Solar Austin is a non-profit organization working to accelerate the transition to clean renewable energy, building healthy communities, strong economies, and energy independence.
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Solar Austin Happy Hour - Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Speaking at this event:
- Larry Weis, Austin Energy, GM
- Brewster McCracken, Pecan Street Inc., Exec. Dir.
- Mike Sloan, Virtus Energy, President
Clay Butler, The Butler Firm (moderator)
A discussion featuring Austin Energy’s newest efforts to stimulate solar power, aided by the advanced knowledge gained from the Pecan Street Project, in partnership with the local solar industry.
29th STREET BALLROOM @ SPIDERHOUSE
Happy Hour @ 5:30 PM
Panel Discussion @ 6:30 PM
Please RSVP here: http://valueofsolarinaustin.eventbrite.com/
Brought to you by:
WE ARE BACK!
(In some cases having fled the summer sun…too much of a good thing! Let’s put that resource to work.)
Come join Solar Austin for an engaging event with RB Sloan, Pedernales Electric Coop CEO and Mark Rose, Bluebonnet Electric Coop CEO. We are very fortunate & honored that these two community leaders are willing to speak to us and answer questions about their respective utilities’ plans for the future.
The discussion will focus on the directions for Distributed Generation and Energy Efficiency programs, but all topics are open for questions and as with past events we foresee a diverse & vibrant audience!
Our Speakers:
 RB Sloan, CEO of Pedernales Electric Coop  Mark Rose, CEO of Bluebonnet Electric Coop
When: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011
5:30-6:30pm Mixer, 6:30-7:30pm Speakers
Where: 29th Street Ballroom – Near the Spider House Café (2908 Fruth Street, Austin, TX) map link
This event is free and open to the public.
RB Sloan Bio at Pedernales Electric Coop Website Mark Rose Bio at Bluebonnet Electric Coop Website
At our next Solar Austin Happy Hour features City Council incumbent Randi Shade and candidate Kathie Tovo discussing Energy and the Future of Austin.
Date: Wednesday, June 15
Time: 5pm mixer, 6:30pm-8pm panel
Location: Spider House, 2906 Fruth Street, Austin, TX 78705
RSVP at http://shadetovo.eventbrite.com/
 Kathie Tovo Kathie Tovo is a 19-year resident of Austin, former Planning Commissioner and Austin Neighboorhoods Council Vice President. She has earned the endorsements of respected organizations like the Austin Sierra Club and the Austin Chronicle. Kathie supports the goals of the Generation Plan and believes continuing to move toward a renewable future is one of the most important tasks before our nation and community.
 Randi Shade Randi Shade was elected to our City Council in 2008, and has lived in Austin for over two decades. Prior to Council, she attended UT, served as student body president, received an MBA from Harvard University, launched and ran AmeriCorps under Governor Ann Richards, started an Internet company, and served as Executive Director of the Austin Entrepreneurs Foundation. Randi and her partner Kayla live in Clarksville with their two young children.
Sponsored by:
 A Technology & Renewables Law Firm
If you live in or around Austin and want to buy green power, become more energy efficient, do rooftop solar, or charge your EV pollution free….
You need to attend our next Solar Happy Hour.
Solar Austin is pleased to welcome leaders from Austin Energy (which serves most of Austin) & Green Mountain Energy (which serves many “competitive market” areas surrounding Austin, across Texas and elsewhere in the U.S) to share what programs are currently available to their respective customers.
Hope you can join us next Wednesday at Malverde.
| Talk: |
Green Options for Greater Austin |
| Time: |
May 25, 5:00 PM Mixer, 6:30 8:00 PM Panel Discussion |
| Location: |
Malverde (400 W. 2nd, across from City Hall) |
Speakers:
 Karl Rabago and Jason Sears Karl Rabago, Austin Energy, VP Distributed Energy Services
AND
Jason Sears, Green Mountain Energy, Senior Manager of Product Management and Strategy
Moderator: Mike Sloan, Virtus Energy
RSVP: http://austingreenoptions.eventbrite.com/
ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:
Karl R. Rábago, Austin Energy
Karl R. Rábago leads AE’s energy efficiency, green building, market research, key accounts, and advanced transportation groups and is AE’s executive sponsor to the Pecan Street Project. Karl has had a stellar career in electric policy, clean tech & sustainability including: Texas PUC Commissioner, Deputy Asst. Secretary at U.S. DOE, Managing Director at Rocky Mountain Institute, & a creator and chairman for the “Green-e” certification program. Karl’s academic & military resume includes: Aggie (BBA), Longhorn (JD), post-doc degrees in environmental & military law. Univ. of Houston & West Point Law Professor. Tank commander. JAG Corps. Airborne. Ranger…. yet also known to fashion accessorize with Gecko lapel pins & quote Dr. Seuss.
Jason Sears, Green Mountain Energy Company
Jason Sears is the Senior Manager of Product Management and Strategy at Green Mountain Energy Company, the nation’s leading retail electricity provider of cleaner, renewable energy and carbon offsets. Prior to joining Green Mountain, Jason managed product marketing and management for First American Spatial Services Company, an Austin-based GIS solutions start-up that serves the energy and finance industries. Jason also sits on the Mueller Residents Council for the Pecan Street Project.
As you might imagine, events in Japan and NRG’s announced scaleback of efforts to increase generation capacity at the South Texas Project nuclear station have had an impact on our planned presentation on Major Generation Options for Austin and the speaker line up. However a discussion of generation options is always timely as new events and new developments change our available options.
We are fortunate to have two speakers who can address most energy topics with authority:
 Chris Strand, Heather Otten, Dr. Michael Webber Chris Strand, Energy Efficiency Expert / Founder of Strand Brothers
Heather Otten, VP of Development, Invenergy / President, The Wind Coalition
Dr. Michael Webber, Univ. Of Texas at Austin / Electric Utility Commission / Pecan Street
MODERATOR: Mike Sloan, Virtus Energy
ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:
Chris Strand founded in 1978 Strand Brothers, an Austin-based residential and small commercial HVAC contractor and one of the largest Building Performance contractors in the nation. Chris Strand was instrumental in the creation and development of Austin Energy’s incentive programs for energy efficiency and served on the Zero Energy Home Capable task force and the Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure task force. Chris Strand left Strand Brothers earlier this year to pursue other opportunities.
Heather Otten has been active in the wind industry for almost eleven years and during that time has helped bring over 1,400 megawatts of wind energy projects online in Texas and New Mexico. Heather currently manages Invenergy’s development portfolio in excess of 3,000 megawatts in ERCOT and SPP. She also directs the company’s participation in statewide policy initiatives and serves as the President for the Wind Coalition (www.windcoalition.org <http://www.windcoalition.org/>).
Michael Webber is Associate Director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, Co-Director of the Clean Energy Incubator, and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas. He is on the Board of Advisors of Scientific American and has authored more than 125 articles, columns, and book chapters. He is an active speaker, including testimony for U.S. Senate and the United Nations. Michael holds four patents and is an originator of the Pecan Street Project, a multi-institutional public-private partnership in Austin to create the smart electricity and water utilities of the future.
Please join us for a lively discussion of what the future of energy in TX might look like.
Time: April 13 (Wed), 5:00 PM Mixer, 6:30 to 8:00 PM Panel Discussion
Location: Malverde, 400 W. 2nd Street
Parking: Best options are likely the City of Austin garage (free if you visit your city council member and invite them to the event too…and have your parking validated) or metered street parking.
Solar Austin HH (note venue change)
Electric rates in Austin are going up next year… Curious to know how the City will decide how much? Solar Austin is pleased to announce its Solar Happy Hour for March 9 featuring an exceptional group of experts:
Chris Riley Austin City Council Member — perspective from body that must approve any rate increase
Larry Weis Austin Energy General Manager — leading effort to update the utility’s rate structure
Angelos Angelou Angelou Economics — brings perspective on local community impacts
Alan Holman Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell — lawyer involved in Austin’s most “recent” electric rate cases, 1985-1994
Where: Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto, in the interior meeting room http://www.scholzgarten.net/
When: March 9, 5:00pm – mixer, 6:30pm – panel discussion
Register
Register at EventBrite or use the form below.
CPS Energy: Leading San Antonio into the New Energy Economy
The Doyle Beneby HH on Wednesday, 02_23, at MalVerde was well attended and well received. Thanks to our sponsors for providing hors d’oeuvres and to Doyle Beneby for providing a positive outlook on CPS’s continual augmentation of renewable generation sources in its energy mix. Finally thanks to all who attended for making it a lively and enjoyable evening.
February 23, 2011 : Doyle Beneby
- Talk:
- CPS Energy: Leading San Antonio into the New Energy Economy
- Time:
- Wednesday, February 23 · 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- Location:
- Malverde. 400 W. 2nd, Austin.
Doyle Beneby, President & CEO, CPS Energy
 Doyle Beneby Solar Austin will host a special event featuring the leader of San Antonio’s municipal utility, CPS Energy CEO Doyle Beneby, offering Austinites a great opportunity to learn about CPS Energy’s plan to pursue affordable renewable energy.
This special event will take place at Malverde (400 W. 2nd, next to City Hall) with a Reception starting at 4pm and talk from 5 to 6pm. Parking is available at City Hall or metered parking on the street.
http://www.cpsenergy.com/About_CPS_Energy/Who_We_Are/Executive_Team/index.asp
In August 2010, President and CEO Doyle Beneby joined CPS Energy. Beneby brings a wealth of experience in electricity generation operations, new generation development, electric distribution operations, customer service and labor relations.
Beneby joined CPS Energy after serving Exelon for 8 years in various roles. Most recently, as president of Exelon Power, Beneby oversaw fossil, hydro generation, and solar operations, outage and work management, business operations, engineering and technical support, Exelon New England holdings, new generation development, and operational oversight of co-owned facilities and purchased power contracts. Before joining Exelon, Beneby worked for Consumers Energy in Michigan and Florida Power & Light.
Doyle Beneby Reception Sponsors:
Three leaders in Texas’ growing solar community discuss Austin’s place in the Solar Universe — from the context of available technologies, how to develop solar today in a cost-effective way, and the benefits that solar development offers our great city.
Shoal Creek Saloon, February 9. Plenty of food, drink and parking
http://www.shoalcreeksaloon.com/scmap.jpg
Please RSVP at http://solaruniverse.eventbrite.com/
For more info: http://www.solaraustin.org/
Please join us if you can — and let the sun shine in!
Mike
Talk: Austin’s Place in the Solar Universe
Time: Wednesday, February 9 · 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Shoal Creek Saloon. 909 N. Lamar, Austin.
A City that wants its electricity to be Clean
Event starts at 5:30 to eat, drink, mix.
Solar Panel talk commences at 6:30, featuring:
Tom Ortman, President, Concurrent Design – The Solar Universe
Daven Mehta, CEO, RRE Austin Solar, LLC – cost-effective solar development
Michael Kuhn, CEO, ImagineSolar – the benefits for Austin
OUR PANELISTS
 Tom Ortman Tom Ortman, Concurrent Design
http://www.concurrentdesign.com/
Tom Ortman is the President of Concurrent Design, Inc., an Austin Engineering Design and Build services firm focused on Commercial and Industrial Product Development in the Clean Energy and Solar Energy Sector. Tom is also Co-Founder of the Solar Energy Entrepreneur’s Network (SEEN / CLEEN), Chairman of the Austin SEMI Steering Committee and a Board Member for the CleanTX Foundation.
 Daven Mehta Daven Mehta, RRE Austin Solar
http://rresolar.com/
Mr. Daven Mehta leads RRE Austin Solar and previously served as the President of RADS General Trading & Pillars Properties and President/Chief Executive Officer of Deto Safe India Ltd. from 2001 to 2006. From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Mehta worked with NEPC India Ltd. Mr. Mehta graduated with a bachelors degree in chemistry from Bombay University in 1981 and a masters degree in organic chemistry from Bombay University in 1983.
 Michael Kuhn Michael Kuhn, ImagineSolar
http://imaginesolar.com/
Michael Kuhn is CEO of ImagineSolar and founder of the first licensed career school in Texas focused on the clean/smart/renewable energy industries. He has consulted for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities program, for Austin Energy’s Value of Solar study, and for several clean energy ventures. Mr. Kuhn holds a Master of Science in Management of Technology from Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas.
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