Renewable News
Groundbreaking for Training Facility
IRENEW’s new facility for the certification of solar energy site assessors and installers is expected to be operational by the end of November. Ground was broken last month at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in Hiawatha for the $100,000 Iowa Renewable Energy Training Center. A $50,000 grant from the Iowa Power Fund will be matched with $50,000 in tuition fees to pay for constructing the center.
Mike Carberry, Executive Director of the Iowa Renewable Energy Association, said the building — about the size of a three-stall garage — will serve as the only solar thermal and solar photovoltaic installation training facility in Iowa. “If someone wants to be a certified site assessor or certified installer, they have to drive about five hours to the Midwest Renewable Energy facility in Stevens Point, Wis., ” Carberry said. “There has not been enough demand in Iowa and we are still working on renewable energy policy to increase demand. We’re hoping this facility will keep training dollars local. When someone is coming here for a week of training, they will need to stay at a local hotel and eat at local restaurants.”
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The Green Bike Tour Rides Again
IOWA CITY, Iowa (May 18, 2010) — The Green Bike Tour will be back on the road next month for the eighth time, returning to the European nation of Slovenia. “This is our third visit to Europe, and this time we not only can learn about what’s happening there, but we also can bring news about how well Iowans are promoting renewable energy,” said David Osterberg, executive director of the nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project and an organizer of the tour. “We have learned much from our friends in Europe — and we also have a story to tell. Iowa is now among the world leaders in wind power, with up to 20 percent of our electricity production coming from wind,” said Osterberg, who also is an associate clinical professor of environmental policy at the University of Iowa.
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