There was a free workshop at Fort Lewis College on Saturday, December 14th, 2002, titled "Local Energy/Renewable Energy: Historical Presentation/Hands-on Workshop/Q&A Panel." There were a series of presentations on different aspects of renewable energy by local energy professionals, and a panel discussion where questions about renewable energy were answered. Much of the information from the presentations will be online here (see the individual sections below). For more information about resources and happenings in the Durango area, also check out the Durango Energy Resources page.
LPEA gave a brief history of the electricity development in La Plata County. This was followed by information about requirements and limitations with Net Metering (selling electricity that you generate back to LPEA), what exploration they have done with Net Metering, what products they supply and how they invest in energy efficient technologies; and finally an outlook for the future.
David Conrad covered renewable energy and energy audit basics, and how this affects the price and feasibility of using renewable energy in your home or business. Using detailed "before & after" examples, he showed how being more efficient can result in dramatically lower costs for a renewable energy system.
Walt Venable presented information on a variety of simple, low-cost changes you can make in your home or business to increase energy efficiency. To view or download an Adobe Acrobat version of this presentation, click on the section header above. For an Acrobat version of the accompanying list of resources for renewable energy and efficiency products and vendors, click on Resource List.
Ben Jason conducted a hands-on workshop with a full display of what is needed for an initial lowest cost investment on a solar panel set up. He showcased all of the basic components of a renewable energy system including many varieties of solar panels, a wind generator, battery banks for storing energy, and inverters for converting the battery energy into 120 volt power to run standard electrical appliances.
This featured all Workshop presenters, as well as several other local/regional energy professionals. A question and answer session in which audience members asked questions related to previous presentations or any solar/renewable energy issues.
Green Business Roundtable, Air Quality Advisory Council, San Juan Citizens Alliance, and the Fort Lewis College Environmental Center.
This event was organized by Nathan Ballenger of the San Juan Basin Health Department's Air Quality Advisory Council. He may be reached at (970) 739-6236 (cell), or by email.
(return to the Durango Energy Resources page)