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R&D Site Tour & Introductory Lecture September 10th, October 15th	Whisper H80 Grid-Tie Installation Workshop w/ Southwest Windpower September 17 - 18th
All workshops will be held at the SWI Small Wind Research and Demonstration Site on Beech Mountain.

Wind power is a non-polluting, sustainable, reliable, and economical source of energy that can help us reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels, help preserve and protect our environment, and at the same time create new jobs and industry and sustainable economic development. Recent studies have identified close to a million acres of land in Western NC with wind resources adequate for small scale electricity production.

The North Carolina Small Wind Initiative (SWI) is a collaborative project supported by Appalachian State University, North Carolina State Energy Office, TVA and the US DOE. The SWI is assessing the performance of small wind technology in the region and is providing interested groups and individuals, electric utilities and the general public with advice and information about small wind technology, wind resource assessment, potential energy production, and the economics of wind energy. It is providing those interested with the opportunity to help install and/or experience different types of wind turbines and towers, as well as other system components. Specific goals are to:

• Test and demonstrate a variety of commercially available small wind technologies.
• Provide information and consulting services to the public related to small wind technology and establish a database of definitive performance results for small wind turbine technology in the state.
• Identify the owners of windy land and contact them with information about their wind resources and small wind technology.
• Operate an Anemometer Loan Program to help interested property owners measure their wind resources.
• Organize, advertise, and host a series of workshops on small wind technology using a combination of national and international experts as well as regional resources.

These introductory workshops will include classroom presentations and a tour of the Small Wind Research & Demonstration Site. Participants will learn about: the characteristics of a good wind site, how to measure wind resources, best practices for siting a wind turbine, the different types of residential scale turbines available in the market place today and their expected performance and cost, various types of towers and other components used in a wind system, legal and utility concerns, wind/solar hybrid systems, incentive programs and how to do it right.

Workshop Leaders: These introductory workshops will be led by faculty and staff from Appalachian State University’s Appropriate Technology program and the Small Wind Initiative. Appalachian’s Appropriate Technology Program has over 20 years experience designing, constructing and testing a wide variety of renewable energy technologies and has initiated and led many of the wind energy research projects conducted in the region over the last several years, including the development of the SWI’s research and demonstration facility.

COST: $50 (student rate: $30)
Register Online Now!!

This H80 turbine installation workshop will introduce and provide training on Southwest’s newest product line: Whisper H80 Grid-tie System, featuring a 10 ft (3.1m) rotor diameter turbine for greater output at low wind speed averages, and a plug-and-play grid-tie application. Along with this new installation at the R&D Site, this workshop offers extensive materials and instruction on tower raising, maintenance, and interconnection in urban settings.

Driven by a deep and abiding commitment to the environment Southwest Windpower continues to design, manufacture and sell state-of-the-art wind energy systems of high-quality, durability and affordability. www.windenergy.com

TWO-DAY COST: $150 (Student rate: $100)
Register Online Now!!

Details

Each of the SWI Workshops will be held at the SWI R&D site and the adjacent Pinnacle Inn. The workshops will include lunch and break services, instruction, and a complete collection of reading and design materials, reference guides, and wind turbine product information. All attendees will also receive the U.S. Department of Energy’s newly published North Carolina Small Wind Electric Systems Handbook, as well as the new, interactive NC Wind Resource Map CD. This map allows viewers to get comprehensive wind data for any 10-acre lot in NC.