $74,600 7 people $79,750 8 people $84,900
How to Apply
Check out the requirements in detail on the GA/SASH site at www.gridalternatives.org/sash. and call (866) 921-4696 or email sash@gridalternatives.org. Solar installers interested in becoming contractor partners can apply online.
GA Provides Green Jobs Training & Experience
Installations of the solar pv systems are performed by GA staff with a team of volunteers or through the Subcontractor Partnership Program.
“Subcontractors must be licensed solar contractors to apply for the installation project through a bidding process and if they are awarded the contract, the sub agrees to hire one to two local workforce trainees from low-income green job training programs such as vocational institutes or community colleges,” said Shimmin.
The majority of Sonoma County installations will be subcontracted. Any interested solar contractors should contact GA by calling (510) 652-4730, or emailing sash@gridalternatives.org, or applying online.
GA is currently contacting local training facilities and solar contractors to form partnerships for future Sonoma County solar installations. “We like to give those folks the experience they need to get jobs after they graduate,” said Shimmin.
Other Bay Area installs will be run by teams of 10 to 12 volunteers including 1 fully trained supervisor and 2 team leaders who have participated in at least 5 previous installations and whose skills have been tested and approved by GA. Volunteers are provided with training, no experience is required. The installations usually fill up with volunteers quickly and anyone interested may need to apply for several installations before being assigned.
“We just tell people to be patient and persistent and eventually they will be on an install,” said Shimmin. Anyone interested in volunteering should check out the GA site and be prepared to travel since Sonoma County installs will most often be run through the Subcontractor Partnership Program model, without volunteers.
If You Don’t Qualify for SASH Other Solar Rebates Are Available
If you don’t qualify for SASH but are still interested in saving on solar, check out the rebates available at the California Solar Initiative site and contact Solar Sonoma County at 707-284-9799 for further options.
“Solar Sonoma County looks forward to welcoming and supporting the effort of GA in the coming months,” said Alison Healy, executive director of Solar Sonoma County.
Note: Photos provided by Grid Alternatives of recent solar installations.
