Solar Thermal Conference (Day 1, Malta)

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Friday, March 21, 1:00 pm - 8:45 pm
Saturday, March 22, 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

TEC-Smart
345 Hermes Road, Malta, NY

Note: All classes now are eligible for NABCEP Continuing Education Credits. 1 CEU for normal sessions, 3 CEUs for each 3-hour clinic. Please pay the $25 fee for each credit you wish to earn.

FRIDAY

1:00 pm
Registration (pick one from each session- AIA & NABCRP credits pending for all presentations)

1:30 Session One
A. Thermal Monitoring. (Gehl (bio), Vandemark, Henderson, Milder (bio))

Ron Gehl, P.E. is president of EOS Research, Ltd., providing control and remote monitoring solutions for renewable energy and environmental protection applications. He has nearly 30 years of experience in environmental engineering, and in the automation of processes that function at the boundary between industry and the natural world. Ron holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and is Chair of the ASES Solar Thermal Division.

Dr. Fred Milder (Ph.D. Physics) is the CEO of SolarLogic, a technology company dedicated to simplifying design, installation, and control of renewable energy heating systems.

B. Stagnation/Equipment Designs: State of the Industry. (Gratz)
2:30 Session Two
C. Lessons Learned. (Near, Gratz, Paternoster, Skinner (bio), Wright)

Mr. Skinner, owner and founder of Earth Environmental Group, LLC. (E2G Solar), designs, installs, repairs, researches and teaches about residential and commercial solar thermal systems. These systems have been integrated with existing or new space, hot water and pool heating systems in New York and neighboring states. Mr. Skinner worked for the NYS Attorney General's Environmental Protection Bureau supervising a team of scientists who participated in a wide array of environmental litigation, legislation and policy development. Mr. Skinner is a NYS registered professional engineer and has worked as an engineer, educator and legislative and policy advocate in the environmental field for the past 43 years.

D. Pool Heating Designs. (D. Sizelove (bio), Bonte (bio))

Dave Sizelove is President and CEO of Aquatherm Industries. Inc. A 30 year plus veteran of the U.S. solar thermal industry, Dave began his career with Solar Industries, Inc. as a Designer / Draftsman and then as an Applications / Project Engineer before co-founding Aquatherm in 1989. Aquatherm has grown to become the preeminent leader in polymer technologies for solar heating applications and is the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar water heating systems. Aquatherm offers products and technologies to markets around the U.S. and world for domestic water pre-heating, industrial processes, agricultural greenhouse heating and specifically residential and commercial swimming pools.

Dave’s background is in solar thermal system design and swimming pool hydraulics as well as manufacturing processes. He has been active in industry trade associations including national SEIA, CalSEIA and FlaSEIA and has served on the editorial advisory boards of several industry publications. In 1997, Dave was honored by the California Solar Energy Industries Association for his contributions to the industry.

Richard Bonte graduated Newark College of Engineering BS Industrial Engineering 1970 and Founded Solar Living Inc in 1977. While owner of the company from July 1977 to December of 2013, he was involved in the installation of over 2000 solar thermal systems for solar water heating and solar pool heating. The company also manufactured solar thermal panels for hot water until 2005. Two additional partners joined the company in 2007 and today Solar Living is the longest continuously operating solar energy company in the state of New Jersey. Presently the company provides sales, installations and service of pool, hot water and PV electric systems.

Founded Sun Source Energy Products in 2005 as a wholesale distributor of solar thermal products for solar pool and solar hot water heating. Sun Source Energy services about 400 dealers in the northeast and mid-Atlantic United States and Bermuda. Company operates from Hackettstown, NJ and leases about 5000 sq feet of warehouse space and ships most products within 12 hours of receipt of customer order. We provide technical assistance and training for our dealers either at the customer’s site or our location.

Richard obtained NABCEP solar thermal certification in March of 2009.

Has conducted numerous training sessions at company facility as well as for Half Moon Seminars and NYSERDA.

3:30 BREAK
3:45 Session Three
E. Net Zero / PassivHaus & SHW: Solar Thermal's Critical Role. (TBA)
F. Solar Thermal vs. GSHP vs. MiniSplits. (Hamilton)
4:45 Session Four
G. Codes/Fit 'n Finish: SHW Plumbing and Mech. Codes. (Woodruff (bio))

Vaughan Woodruff is owner of Insource Renewables, a solar design/build and consulting firm in Pittsfield, ME. A trained engineer and educator, Vaughan serves diverse roles in the solar heating industry. He is a NABCEP-Certified Solar Heating Installer, serves on committees for NABCEP, IAPMO, and IREC, and was the former lead solar thermal instructor for the Northeast and Northern Mid Atlantic regions of the Department of Energy’s Solar Instructor Training Network. Vaughan is the co-author of the NABCEP Solar Heating Installer Resource Guide, author of NYSERDA’s Field Inspection Guidelines for Solar Heating Systems, and a contributor to Home Power and SolarPro magazines. Vaughan is currently developing an online training program related to SWH installation for code officials in New York State in collaboration with SEI, IAPMO< and NYSERDA.

H. Simulations. (Graham (bio))

Mark Graham is president of Solar Site Assessors, LLC. MREA Certified Solar Hot Water Site Assessor. Researcher for Solar Hot Water Fundamentals by Peter Skinner et al. Search engine and database prototype designer. Reference Librarian at Rutgers University. Project manager for commercial construction projects. Commercial roofing estimator.

6:00 Evening Reception
6:30 DINNER
7:15 - 8:15 EVENING PROGRAM

  • Fundamental designs for solar thermal systems
  • Long term energy savings: solar thermal heat and hot water
  • Government support for SHW system installations
  • How clients, contractors and government can renew NYS's sustainability

SATURDAY

Saturday's Outside Demonstrations and Indoor EXPO Free- Open to the Public
7:30 Breakfast Buffet, Registration
8:30 Session One
I. New Hydronic Equipment & Heat Exchangers. (Siegenthaler (bio))

About the Presenter: John Siegenthaler, P.E., is a mechanical engineer and graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a licensed professional engineer, and Professor Emeritus of Engineering Technology at Mohawk Valley Community College. 'Siggy' has over 32 years of experience in designing modern hydronic heating systems. He is a hall-of-fame member of the Radiant Professionals Alliance and a presenter at national and international conference on hydronic and radiant heating. John is principal of Appropriate Designs -- a consulting engineering firm in Holland Patent, NY. The 3rd edition of his textbook Modern Hydronic Heating was released in January 2011. John currently writes about hydronic heating and solar thermal system design for several trade publications.

J. Roof Issues: Snow & Wind- loads, Warrantees. (O. Cellini (bio))

Olivia Cellini is a structural engineer with over six years of experience analyzing existing roofs and designing new ground mount structures for solar installations. She owns The Milovia Group, a structural engineering and design company.

9:30 Session Two
K. The Hydronic Anatomy of a Solar Thermal Combisystem. (Siegenthaler (bio))

About the Presenter: John Siegenthaler, P.E., is a mechanical engineer and graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a licensed professional engineer, and Professor Emeritus of Engineering Technology at Mohawk Valley Community College. 'Siggy' has over 32 years of experience in designing modern hydronic heating systems. He is a hall-of-fame member of the Radiant Professionals Alliance and a presenter at national and international conference on hydronic and radiant heating. John is principal of Appropriate Designs -- a consulting engineering firm in Holland Patent, NY. The 3rd edition of his textbook Modern Hydronic Heating was released in January 2011. John currently writes about hydronic heating and solar thermal system design for several trade publications.

L. DHW: Usage Research. (Hugh Henderson (bio))

Hugh Henderson is the Founding Principal at CDH Energy Corporation. Principal investigator on various field monitoring / technology demonstration projects involving combined heat and power systems, advanced cooling and dehumidification technologies, supermarket refrigeration systems, geothermal heat pumps, air-source heat pump systems, and thermal storage systems. Developed internet-based data display options and presentation techniques to provide user access to historic and real-time field monitored data from buildings and energy systems. Principal investigator on various projects using detailed simulation models to assess and compare new ventilation and dehumidification technologies in supermarkets, commercial buildings, and residences. Extensive experience with advanced building simulation techniques and computer modeling; many algorithms and techniques have been incorporated into mainstream software tools.

10:30 BREAK
10:45 Session Three
M. SHW Salesperson-ship. (Fishman (bio))

Wyldon Fishman founded the New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES) in 2004. Her goal was to educate children, families and teachers about energy conservation and renewable energy. To support the goal Wyldon produces educational events: grassroots training, seminars, webinars, conferences and workshops to promote the economic benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Over time NYSES developed a newsletter list of 2200 and an exhibitor prospect list of 1000. Wyldon oversees the regular monthly meetings at TEC-Smart and in New York City, NYSES chapter meetings, board meetings and leadership meetings with the the American Solar Energy Society. Our membership is evenly scattered throughout New York State.

N. Inspection Expectations. (Jerry Henderson (bio))

Jerry Henderson’s solar experience has spanned more than 20 years, starting with the rehab of residential & commercial solar water heating systems installed in the 1970s & ‘80s; up to today, with the design of new systems and the integration of solar thermal systems into existing buildings & processes. As a Quality Assurance professional he has reviewed system designs and completed on-site inspections/verifications of solar PV systems from 250 watts to over 5 megawatts, and solar thermal systems from 1 collector with 80 gallons of storage to 360 collectors with 300,000 gallons of storage. He also has created and delivered well-received training programs, including: solar thermal topics, construction scheduling, energy efficient homes & offices, solar PV installation, NABCEP certification and roofing & framing best practices. In addition, Jerry has served as a key member and advisor on several code and standard committees; including the Oregon Solar Installation Specialty Code and the OG-300/ICC900 ANSI Standard.

11:45 Session Four
O. Business of Solar. (Hughes (bio), Moag, Gretsch (bio))

Tom Hughes is the Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Sunward Systems, Vermont’s leading distributor of solar hot water heaters. He also serves as chair of Renewable Energy Vermont -- the trade association of the renewable industry in the Green Mountain State. His past experience includes five years at Country Home Products as Director of Government Sales and Relations, and President of the Neuton Power Equipment division. From 1996 – 2007, Tom worked for several political campaigns, grassroots organizations and government offices including Democracy for America, Dean for America, Gore 2000 and the Office of the Vice President of the United States. Tom holds a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Vermont.

Dan Gretsch is founder and Vice President of SOLARHOT a U.S. manufacturer of solar heating systems and equipment. Dan has bachelor and Masters degrees in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech. Prior to founding SOLARHOT Dan had international project management and engineering responsibility for Cooper Hand Tools 14 manufacturing facilities in 8 countries. Dan has been published in Home Power and spoken at various national conferences. He is a registered Professional engineer and is frequently sought out for his experience with cost effective design of large commercial solar heating systems. While at SOLARHOT he has designed the highest performing US made collectors as well as pump stations for residential, commercial and industrial systems. Dan currently lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife Jeanette and their 4 children.

P. Thermal Storage. (Skinner (bio))

Mr. Skinner, owner and founder of Earth Environmental Group, LLC. (E2G Solar), designs, installs, repairs, researches and teaches about residential and commercial solar thermal systems. These systems have been integrated with existing or new space, hot water and pool heating systems in New York and neighboring states. Mr. Skinner worked for the NYS Attorney General's Environmental Protection Bureau supervising a team of scientists who participated in a wide array of environmental litigation, legislation and policy development. Mr. Skinner is a NYS registered professional engineer and has worked as an engineer, educator and legislative and policy advocate in the environmental field for the past 43 years.

1:00 - 2:00 pm Luncheon Speaker
Dr Richard Perez: "Diffuse Sunlight vs. Direct Beam"

WORKSHOPS & CLINICS (3 CEUs each)

AquaTherm
(Friday 2:30-5:30)
Heat Pumps
(Saturday 2-5)
Solar Logic
(Saturday 2-5)

Registration

Prices go up on March 1st!

FULL CONFERENCE:
$145
⚠ (:AddToCart name="Solar Thermal Conference - Full Attendance" id="20140321-Ticket" amount="145.00":)

ONE DAY:
$80
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Continuing Education Credits:
$25.00 each
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count your credits, change the number you're purchasing in your shopping cart

EXPO tables:
$250.00
(Sponsor & Exhibitor application)
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