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SUMMARY:10th Annual Green Holiday Party
DESCRIPTION:Barr Mansion & The Shades of Green Radio Show Present\nThe 10th Annual Austin Green Holiday Party \nWednesday\, December 6th\, 2017 6-10pm\nHosted and Sponsored by Barr Mansion\n10463 Sprinkle Rd.\, Austin\, TX 78754 (www.barrmansion.com) \nAdvance Tickets $25.00\, ($30.00 at door). Tickets can be purchased here.\n(Tickets include snacks\, dinner\, all drinks and live music) \nCo-Hosted by:\n• Earth Day ATX and EarthX\n• Austin EcoNetwork\n• Shades of Green Radio Show\n• Public Citizen Texas\n• Texas Solar Energy Society\n• Texas Renewable Energy Industries Alliance\n• Environment Texas\n• Austin Zero Waste Alliance\n• Citizens Climate Lobby\n• Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems\n• Design Build Live\n• Clean Water Action\n• U.S.G.B.C. Texas\n• Texas Campaign for the Environment\n• Sustainable Food Center\n• 350 Austin\n• Solar Austin \nJoin us for the Austin green mixer of the year\, our 10th\, can you believe it? Hosted this year by 18 great organizations\, this event is a fun place for area environmentalists to come together\, celebrate\, scheme and prepare for the new year. \nMagical music by Seu Jacinto\, a group introducing and developing traditional Northeastern Brazilian culture to Central Texas. Seu Jacinto pays homage to the masters of the Brazilian folk musical traditions of forró\, coco\, cavalo marinho\, and many other Northeast Brazilian rhythms. \nExperience how our hosts and sponsors Barr Mansion are at the nexus of a merging of the environmental and food movements while enjoying a buffet featuring a variety of their seasonal\, all-organic favorites. \nIt’s been a crazy year so let’s “regroup”\, have some fun and get ourselves ready for the good fight in 2018. We look forward to seeing you there!
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/10th-annual-green-holiday-party/
LOCATION:Barr Mansion\, 10463 Sprinkle Road\, Austin\, TX\, 78754\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20171024T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20171024T200000
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: The Solar In Your Community Challenge
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nThis month\, Solar Austin will focus on efforts across Central Texas to make #solar more accessible to low- and moderate- income families. Low- and moderate- income families represent 40 percent of America’s population\, but less than 5 percent of all solar customers. These households\, non-profits\, and government organizations face several barriers to going solar\, including limited financing options\, low or no credit history\, and lack of access to the 30 percent Federal Investment Tax Credit. \nThe Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative aims to make solar energy a low-cost electricity source for all Americans through efforts in collaboration with public and private partners. SunShot has given rise to many programs\, including the “Solar in Your Community Challenge.” \nTeams are competing for a $500\,000 grand prize\, and the Department of Energy has committed up to $5 million in cash prizes and technical assistance through this competition to support innovative and replicable community-based solar business models and programs that will bring solar to underserved communities. Solar Austin is excited to present representatives from three Central Texas “Solar in Your Community Challenge” teams: \n• Eric Coffman\, founder and Director of Trailhead Energy\, from the Waco Community Solar Farm team;\n• Scott Nguyen\, PhD\, founder and CEO of Braket Technologies and 1PlanetSol\, and team lead for 1PlanetSol; and\n• Ramsey Cripe\, an ERCOT market and regulatory analyst\, from the Kerrville Area Solar Partners team. \nRSVP here. \nThe Waco Community Solar Farm will significantly reduce energy costs for 87 low and moderate income families living in affordable housing by partnering with Green Mountain Energy to take advantage of a “virtual net-metering” solution. 1PlanetSol is developing the 1AustinSol Community\, leveraging consumer interest and buying power to support the installation of solar on the homes of low-income families in Austin—the 1AustinSol Community will soon reach 1000 members and 100 businesses to support 100 kW of solar to benefit low-income households. Kerrville Area Solar Partners will work with a solar developer\, local non-profits and property owners to install a 999 kW solar project with 100% output dedicated to support a new\, lower cost rate class for qualified low- to moderate-income families and non-profit customers. \nWe hope you’ll join us on October 24th for this exciting conversation!
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-the-solar-in-your-community-challenge/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170926T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170926T200000
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Solar PV In Africa
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nThis month\, Solar Austin is going to step outside of our Austin bubble and hear about solar development in Africa. While industrialized countries face the challenge of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy\, many developing countries – particularly those in Africa – don’t even have widespread access to electricity. While 80% of the global population has some access to electricity\, only 30 percent of people in Africa do. About 600 million Africans live without electricity\, mostly in rural communities. \nSolar is helping communities in Africa leapfrog past polluting fossil fuels to expand access to this essential service. With access to electricity comes improvement in educational opportunities\, health services\, and access to clean water and information. Instead of relying on massive transmission line investments\, the electrification of Africa is utilizing on-site solar and micro-grids\, which allow development to proceed much quicker. \nThis month\, we will hear from Bako Ambianda\, the Founder\, Chairman\, and CEO of Labacorp Group\, and an international development specialist\, business strategist\, and global African entrepreneur. Mr. Ambianda will discuss his experiences facilitating off grid and large-scale solar projects in Africa including his involvement with Akon Lighting Africa. In 2012\, he developed a game plan and “blue print” for tapping into Africa’s opportunities in key sectors\, facilitating international solar\, biomass\, hydro\, and hotel construction projects in 16 African countries\, with clients from China\, India\, US\, Turkey\, France\, and Germany. He will talk about the challenges\, opportunities\, and trends in developing solar in Africa. \nSolar Austin is excited to present Mr. Ambianda\, as our September Happy Hour speaker\, and we hope you’ll join us for this exciting conversation. \n\n\n\nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances.\n\nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin. Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area. You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\, www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate. You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-solar-pv-in-africa/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170822T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170822T200000
DTSTAMP:20170817T171904Z
CREATED:20170817T171904Z
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Mayor Adler on Cities and Climate Change
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nWith every passing day\, society’s reliance on fossil fuels further exacerbates the climate change crisis. The reality of climate change impacts on central Texas is sobering—unless we move past fossil fuels\, even more severe storms\, droughts\, and extreme heat will become the new normal. \nKnowing these facts while watching Trump pull the US from the Paris climate Change agreement was horrifying. Fortunately\, Trump’s decision has served to galvanize many local leaders to redouble their action—Austin Mayor Steve Adler is one of those local climate leaders reaffirming commitment to the Paris Accord. Solar Austin is excited to present Mayor Adler as our August Happy Hour speaker. \nRSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solar-austin-happy-hour-mayor-adler-on-cities-and-climate-change-tickets-36974969128 \nMayor Adler will share his views on the decision to pull out of the Paris agreement and how Austin fits in among a coalition of cities both taking action right now and planning future efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and general environmental impact. \nAustin’s Community Climate Plan provides a roadmap for the Austin community to achieve carbon neutrality no later than 2050 through efforts to reduce and hopefully eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production\, natural gas\, transportation\, solid waste management and industrial processes. Action items include investing in renewable energy\, investment in energy storage\, mass transit\, expanding composting\, and promulgation of electric vehicles and smart grid technologies. \nJoin us to hear from Mayor Adler about Austin’s efforts to reduce the community’s impact on the climate and what you can do to make a difference. \n————————–————————–————-\nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances. \nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin. Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area. You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\,www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate. You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-mayor-adler-on-cities-and-climate-change/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170725T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170725T200000
DTSTAMP:20170719T202556Z
CREATED:20170719T202556Z
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Technology For A Smarter Grid
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nAs solar and other renewable energy technologies spread further throughout society\, effectively connecting these distributed means of generation to current transmission infrastructure and expanding and modernizing the grid become ever more pressing issues. Solar Austin is excited to present our July Happy Hour speaker\, the co-cofounder of Enphase\, Raghu Belur\, who will tell us more about the exciting advancements in smart inverter\, smart grid\, and distributed energy resources technology\, particularly as related to the residential market. Enphase has also generously provided for food and drinks at month’s happy hour. \nRaghu is currently the company’s Vice President of Products and Strategic Initiatives and Enphase is a worldwide leader in microinverters\, AC home battery storage\, smart solar monitoring technologies\, and now integrated AC Modules from top PV manufacturers. Raghu has more than 20 years of experience in the clean energy and high technology industries. Prior to Enphase\, he developed high-speed optical communication technology for Cerent\, which was later acquired by Cisco Systems for $7 billion. Before Cerent\, Raghu was an engineer at the Indian Institute of Science\, where he played a key role in the development of an alternative energy gasification system. He co-founded Enphase Energy with Martin Fornage in 2006. Raghu has a MSEE from Texas A&M University and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. \nAll electric generating sources must be closely monitored in order to ensure reliability of the electric grid and efficient delivery of electricity. Solar energy systems require an additional layer of complexity because they only produce direct current electricity and because solar is an intermittent energy source. These systems are connected to inverters\, which convert the electricity produced to an alternating current\, so that it can be fed into a specific building’s electric system or onto the grid. “Smart” inverters and other new technologies can allow grid operators to control and automate specific electrical systems and extremely fine resolution of the grid to make the system more resilient. \nSmarter inverters and other new transmission infrastructure can help renewable resources to further penetrate into the market and promulgate throughout the grid—an essential foundation for expanding renewable energy generation to fight air pollution and climate change\, mushroom the number of local clean energy jobs\, and provide solar to even more people. \nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances. \n\n\n\nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin. Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area. You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\, www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate. You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-technology-for-a-smarter-grid/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170425T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170425T200000
DTSTAMP:20170419T141504Z
CREATED:20170419T141504Z
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Austin Solar Policy Update
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nAustin Energy has been a leader on renewable energy adoption\, including distributed solar for many years. That’s both because of leadership at the utility and the Austin City Council and because of public demand for progressive energy policies. \nThat’s the beauty of having a democratically controlled electric utility – it’s responsive to the public. That benefit comes with the responsibility to stay engaged. And that’s a role we play at Solar Austin – helping people learn about the benefits of solar and then getting involved to continue improving local policies and programs to keep solar growing in the Austin area. \nSolar Austin was involved in getting the solar rebate program started at Austin Energy and we’ve worked to ensure a steady budget for the solar programs over the years. \nThere are several potential changes to Austin solar policies and programs in the works. Join us to learn what we’re working on and how you can get involved.\n \nWHEN: Tuesday\, April 25 (5:30 – 8:00 p.m.) \nWHERE: Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd\, Austin \nRSVP: Get more details and RSVP \nWhether you work in the solar industry\, have solar on your home or just think we need to use more solar to reduce our impact on the environment and create local jobs – we want you to get involved. \nCheers! \nSolar Austin Board of Directors \n\nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin. Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area. You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\, www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate. You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-austin-solar-policy-update/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170328T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170328T200000
DTSTAMP:20170322T173809Z
CREATED:20170322T173809Z
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Solar For Low-Income Customers
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nThere was a time when solar energy was only accessible to those with cash on hand to buy a system outright. Then financing for solar became common place and middle income people with decent credit scores could go solar without paying up front. Now\, there is finally a focus on making solar accessible for low-income residents as well. San Antonio’s electric utility – CPS – has launched an innovative new program called Solar Host that allows customers to benefit from solar without making any investment. \nAt the same time\, CPS has rolled out its first community solar program. The program – called Roofless Solar – is ideal for customers who want go solar\, but don’t have a suitable roof or other space on their own property. With community solar\, a shaded roof or a roof in need of repair is no longer a barrier to going solar. \nSPEAKERS: \nCPS is working with a private developer to implement the Solar Host program\, so both Rick Luna from CPS and Tuan Pham from PowerFin Partners will speak at our happy hour. \nRick Luna is Sr. Manager\, Product Development for CPS Energy. Rick oversees a program portfolio that includes a variety of solar\, demand response and energy efficiency offerings for residential and commercial customers. Rick’s team is instrumental in achieving the Save for Tomorrow Energy Plan (STEP) goal of reducing demand by 771 MW by 2020. Rick’s work has included account management\, rate design and economic development. He holds a B.A. in economics from Columbia University. \nTuan Pham is the head of PowerFin\, a solar development\, financing\, and operating company\, with offices in Austin and San Antonio. Throughout his career\, Tuan has focused on areas where energy and finance converge. Prior to his role in business development at HelioVolt\, a thin-film solar company\, Tuan covered energy and chemical companies at Morgan Stanley and Banc of America Securities in New York. Tuan’s experience also includes time at the Austin Clean Energy Incubator and Strategic Value Partners\, a $5 billion hedge fund\, where he served as a Director overseeing energy and industrial investments. Tuan also served on the Austin Local Solar Advisory Committee\, a City Council-appointed committee to devise a plan for citywide solar development.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-solar-for-low-income-customers/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170228T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170228T200000
DTSTAMP:20170222T231904Z
CREATED:20170222T231904Z
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SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour - Bruce Melton on Climate Change
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nJoin us for a visually stimulating discussion of the challenge of our age –  climate change. The topics that may be covered are enumerated below and with some audience input a select few will be explored. \nBruce Melton is a science author and filmmaker\, outreach specialist\, professional engineer with primary research in stormwater treatment\, and CEO of the Climate Change Now Initiative (nonprofit 501c3). Founded in 2005\, the Initiative has created over 400 reviews of academic climate science literature\, 50 popular press articles\, two experimental documentaries (rockumentaries)\, a book\, and 36 songs. ClimateDiscovery.org \nBruce holds a unique perspective built on personal observations collected from around North America and Greenland\, dedicated review of scientific publication\, and a clear understanding of the profound risks with which we are encumbering ourselves. Yet he combines this understanding with a deep optimism regarding what can be done to confront such risk. \nThe Climate Change Now Initiative\, the oldest independent climate science education organization in the world\, presents scientific and policy interpretation of the most critical new scientific publishing and global developments of 2016. The program’s backdrop is the Initiative’s field work in reporting major climate impacts happening now across North America and Greenland. What Climate Change Now considers critical to the discussion includes: \n\nEcoregime change( forest die-off) in high latitude forests of Western North America\nApparent drought where an increased warm season can create drought conditions even with above normal precipitation\nIncreasing extreme weather\nAbrupt sea level rise and beach disintegration ongoing on barrier island beaches in Texas\nDramatic increase in Greenland ice discharge\nOngoing shutdown of the Gulf Stream\nCollapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet:\nNew modeling of timelines and dramatically increased rate of collapse\nFeedback from warming induced increase in sea ice\nPrevention of complete collapse initiation through ocean heat content reduction\nThe history of current climate reform strategies and their efficacy considering successful implementation\nDefinition of Dangerous Climate Change and new developments reducing the dangerous limit\nGlobal Warming Psychology: a description of the disconnection between climate science\, the public\, policy makers\, and environmental advocates\,  and the role of global warming psychology in increasing climate science awareness\nThe psychology of a healthy climate\, what this is and how we can achieve it\nThe need for strong negative emissions\nWell-developed industrial scale atmospheric CO2 capture technology\, the controversy over economic feasibility and a “license to pollute” given the opportunity to remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere\nThe demise of fossil fuels and the ongoing disconnection of CO2 emissions from future scenario projections\, the role of fracking and dramatically reduced costs of alternative energy\, and implications of future cost reductions of solar PV and fugitive emissions from methane.\n\nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances. \nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin.  Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area.  You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\, www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate.  You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-bruce-melton-on-climate-change/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170124T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170124T200000
DTSTAMP:20170117T173550Z
CREATED:20170117T173550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170117T173550Z
UID:29055-1485279000-1485288000@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Electric Vehicle Charging
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nElectric vehicles are poised to transform transportation. Effective charging solutions are critical to that transformation. \nEstablished in 2007\, Smart Charge Residential was born right here in Austin\, TX as one of the first companies in America to focus exclusively on electric vehicle charging station (EVSE) installation and has been delivering that promise across Texas ever since. For the past few years Smart Charge Residential has worked closely with industry leading companies like as Tesla Motors providing home charging station installation services for their customer base\, in addition to other electric vehicle EV OEM’s\, e.g. Nissan\, BMW\, Ford\, Chevrolet\, etc. Smart Charge Residential has also establishedworking contracts with local utility companies like Austin Energy in an effort to both grow and maintain the City’s valued public EV charging station infrastructure. As one of ChargePoint’s leading distribution partners\, Smart Charge Residential is “plugging-in” the gap between EV drivers and their much needed ease of access to power. \nJoin us for a happy hour presentation and discussion with Smart Charge Residential CEO Joseph Barletta on January 24. \nJoseph Barletta\, CEO Smart Charge Residential”Imagine a company intellectually immersed inside the EV market with master certified electricians installing today’s most advanced EV charging systems\, laid out strategically across Texas. An entity whose single focus is to provide a complete turnkey solution for their Residential\, Commercial and Industrial customers with the highest quality standards in customer service and craftsmanship. Pioneers continuing to provide all EV drivers with the most attractive\, affordable and reliable means of EV charging available. Now imagine that company inside every major metropolitan city across America and what such deployment can do to accelerate the advent of EV’s in a worldwide effort to reverse the damaging affects of CO2 emissions on our planet. “That’s the driving force behind Smart Charge Residential” says CEO\, Joseph Barletta. “The sheer presence of a Smart Charge Residential inside the marketplace will encourage a general sense of security\, piece of mind\, reliability\, service expertise and understanding for EV’s from today’s mainstream consumers. Such focus is critical to accelerating EV adoption as we move forward with restoring our planet to an environment our children’s children can enjoy. This is the single most important factor that drives our intensity and lays the foundation for our company’s mission.” Barletta is now working on Smart Charge America\, SCR’s parent company\, in an effort to continue scalability across the US.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-electric-vehicle-charging/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16170554/Solar-Austin-logo.png
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20161213T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20161213T220000
DTSTAMP:20161116T042938Z
CREATED:20161116T042938Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161116T042938Z
UID:28606-1481655600-1481666400@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Holiday Party
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nOur holiday party was so much fun last year\, that we’re making it an annual event.  This year\, we will honor Tom “Smitty” Smith\, who has served as the director of Public Citizen’s Texas office for 31 years and Karen Hadden\, who is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition.  Smitty and Karen were central to the creation of SolarAustin and have been champions for solar energy in Austin and across Texas for many years.  Smitty is retiring from Public Citizen and Karen recently stepped down from the Solar Austin board after many years of service.  We hope you will help us honor their contributions to solar in Austin. \n\nWe’ll have live music by Ben Blamer and his band\, appetizers and a free drink with each ticket purchase. \n\nPlease join us to celebrate and support our work!
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-holiday-party/
LOCATION:Brick Oven Restaurant\, 1209 Red River St\, Austin\, TX\, 78701\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16170554/Solar-Austin-logo.png
GEO:30.2726476;-97.7346741
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Brick Oven Restaurant 1209 Red River St Austin TX 78701 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1209 Red River St:geo:-97.7346741,30.2726476
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20161025T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20161025T200000
DTSTAMP:20161019T132044Z
CREATED:20161019T132044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161019T132044Z
UID:28385-1477416600-1477425600@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Party Perspectives on Texas Energy Policy
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nIn honor of this year’s election season\, and given that the election falls 10 short days later\, we have chosen to focus on the body politic with a party based panel on energy policy in Texas. \nSome knowledgeable and good-natured persons have agreed to take up the mantel of their political party\, wear a partisan hat in public & discuss energy policy – remarkable and appreciated.\n\nWhen Solar Austin talks energy\, we typically mean the optimally distant nuclear fires of the Sun and a quiet panel on your roof. But when in TX one should be ready to talk knowledgeably about oil and gas\, its regulatory body – the Texas Rail Road Commission\, as well as the many renewable options with which Texas is blessed. All these energy sources will be important to TX for decades to come and become more interesting and intertwined as transportation becomes more electrified and the means and the materials of these systems become more highly engineered and dependent on our chemical\, manufacturing and design prowess. The speakers we have lined up are capable of covering much of this ground.\n\n\nDemocratic Party – Lon Burnam is an experienced 9 term (1997-2015) TX Representative from District 90 in Ft. Worth and we are honored to have him join us. He was considered the top candidate in his primary run for the TX Railroad Commission this year. Despite endorsements from many national organizations and several of Texas’ major newspapers he was defeated in the Democratic primary to the surprise of many Texas Observers but has many earned insights to share. \nGreen Party – kat gruene\, is a current candidate for TX Representative District 51 but is joining us principally to share a decade of experience as a Co-chair and at-large State Executive Committee member of the Green Party of Texas. She has dedicated herself to expanding access to the Texas electoral process for the past fifteen years. \nLibertarian Party – Dr. Mark Miller is joining us in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas. He is steeped in TX energy matters as he has indeed written the book on the Texas RailRoad Commission (see the book cover below)\, had a varied career in the oil and gas industry\, and been a petroleum engineering faculty member at UT. He is also a 2016 candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner\, the top statewide office in contention this year\, and leads in endorsements from the state’s major newspaper editorial boards\, including the Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News. \nRepublican Party – ?? (we are still working on it…..we will accept suggestions) – The Republican party has dominated state wide offices for over 20 years so we may simply credit the party with the status quo and let that stand as everyone’s favorite straw man for good or ill – to the degree that policy has been responsible. \nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances. \nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin.  Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area.  You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\, www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate.  You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-party-perspectives-on-texas-energy-policy/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16170554/Solar-Austin-logo.png
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160927T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160927T200000
DTSTAMP:20160921T145325Z
CREATED:20160921T145325Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160921T145325Z
UID:28165-1474997400-1475006400@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Distributed Solar in the ERCOT Market
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nDistributed solar on homes and businesses has traditionally been largely ignored by electric markets. The energy produced benefits the customer and their electric utility\, but hasn’t been valued by the market that determines when all other energy resources – including utility scale solar\, wind\, coal\, gas and nuclear – are competitively priced. As more customers are choosing solar\, many have argued that there should be a way for this resource to be valued by the wholesale market. \nThat’s why the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) – the entity that controls the electric grid that serves most of Texas – convened the Distributed Resource Energy and Ancillary Markets (DRETAM) Task Force. The purpose of the DREAM Task Force was to evaluate new rules for distributed energy resource participation in the ERCOT wholesale power market. \nThe DREAM Task Force vetted concepts and made recommendations. Then it was time for ERCOT staff and stakeholders put forth market rule revisions based upon concepts vetted in the DREAM Task Force. Dan Seif will present an update on where we are with these new rules and what it means for new profitable opportunities for distributed solar in Texas. \nDan Seif is Managing Director of Grid Economics\, a clean energy policy\, markets\, business development\, and financial advisory consulting firm. Prior to cofounding Grid Economics\, Dan was a Sr. Consultant with The Butler Firm\, an Austin-area boutique clean energy legal and consulting firm. Dan also previously led the solar program as a Principal at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)\, was an investment team member of the private equity firm\, US Renewables Group\, and led global energy optimization and carbon emissions mitigation for the semiconductor manufacturer\, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Mr. Seif holds a BS and MS in chemical engineering from the University of Virginia and the University of Arizona\, respectively\, and an Masters of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-distributed-solar-in-the-ercot-market/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16170554/Solar-Austin-logo.png
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160726T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160726T200000
DTSTAMP:20160720T192735Z
CREATED:20160720T192735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160720T192735Z
UID:27510-1469554200-1469563200@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour - Where Does Solar Fit In?
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nSolar Austin Happy Hour – Perspectives on Utilities: Where Does Solar Fit In? \nAs solar\, storage\, demand response\, and energy efficiency continue their ascent\, new utility business models are emerging that align utilities’ financial incentives with increasing distributed energy resources (DERs) . What are they? How do they work? And which models are most likely to win out? \nThis month\, we will hear from Mark Kapner and Doug Lewin for two perspectives on utility business models and how they interact with emerging issues around solar and clean energy. \nThis Month’s Speakers: \nMark Kapner\, PE\, Partner\, MV Green Power LLC\, is also the Engineering Manager of Frontier Associates in Austin\, Texas. He is a nationally-recognized authority in helping electric utilities expand their use of wind\, solar and bio-energy and has spoken at dozens of national and international renewable energy conferences. \nAs Senior Strategy Engineer at Austin Energy (AE) from 1999-2011\, Mark developed AE’s GreenChoice Program\, the nation’s leading renewable energy marketing program. He also was instrumental in launching Plug-In Partners\, the AE-led campaign that persuaded the automobile industry to build plug-in hybrid vehicles. Mark originated the dual storage media system for integrating off-peak wind energy and solar thermal energy to produce utility-scale dispatchable power. He has over 30 years of experience in energy technology\, environmental engineering and renewable energy policy. \nPrior to joining Austin Enegy\, Mark launched TerraSolar USA\, a solar photovoltaic company based in New Jersey\, and served as a Research and Development Manager for the New York Power Authority. He has a BS in Engineering Science from the State University of NY at Stony Brook and a Masters in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. \nDoug Lewin\, VP\, Regulatory Affairs of Market Devleopment\, leads CLEAResult’s policy efforts. Headquartered in Austin\, Texas\, with offices in more than 70 cities in the U.S. and Canada\, CLEAResult designs\, markets\, and implements energy efficiency programs for utilities and businesses. \nPrior to joining CLEAResult\, Lewin was the founding Executive Director of the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER). SPEER was recognized by the US Department of Energy as the regional energy efficiency organization (REEO) for Texas and Oklahoma\, working with a network of REEOs throughout the US to advance energy efficiency. Under his leadership from 2011-16\, SPEER grew from a start-up organization to a multi-million dollar organization with over 50 members. \nLewin also worked at the Texas Legislature for five years\, primarily on clean energy issues for three different elected officials in the House and Senate. Lewin earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. \nWe hope you will join us for an engaging conversation! \nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances. \nAlthough our happy hours are free and open to all\, we hope you’ll consider donating to Solar Austin.  Help us keep solar energy growing in the Austin area.  You can purchase a ticket to the happy hour or go to our website\, www.SolarAustin.org\, to donate.  You will avoid fees by going to our website.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-where-does-solar-fit-in/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16170554/Solar-Austin-logo.png
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160628T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160628T200000
DTSTAMP:20160620T163747Z
CREATED:20160620T163747Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160620T163747Z
UID:27294-1467135000-1467144000@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour - Solar in Texas: The Emperor Has No Clothes
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\n\n\nTexas has the most solar energy potential of any state in the U.S.\, but has been slow to adopt solar technology. Now that’s changing and all kinds of entities – wholesale electric providers\, retail electric providers\, businesses and individuals – are looking to solar as an affordable\, reliable source of energy. \nMaura Yates will speak about the values of solar in Texas\, in particular within the deregulated power market. As solar is entering the mainstream\, the mechanisms and strategies of making the values of solar accessible are sophisticated and validated. Join us for a forward discussion. \nMaura Yates is the Vice President of Sustainable Solutions for MP2 Energy where she is responsible for solar retail and generation solutions. Prior to joining MP2 Energy 2 ½ years ago\, Ms. Yates oversaw government affairs for the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions for SunEdison and developing DG and utility-scale solar solutions for Arizona Public Service. Maura also spent time with Robert Kennedy’s environmental organization\, Riverkeeper\, prior to joining Standard Renewable Energy\, a DG and energy efficiency provider previously based out of Houston during the mid-to-late 2000s. She was named one of the ‘Top 50 Smart Grid Pioneers of 2015’ by SmartGrid Today magazine.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-solar-in-texas-the-emperor-has-no-clothes/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/16165830/Solar-in-Texas.jpg
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160524T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160524T200000
DTSTAMP:20160518T180520Z
CREATED:20160518T180520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160518T180520Z
UID:26931-1464111000-1464120000@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Screening of "Catching The Sun"
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nAn unemployed American worker\, a Tea Party activist\, and a Chinese solar entrepreneur race to lead the clean energy future. But who wins and who loses the battle for power in the 21st century? \n\nThrough the stories of workers and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and China\, Catching the Sun captures the global race to lead the clean energy future. Over the course of a solar jobs training program\, Catching the Sun follows the hope and heartbreak of unemployed American workers seeking jobs in the solar industry.  With countries like China investing in innovative technologies and capitalizing on this trillion-dollar opportunity\, Catching the Sun tells the story of the global energy transition from the perspective of workers and entrepreneurs building solutions to income inequality and climate change with their own hands. Their successes and failures speak to one of the biggest questions of our time: will the U.S. actually be able to build a clean energy economy? \nAs we work to build our local solar economy here in Austin\, this film is relevant and timely. \nhttp://www.eventbrite.com/e/solar-austin-screening-of-catching-the-sun-tickets-25331957567 \nSchedule \n5:30 – 6:15: Networking \n6:15 – 7:30: Screening of “Catching the Sun” \n7:30 – 8:00: Discuss the film with local solar advocates\, customers and members of the industry \nFor this screening\, we are asking everyone to pay the $10 (which is normally suggested\, but not required). Students (with valid student ID) can get in for $5.  We would greatly appreciate it if you purchase a ticket online to help us keep the line moving at the door.  Cash only if you do decide to pay at the door. \n\nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances.  Parking is free in these garages after 5 p.m.\n \n\n\n\n\n\nHave questions about Solar Austin Screening of ‘Catching the Sun’? Contact Solar Austin
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-screening-of-catching-the-sun/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/16170005/Solar-Austin-logo.gif
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160426T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160426T200000
DTSTAMP:20160418T140337Z
CREATED:20160418T140337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T140337Z
UID:26467-1461691800-1461700800@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Living Building Challenge
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nPlan to be inspired by the solar opportunity within the Living Building Challenge™.  LBC is the built environment’s most rigorous performance standard. It calls for the creation of building projects at all scales that operate as cleanly\, beautifully and efficiently as nature’s architecture. The certification process under the Challenge requires that projects meet a series of ambitious performance requirements over a minimum of 12 months of continuous occupancy.  We will hear the living proof story of the building of the Bullitt Center\, a local\, place-based community transformation in Seattle. \nAround the world\, passionate individuals are advocating for restorative building practices. They’re spreading the word and removing barriers to change.  It begins by sharing resources and collaborating locally to pursue Living Building Challenge certification. \nJoin us to hear from Karen Knight about the Living Building Challenge!
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-living-building-challenge/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/16171536/Solar-Austin-Square.jpg
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160322T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160322T200000
DTSTAMP:20160308T154518Z
CREATED:20160308T154518Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160308T154518Z
UID:25810-1458667800-1458676800@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Austin Energy SHINES
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nSolar is booming\, but the share of electricity coming from solar is still very small. As that changes\, it will be important to find ways to integrate larger amounts of solar energy in ways that keep the grid stable. As has already been demonstrated in Hawaii\, it’s important to take these steps early to avoid having solar production curtailed from homes and businesses. To that end\, Austin Energy has been awarded $4.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sunshot Initiative. \nThe grant will fund the Austin Energy SHINES (Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar PV) Project\, which will pilot and research solar\, battery storage\, and smart inverter technologies. Included in this project is the much anticipated community solar installation\, battery storage to be co-located with the community solar and battery storage at the Mueller development. \nKarl PophamKarl Popham\, Austin Energy’s Manager of Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies\, will join us this month to talk about the Austin Energy SHINES Program. Karl has 23+ years experience in emerging technologies\, leadership\, and consulting. He currently leads Austin Energy’s Emerging Technologies and Electric Vehicle teams to include the award winning Plug-In EVerywhere™ program. Additionally\, he is a Department of Energy Principal Investigator on 3 separate initiatives that involve renewables\, energy storage\, and mobility. He also serves on several research and policy boards relating to energy and innovation. \nPlease RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/solar-austin-happy-hour-austin-energy-shines-distributed-solar-and-storage-tickets-22664752886
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-austin-energy-shines/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16170613/SunShot.jpg
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160223T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160223T200000
DTSTAMP:20160219T030933Z
CREATED:20160219T030933Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160219T030933Z
UID:25411-1456248600-1456257600@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour: Solar On-Bill Financing at Pedernales Electric Co-op
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nSolar On-Bill Financing at Pedernales Electric Co-op \n\nThe Pedernales Electric Cooperative is taking steps to encourage more of its customers to go solar – including the recent kick off on an on-bill financing program for customer-owned solar installations and battery storage.  This is exciting news\, both because it the co-op serves many Austin-area residents\, and because\, as the largest co-op in the country\, PEC can set a good example for other co-ops. \nJoin us for happy hour with Blake Beavers of PEC. \n\n State Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-solar-on-bill-financing-at-pedernales-electric-co-op/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/media.theaustincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/16170820/Blake-Beavers.jpg
GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin TX United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1607 San Jacinto Blvd.:geo:-97.7363215,30.2776765
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160127T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160127T200000
DTSTAMP:20160108T160616Z
CREATED:20160108T160616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160108T160616Z
UID:24450-1453915800-1453924800@theaustincommon.com
SUMMARY:Solar Austin Happy Hour
DESCRIPTION:From Solar Austin –\nOur first happy hour of the year is going to be one you won’t want to miss. Georgetown will soon be powered by 100% renewable energy. How is it achieving this goal so much more rapidly than Austin and most other cities? What factors were considered in the decision and what were the reasons for choosing renewable energy? \n\n\n\n\nJoin us to hear from Mayor Dale Ross\, General Manager of Georgetown Utility Systems Jim Briggs and Manager of Resource Planning and Integration Chris Foster. \n\n\n\n\n\nWhen: 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.\, Wednesday\, January 27\, 2016\nWhere: Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd\, Austin \nMayor Dale Ross:\nDale Ross has lived in the Old Town section of Georgetown for over ten years with his wife\, Mickie\, and their cat Lillie. He has a wide range of experience in the private sector as business owner\, public servant and philanthropist. He is a Certified Public Accountant and President and Founder of L. Dale Ross\, CPA\, P.C. located in Georgetown. In addition to running a successful business\, he has provided his professional advice and services with respect to formulating policy and being a steward of the taxpayers’ money in fulfilling his fiduciary responsibilities during his tenure on the Georgetown City Council. \nHe is a member of several state and national professional organizations\, as well as local non-profits like the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce\, Downtown Georgetown Association\, Georgetown Heritage Society and the Sun City Kiwanis. He is the president of the Village Lake Office Business Owners’ Association\, and is the treasurer of the Georgetown Symphony Society. He is also a past president and treasurer of the Williamson Museum on the Georgetown Square. \nIn addition to being Mayor\, Ross’ service to the City includes a term as District 6 City Council Member\, Mayor Pro-Tem\, and he was an officer or board member for five other City of Georgetown boards. \nJim Briggs:\nJim has served as the City’s Director of Community Owned Utilities and as Assistant City Manager over 26 years. In 2012 when he was promoted to the position of General Manager of Georgetown Utility Systems. As General Manager Jim is responsible for the strategic planning for the utility along with daily operations. Jim has guided the utility through years of high growth as well as times of economic recession; each economic period with its own complexities and challenges. \nJim is a graduate of Texas A&M University\, with a Bachelor’s Degree from the College of Agricultural Engineering in Mechanized Systems. Jim has earned his certification as a Certified Water Operator and as a Public Power Executive from the American Public Power Association. Jim serves currently as a board member and past President of the Texas Public Power Association. Jim is also currently serving on the Brazos River Authority Region “G” Water Planning Board. He also serves as Treasurer to Public Power Incorporated\, a for-profit affiliate of The American Public Power Association. \nIn his free time\, Jim golf’s when he is not farming or operating the family ranching business. \nChris Foster: \nChris is currently the Manager of Resource Planning and Integration for the City of Georgetown\, and has served in the capacity since 2008. His primary role is managing the City’s Municipally Owned Utility power supply. \nPrevious work includes managing payroll for the Health and human Services Commission\, fixing computer equipment for CVS and Walgreens\, and running his own tech repair company. Chris is a graduate of Georgetown High School\, holding a bachelor’s in Economics/Finance from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor\, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Texas State. Chris is also a Certified Government Finance Officer through the Government Finance Officers Association. \nChris is best known for orchestrating the successful transition of Georgetown’s power supply from a single provider that was over 90% fossil fuel based\, to being 100% wind and solar powered by 2017. Outside of energy\, Chris acts as the City’s economist and lead contract negotiator including water rights\, garbage contracts\, technological systems\, development agreements\, etc. \nChris is married with three kids. His dissertation titled “Does Proximity Matter? Measuring the effect green space has on residential water consumption”\, and can be found in the Texas State MPA ARP archives. \n\nState Parking Garages can be found next to\, behind and across from Scholz Garten. San Jacinto Blvd.\, 15th\, 16th\, 17th\, 18th\, and Trinity have parking garage entrances.
URL:https://theaustincommon.com/event/solar-austin-happy-hour-3/
LOCATION:Scholz Garten\, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.\, Austin\, TX\, United States
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GEO:30.2776765;-97.7363215
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