Austin’s ImagineSolar to hosts solar educational forum August 25

 

ImagineSolar trainingMost things are big in Texas, the land, the homes, the egos, but the sun and solar isn’t—not even in its “Keep it Weird” Capital, Austin. To help fix that ImagineSolar is hosting an educational forum and open house August 25—oh and its offering attendees $50 off on subsequent solar classes.

The forum and open house will feature speakers from installers, photovoltaic and mounting manufacturers and more. Including HelioVolt, Lighthouse Solar, SolarBridge Technologies and more. It will also feature members of the solar and renewable energy advocacy community, among them the Texas Green Network, the Pecan Street Project, Texas Renewable Energy Industry Association, Texas Solar Energy Society, and the Texas chapter of the Sierra Club. It will also have representatives from Austin Energy to help address all sides of the solar opportunities.

“The focus is to educate the local public about the solar opportunities both in terms of adding solar to your home or business as well as the opportunities to enter the solar field as an employee or an entrepreneur,” said ImagineSolar CEO Michael Kuhn. “There is limited awareness. I believe that if more were aware, there would be a major increase in demand locally. The value proposition for putting solar on your home or business is outstanding.”

It’s not the first time that ImagineSolar has hosted such an event. “We have done similar events in the past. We have a large training center that allows us to provide space as well as staff to organize open house and forum events,” Kuhn said.

The event is being held as Austin considers its solar future. Far-flung Texas neighbor San Antonio has been leading the solar race in the state, with 44.8 megawatts of PV installed, a planned PV manufacturing plant and contracts for 400 megawatts of PV farms. Meanwhile Austin has about 6 megawatts of non-utility solar installed and operational.

Kuhn is among those that want to see become a much bigger part of the city’s economy and is on a solar advisory committee to help the city go solar, expanding it’s non-utility PV installations to around 300 megawatts by 2022.