Take Charge: Get Solar Connected

By Madeline King & Kara McCall
Take Charge Interns
02:14PM / Wednesday, October 08, 2008

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This newsletter is provided by the Take Charge Campaign, a local initiative to encourage and to help people to conserve energy. It is published twice a month.

This Week in Clean Energy:

Thanks to the Internet, we are all able to stay in contact with one another and you are able to read Community Energy News every other week. Internet access is fairly prevalent in developed countries, but in developing areas it can be scarce. An initiative taken by a professor at the University of Sao Paulo seeks to solve this problem. 

Professor Marcelo Zuffo has developed a solar-panel system that powers a self-contained wireless Internet port. The panels will form a bridge connecting distant systems to an active Internet source and will be used in schools that have a shortage of consistent electricity. These systems are self-contained, are ready to be used as soon as they are taken out of the package, and require no maintenance.

As of now, the systems need sun every two days to stay powered. The hope is that with further development, they will be able to stay powered for 10 days without sunlight, making them more efficient during rainy periods and winter months.

With the growing popularity of solar energy, projects like this and more are trying to refine this renewable source of energy to make it more usable. Improvements to solar panels, such as thinning and increasing the flexibility of the silicon material, are working towards a wider range of applications. Instead of being in the typical panel form, these systems can be incorporated into the windows of buildings, allowing the sides as well as roofs to be used to capture the sun's energy.
     
As gas and oil prices climb and concern and awareness of climate change rises, renewable energy is getting more attention. Initiatives taken to improve as well as expand this technology to more parts of the world give all of us hope that renewable energy can and will be a viable option for everyone.

To learn more about these initiatives, and especially how they affect you, join us for our next workshop on Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m., at the Milne Public Library in Williamstown to hear Christopher Kilfoyle and Craig Robertson present "Solar Power Options."
 
In Our Community:
 
Take Charge recently held its second fall workshop on saving money and energy in the home with Bruce Harley, who looked at common "trouble spots" and how they relate to home insulation and heating. More than 25 people attended, so be sure to catch our last two workshops on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29.
 
Northern Berkshire Community Coalition Forum: "Food & Fuel," Friday, Oct. 10, 10 to noon
Come to the North Adams First Baptist Church on Eagle Street to discuss the upcoming winter issues regarding fuel costs and the choices they will impact in the community. All are welcome; contact the NBCC office with questions at 663-7588.

Take Charge Solar Power Workshop: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m.
This event will feature Christopher Kilfoyle and Craig Robertson, who will inform residents about solar power and the different options available with both solar electric and solar hot water systems. Located at the Williamstown Public Library. Contact Madeline with questions.

North Adams energy group meeting: Thursday, Oct. 23, 4:30 p.m.
The Take Charge campaign is organized by an ad-hoc citizens group. We meet at the North Adams Public Library on the third floor. This week's meeting will have a broad agenda, including planning the upcoming "Winter Blitz" weatherization campaign and discussing a mission statement. All are welcome to join. Contact Madeline with questions.

Thoreau Program in Green Design at Williams College: Wednesday, Oct. 22,  4 p.m.
Sponsored by the Center for Environmental Studies and the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, Magda Lelek, from Andelman and Lelek Engineering Inc., and Bruce Coldham AIA, from Coldham and Hartman Architects, will be holding a workshop entitled "Energy Modelling and Sustainable Design." This event will be located in Griffin 7, and a campus map can be accessed here.
 

• North Adams Events: Feb.10-14
• City To Move Forward With Methadone, Suboxone Regulation
• Cultural Pittsfield: Feb. 10 - 16
• Lenox Library Planning 'Party of the Century'
• Pignatelli Bill Would Allow Donations From IRAs