For all those wanting to CARPOOL to the event, when you RSVP please add the comment that you want to carpool. We should be leaving Anchorage about 6pm and probable meet up with Eagle River members about 6:20pm. The meetup place will be based on who all RSVP and the areas they will be coming from. Suggestions are Carrs or Fred Meyers on the east side. Please RSVP a location preference too in your comment. THanks.

ACAT (Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology )
is having a special potluck and presentation on June 15th at 7 pm. Early Summer solstice

TITLE:
Location: Agate Inn conference Center ( www.agateinn.com) for map
Time: 7:00 pm- potluck, 7:40 pm- presentation
Cost: free for ACAT members, non-members $10 at event, PLUS bring a dish
Subject:
Karl Schmid (www.ktschmid.de) a passive house and Solar Architect from Germany will give a presentation on some of his projects in Germany. Karl has designed and built many homes and businesses in Germany that are not only net zero energy but sell a large amount of surplus energy back into the grid. Karl just completed a large solar park built on old army munitions bunkers. Each Ammo bunker has a large 400 PV panel tracking array. The old ammo bunker acts as a foundation and also houses the inverters and computers. This PV array sells to the German electrical grid. The system can generate 2.3 megawatts/ hour of power, transmitted at 20,000 volts. This array probably generates more solar energy than all the PV's collectively in Alaska.
The area that Karl lives in Germany is a major producer of Alternative energy, solar and wind. The area's solar industry employs over 100,000 people. They have greatly reduced the costs of installed solar systems to about $2.40 Euro/watt.
This presentation is a great opportunity to learn what is going on in Germany, plus many design and construction options that may play a role in Alaska.
Karl is in Alaska to give a presentation at the REAP renewable energy conference on June 17 and 18th in Anchorage. Sandy and I spent a few days visiting Karl a few weeks back. We were very impressed with all the alternative energy projects and the very aggressive attitude that is developing in Central Europe on Energy conservation and alternative energy systems. We came away thinking that Alaska and the US is a full decade behind and catching up will be an economic challenge.