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Friday, October 2, 2009
Video of the Event
For those intrigued by the idea of powering their own EV or PHEV with RE -- including RE they produce themselves -- and reducing their vehicle fuel cost for local driving to near-zero, this program will offer the latest information about advances, and likely advances, in both technology and policy... in the apt surroundings of the University of Minnesota's primary location for promoting creativity in design.
The speech and panel discussion addressed the vital importance of wedding renewable energy (RE) -- especially solar electric power and wind power -- to an ever-expanding fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). In order to address climate change, oil-related security issues, the onset of peak oil, fuel-cost issues, and a host of vehicle-based pollution concerns, electricity from renewables now logically becomes the necessary resource to power our cars; the offset to gasoline costs offered by a home solar photovoltaic (PV) system can slash the payback time for PV to as little as five years. MRES' primary mission is public education about, and the promotion of, genuinely renewable energy; the link to clean, all- or partially-electric vehicles is an intimately related topic that is of deep significance both to our members, and to the public at large. Related issues -- such as the need to pass a low-carbon fuel standard as a major tool to combat global warming -- were discussed; other likely topics include recent advances in solar energy technology (and the current decline in the price of PV panels), and updates on the predicted impact of climate change on Minnesotans under different energy-use scenarios. The evening closed with an audience/panel question-and-answer session. A number of solar and EV/PHEV owners and professionals from the Minnesota Electric Auto Association were present and available to talk briefly with members of the public before and after the event. The evening was one of several MRES 30th-Anniversary-Year celebratory events, and will be moderated by author/activist and MRES boardmember Christopher Childs and architect and adjunct professor Loren Abraham; it was be sponsored by The Electric Vehicle Store, and there will be a display of electric and hybrid vehicles outside Rapson Hall beforehand, starting at 5 p.m. The program wase free and open to the public, though donations will be gratefully accepted. The program was scheduled literally and deliberately on the eve of the annual American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Solar Tour, whose Minnesota leg is organized by MRES.
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