Sustainability Series Workshops

Join us this fall in three different locations for a full-day workshop that will present the latest developments in solar energy. All workshops include lunch and a course booklet. Pre-registration is required. Workshop cost is $85 or $60 for NESEA members.

This workshop could have easily been titled: "Everything you wanted to know about photovoltaics but were afraid to ask." It will present a comprehensive overview of solar energy. The following topics will be covered:

Brief history of Photovoltaics
Basic electricity concepts
Different types of Photovoltaic modules and systems
Building Integrated PV
Interconnection issues with grid-tied systems
Sizing and economics
Back-up and complimentary energy systems (wind, hydro, generators)
The “nuts and bolts” of mounting, battery storage, electricity control and inverters

Please follow this link to view some photos from last year's Sustainability series.

Saturday, October 20th, 2001

9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

NESEA office

50 Miles Street · Greenfield, MA

Directions to NESEA

Richard Gottlieb and Carol Levin of Sunnyside Solar will present a comprehensive overview of both grid-tied and battery-storage photovoltaic systems. This full day workshop will take a close look at NESEA's off-the-grid and grid-connected systems as well as presenting an overview on the basics of Photovoltaic technologies. Registration for this workshop is limited to 30 people.

Saturday, November 3rd, 2001

9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

ASE Americas Manufacturing plant

4 Suburban Park Drive · Billerica, MA

Directions to ASE Americas

Richard Gottlieb and Carol Levin will once again present the PV 101 workshop at the ASE Americas plant. This day will include a tour of the manufacturing facility and workshop participants will be able to see how PV modules are put together from the basic building blocks of silicon. ASE Americas' technology is based on a patented method called Edge-Defined, Film-Fed Growth (EFG)-- a process used to pull crystalline silicon tubes from growth furnaces. Silicon pellets are melted in furnaces at 1410 degrees C. From the molten material, hollow, eight-sided tubes are grown to a height of more than 16 feet before they are removed from the furnace. Operators use lasers to cut the cells into four inch squares, which are processed to make electrically active cells. Cells are then sealed in a clear encapsulant material developed by ASE Americas and are assembled into modules.

Saturday, November 10th, 2001

9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

New Canaan Nature Center

144 Oenoke Ridge · New Canaan, CT

Directions to the New Canaan Nature Center

Led by Len Loomans and Ed Witkin of Solarworks Inc., this workshop will cover both grid-tied and stand-alone Photovoltaic (PV) systems. Costs, inverters, batteries and utility interface are some of the many topics that will be covered.