German Solar Expert To Receive Award from Kelowna

One-Day Solar Conference Gathers Local and Internation Speakers to Talk Solar

On May 15 Kelowna will be hosting a Solar Hot Water Workshop for community members, developers, builders, contractors, architects and building inspectors. Along with a luncheon and networking session, workshops will cover everything from Kelowna as a Solar Community to homeowner incentives for solar hot water installations.

"Our decision to conduct all day conference for the community was to showcase workshops that would explain the technology and the financial incentives," says organizer David Mayes. "We also wanted to provide demonstrations of equiptment, and show how it actually works."

Keynote speaker Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Managing Director of the German Solar Industry Association, will be receiving a 2009 Solar Leader Award during the event.

"He is a very famous German expert on domestic solar hot water," says Mayes. "A luminary in the industry.”

As a board member of the European Solar Thermal Industry Association, chairman of the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform, and member of the European Photovoltaic Technology Platform, He'll be bringing his considerable expertise and knowledge to the community event.

To kick off the day’s events will by Mayor Sharon Sheppherd. Panel members will include BCSEA president Guy Dauncey, SolarBC's Nitya Harris, members of NRCAN, Fortis BC and the Provincial Government.

The Okanagan Environmental Industry Alliance (OEIA) held a similar conference last year but this year Mayes says the event "mushroomed in size and scope" and they’re taking it to another level, due in large part to the recognition of the City as the 2008 Solar Community of the Year.

The conference will be taking place at the Capri Hotel, starting at 8 a.m. and running all day, until 5 p.m. It is open to the public and is also running in conjunction with the geo exchange conference. "We realized though it’s a different renewable technology it makes sense for the community," says Mayes, of the decision to promote the events side by side. "We can boost each other with the common message that renewable energy has arrived and to come out and take a look."

Details of the event are listed here.