August 29, 1998
Organizing Meeting for Ohio Chapter of American Solar Energy Society
Columbus Meeting, 10 AM-3 PM, Hearth
& Eagle Restaurant, Columbus, Ohio.
Attendees:
Susan LeFever, ASES Communications Director, Boulder, Colorado
Jack Burdette, Cable
Stan Cooper, Grove City
Omar Farooq, Columbus
John Hansan, Columbus
Jack Hedge, Columbus
Glen Kizer, Columbus
Tom Maves, Columbus
Kark San George, Westerville
Faye Spratley, Columbus
Bill Spratley, Columbus
Sara Ward, Columbus
John Witte, Maumee
Absent:
Leslie Cockburn, Cincinnati
John Hollback, Columbus
Dale Hooper, Grove City
Dan Lehman, Springfield
Bob Martin, Columbus
Laura Swabb, Westerville
Barbara Taylor, Columbus
Kurt Waltzer, Columbus
ASES Overview as a National Organization - Susan LeFever
1998 Solar Home Tours - Real Places for Real People. The primary
mission of ASES is education. The National Solar Home Tour on October
17, 1998 is the third year for ASES. Last year over 10,000 people toured
solar homes across the nation. Some tours also include solar on schools,
commercial and other buildings.
Ohio Solar Home Tours are listed in the Sept/Oct issue of the
ASES Solar Today magazine
as:
Athens County
Dovetail Solar
Contact: Michelle Greenfield
(740) 448-6103
email: dovetail@eurekanet.com
Cincinnati
Alternate Energy Association (AEA)
Contact: Greg Warner
(513) 861-8866
email: grwarner@hgc-inc.com
NE Ohio/Cleveland Area
Sustainable Energy for Economic Development
Contact: Una McGeough
(216) 321-4325
email: seedohio@statos.net
At the Aug. 29 meeting, another late entry to the ASES tour was announced:
Champaign County
Jack Burdette Home
Contact: Jack Burdette
(937) 653-5274
Other ASES Activities include an annual technical conference.
Several Ohioans attended the 1998 conference held in June in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. The next ASES Solar 99 "Growing the Market" conference
is set for June 12-19 in Portland, Maine co-sponsored by ASES, the American
Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment, and the Northeast
Sustainable Energy Assn (NESEA).
ASES publishes the annual conference proceedings as well as the bi-monthly
magazine Solar Today. ASES provides a number of other valuable
solar documents available by mail order. The ASES office in Boulder, Colorado
has 6 full time staff and derives its budget from government agencies,
the annual conference, publications, memberships and donations.
ASES Chapters total 17 including 3 student chapters. Each chapter
is organized separately from the national office, but is required to file
annual reports to the office. The average chapter membership is 300 members
with chapters varying from 20 (the minimum required for ASES affiliation)
to 1,200 (NESEA in 10 states). A newsletter is published by all chapters.
Chapter membership dues range from $15 to $35 (average $20). Membership
categories can include regular, student, small business, corporation,
life member, sponsor, senior citizen or low-income. Among the chapters,
5 have offices and 4 have staff. Budgets vary from $0 to $143,000 with
the average at $2,500. Chapter members do not have to join ASES. However,
ASES provides chapter members with a $5 discount on the membership categories:
Regular Membership including Solar Today subscription - $60 and
Solar Today subscription only - $29.
Susan LeFever reviewed the latest ASES Chapter Handbook (published in
1994). It includes a variety of ASES Chapter Activities including: newsletters,
home tours, conferences, annual dinners, legislative committees, energy
fair/Earth Day displays, technical workshops, membership directories and
web pages.
Brainstorm Session on What an OHIO ASES Chapter Could Do
- Announce formation of the chapter
- Advocate renewable positions at the Statehouse
- Promote PV net metering
- Make public aware of solar
- Survey consumer preference for renewables
- Provide clearinghouse for consumer information
- Promote solar school programs, like AEP effort
- Coordinate state agency purchasing to make solar installations easier
- Work with media
- Coordinate solar home tours
- Join Ohio Dept. of Development Office of Energy Efficiency's (DOD
OEE) Energy Awareness Month in October each year
- Help others understand solar role in zoning and building codes
- Provide networking opportunity
- Publish a state newsletter
- Participate in special events: Earth Day, Energy Affairs and others
- Highlight solar components manufactured in Ohio by Ohio workers
- Issue directory of solar folks
- Maintain a website on the Internet
- Support electric consumer disclosure information of fuel mix and emission
impacts
- Offer a speakers bureau
- Sponsor a state legislative briefing day
- Promote licensing for solar installers
- Enlist potential institutional support: Ohio Environmental Council,
Foundation for Environmental Education, DOD OEE and Ohio EPA
- Encompass all renewables that flow from solar energy: photovoltaics,
solar thermal, passive solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal
- Decide organizational name from proposed names: to start, suggestions
are: OREO (Ohio Renewable Energy Organization) and SOAR (Society of
Ohioans Advancing Renewables)
Potential Chapter Activities Grouped by Resource Area:
Organization: Announce chapter, name organization, membership
dues, newsletter, coordinate home tours, networking, fundraising, grantmaking,
legal incorporation as non-profit;
Education: Newsletter, directories, speakers bureau, website,
consumer information, consumer clearinghouse, Earth Day events, public
awareness, schools, and media;
Technical Applications: Track solar sites in Ohio, information
clearinghouse, local code questions, licensing, technical workshops (examples:
interconnection to grid, net metering, wind generation, basics of photovoltaics,
straw bale construction and director solar vendors in Ohio; and,
Advocacy: Appear at legislative hearings & provide information
to legislators, issues could include PV net metering, green pricing, local
codes, restructuring, use consumer surveys and show renewable impact on
Ohio job creation.
Summary of Organizing Meeting:
- Organize an Ohio ASES Chapter with Strategic Plan
- Create public awareness with high profile face in the media
- Work on state legislation advancing renewables by encouraging a green
power business for Ohio
- Assert the consumer interest in renewables in state purchasing and
state agency use of renewables
Next Steps:
- Organizing committee will meet again in September or October to hear
from several work groups on the major resource areas listed above. The
meeting date will be set as soon as possible.
Other Ohioans, including those at the July 6 Ohio's Solar Energy Future
Meeting, welcome to contact the chairs of the following work groups to
assist in this effort:
Organization: Bill Spratley, chair (was@spratley.com),
Glenn Kizer, Sara Ward and Kurt Waltzer.
Public Awareness: Jack Hedge, chair (jhedge@dgi-arch.com)
& Jack Burdette.
Advocacy: John Hansan, chair (hansan@compuserve.com)
Mark San George, Jack Burdette.
