Fall Class Registration Open Now

Fall Class Registration Open Now

SOLAR ENERGY – DIRECT USES

Sept. 10 – Oct. 15, 2013

Interested in “Going Solar”? Planning on building a new home? What is the path to energy independence for the Alberta homeowner? Interested in greening your job? Solar technologies are rapidly being adopted all over the world and most of them work very well in Alberta. Find out about the latest opportunities in the world of solar energy.

In this class you will learn:

- How to plan a solar electric system for your home or business including the basic components, costs and benefits, sources of equipment and installers.

-The design principles and working parts of an Alberta off-grid cabin solar electric system.

- The options and components of a solar hot water system for your home.

- The elements of cold-climate solar home design from an energy efficient house on up to a full net zero energy building.

- A solar greenhouse plan capable of growing fresh produce year round in Alberta

A number of other additional solar applications will be explained including solar water pumping, solar crop drying, solar ovens, solar cars, etc. Students will also be provided with the resources to find local installers and sources of solar equipment along with numerous high quality websites.

This is not a hands-on installation course. It is a great overview of Alberta-specific solar technologies. Equipment will be demonstrated in class. The course will culminate in a Saturday tour of commercial solar installations. Information will be provided on available resources for further training and certification opportunities. Students will receive a Grant MacEwan Institute of Environmental Studies certificate of completion. For details and to register:

Instructor

The Instructor Rob Harlan Rob Harlan is the Executive Director of the Solar Energy Society of Alberta and a member of the Edmonton Renewable Energy Task Force. Mr. Harlan is a Solar Contractor and General Building Contractor with ten years experience designing and installing over 150 solar electric and solar hot water installations in California. As a general building contractor he designed and built energy-efficient, passive solar homes. He is certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners and has taught workshops and classes in solar technologies in the United States and Canada. Mr. Harlan has also lived for twenty-five years in an off-grid house powered and heated by the sun.

The course includes additional guest instructors Andy Smith of Sol North Engineering and Bruce Ganske of Sol Source.