June 30, 2007 - The June 30th Wind and Solar workshop was a great success. Many members of the organization came together and talked about renewable energy. Passive/active thermal solar storage to water and air systems on the Energy Farm were inspected as was the battery charging wind turbine. New solar panels were also hooked into the system for the first time. This was new for almost everyone present which was clearly evident as we had a bunch of guys actually reading the manual! It was a great learning experience for all of us. A great time was had by all and we thank those who came and enriched the event so much. We need to do these things more often. The full summer events schedule should be up shortly. Workshops are already posted below.
October 13-14, 2006 - BIODIESEL PRODUCTION WORKSHOP. This 2 day workshop focused on small scale biodiesel production. Topics included biodiesel basics, safety, and process training. The workshop covered the entire production process starting with raw oil through finished batches.
October 12, 2006 - OILSEED CRUSH WORKSHOP. Workshop focused on oilseed crush using oilseed press to produce crude oil for biodiesel production. Topics included crush process, filter, and degumming.
Aug. 10-11, 2006 - Wind/Solar Workshops at the Energy Farm provided a tremendous hands-on experience for participants. The Energy Farm's Bergey Wind Turbine was lowered, annual maintenance and inspection was performed and turbine was then raised. Jim Mixan, owner of Solar Light and Power, gave a fascinating demonstration which highlighted the relative ease with which a homeowner, RV enthusiast, or remote site can use solar energy to produce electricity.
Robert Byrnes and an NeREA workshop participant prepare to lower Bergey wind turbine using gin pole.
Workshop participant lowering turbine.
Turbine descending.
Robert Byrnes and workshop participants run through turbine maintenance and inspection checklists.
Participants raise turbine using solar power to operate all electrical equipment (and homebrew biodiesel for a winch lubricant).
Jim Mixan, owner of Solar Light and Power, instructs workshop participants in the assembly/wiring of a solar array consisting of PV panels, controller, batteries, and inverter.
Mixan then drilled through concrete block using solar energy as power source, and later microwaved lunch using solar energy to power microwave.