Change comes in human history because of constant pushing by people who keenly see the need for it. It comes when the tide of technology rises, when the demand for it swells, when "knowledge" becomes "common knowledge", and when people act on that knowledge. A feedback loop is created: development of technology leads to information about that technology becoming available as education; the educated become advocates for the technology, calling on both business and government to provide it. This is the state of renewable energy. Our current challenge is to raise the level of education, and to steer a course on the swell.
SolarFest is an annual educational gathering that shows that renewable energy is not very far out. Run entirely on PV systems, SolarFest itself is a strong demonstration of the efficacy of solar power. The festival weekend includes renewable energy workshops, demonstrations, and vendors; workshops on sustainable living topics; top-quality performances on two stages; community involvement, and children's education opportunities. It provides a beautiful place for people to meet technology face-to-face; to interact with it and handle it; and to get literally energized about the actions necessary to turn the tide of change.
SolarFest attracts people from all over the Northeast and beyond with its two days of user-friendly workshops. In 2002, there will be over 30 renewable energy and sustainable living vendors exhibiting along the commons between the main stage and the workshop tents. Interspersed with crafts, food, and environmentally focused non-profit booths, the center of SolarFest is a vibrant forum for ideas and commodities.
Not Just Preaching to the Choir
SolarFest attendees have remarked on the similarities to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s Common Ground Fair in its infancy. Others liken the event to the Clearwater Revival on the Hudson in New York, whose original purpose was to renew activists in their labors. SolarFest is a mixture of both concepts, drawing the layperson and the knowledgeable alike who come both to learn and to relax in a community of the hopeful.
Expert Delivery
Someone curious about getting off-grid or just lightening their load can learn the nuts and bolts of photovoltaics from Richard Gottlieb of Sunnyside Solar, or more about the effects of their transportation choices from Steven Letendre of Green Mountain College. Jeff Wolfe of Global Resource Options will present an update on Renewable Energy legislation in Vermont, and on grid-connected power systems. System design, solar hot water, and micro-hydro are some of the other renewable energy workshop topics. Chelsea Green Publishing offers a double workshop on straw bale building by northern straw bale guru Paul Lacinski; sessions on home heating options, grid-independent home design, food growing, and a panel on sustainable living will also be available at the Chelsea Green tent.
From its inception, SolarFest used the power of music to help deliver its message. SolarFest established a tradition of booking high-quality artists, drawing people to the event who might otherwise not avail themselves of an energy fair.
The Warm Power of the Sun
SolarFest is lucky in its friends. NESEA members Richard Gottlieb, Carol Levin, Chip Mauck, Dori and Jeff Wolfe, among others, have contributed time and literal energy to the event over the years. In 1997, SolarFest obtained through donations a solar trailer with 16 Solarex 60-watt panels, eight Surrette batteries, and two Trace SW4048 inverters which provide an 8,000 watt continuous duty system. The Solar Roller, combined with the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution's step van (960 watts from Solarex PV panels with 24 deep-cycle batteries and two Trace SW4024 inverters) power the main stage lights and sound. Six other mobile units provide power to the two workshop tents, the second stage, the central vending area, and the gate.
A key part of any message to the public about renewables is that they are most successfully combined with energy conservation. Indeed, for the many people who cannot presently afford a PV or other renewable system, taking conservation steps is the best way to positively affect the environment. SolarFest embodies the principle doing well with less; vendors and contractors involved with the festival must assess their energy needs, rethinking what is necessary. Dark Star Lighting has provided stage lights since 1995, in past years relying solely on the Solar Roller for their power supply. Similarly, the sound system is kept to the size necessary for good amplification, taking advantage of the natural amphitheater that exists at the main stage. One benefit of a sensibly-sized sound system is that people are not forced to flee from the front rows to save their hearing.
The eighth annual SolarFest will be held July 13 and 14, in Middletown Springs, Vermont. Tickets for the weekend, which include parking and camping, are $40. Day and teen rates are available. Children 12 and under are free. The gates open at 9:00 AM both days. To facilitate everyone's happiness over the weekend, SolarFest has a few ground rules: no dogs, no glass bottles, no open fires. While parking is free, the parking area has a limited capacity. SolarFest organizers urge guests to carpool. Visit www.solarfest.org for updated presenter and performer schedules and detailed information.
Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman is co-executive director of SolarFest.
NESEA Network