Sarah's Sun

Calendar of the
Maine Solar Energy Association

Solar Workshops, Jonesport, ME April 13-22, 2012

Spring 2012 - Do Yourself Solar, Rebuild and Assembly Intensive in Maine. Solar rebuild and assembly intensive for Gen. public and ASES / NESEA members! Presented by MeSEA, DADS, Inc., and SEADS of Truth, Inc.

Jonesport, Maine - Do Yourself Solar! and Earth Day 2012! - All You Can Learn - In TEN Days, Or a weekend, or two... April 13 - April 22. 2012 - Enjoy the Jonesport, ME, Solar Home!

A week at the Solar Home of Dr. Richard Komp, in Jonesport, Maine! -Fri., April 13 thru Sun., April 22, including two weekend PV assembly workshops! Site -17 Rockwell Rd, SE, Jonesport, ME 04649 Program presented by experienced MeSEA trainers. You are invited to attend one day session (Sat or Sun) - $75. Or
Two day extended session (Sat & Sun)- $125. Or
Full TEN day intensive program - $475. (All noon meals included each day). Limited space is available for overnight stay, or longer, (additional fee required). Local motel info available. (Jonesport, Machias) We will try to keep maximum # of participants to 12 per day. Call to reserve space and arrange for $50. Dep. -207-546-1639, 516-669-2442, 207-497-2204 Full workshop fee balance is due upon arrival in April, thanks.

-Solar PV assembly - training for trainers and workshop intensive with MeSEA. PV for ASES and NESEA Chapter members, and Gen. public, two to ten day program. Program: (2-day weekend sessions, Sat & Sun, April 14 - 15, and April 21 - 22), will allow participants to experience the full assembly procedure, used by Dr. Komp in the developing world PV Cottage Industry programs. (Liquid Silicon - Sylgard encapsulation) (first day will focus on the first half of PV assembly and encapsulation) *60W PV modules available for sale to participants, to raise funds for work in developing world!

How to start a PV "Cottage Industry", Free Fri, lecture, Power-point, Apr 13 & 20, 7 - 9 pm.

How to assemble 60W PV modules in the jungle! 2 weekend sessions, April 14-15, & 21-22 Developing world methods - with hands-on experience for all participants, includes step by step PV assembly process. Full TEN day program (Apr 13-22), includes 2 PV assembly sessions, as well as Friday lectures / power-point sessions and solar thermal rebuild. Plus Earth Day focus!

How to rebuild a solar Hot-Air collector! This session, during the week, (Apr 16-19), will allow participants hands-on experience with the rebuild of 2 Hot-Air collectors on Solar Home.

How to combat Climate Change and Global Warming! An Earth Day celebration! Sat, April 21, learn how to work with local groups, in your community, to raise awareness of this climate crisis, we can all help to avoid! (Solar PV assembly workshop at this time, as well.)

 

Summer Internships in Sustainable Living in Downeast Maine

MESEA, together with SEADS of Truth will be offering summer internships at three different nearby locations in Columbia and Jonesport, Maine. The interns will live and work on solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) projects, and organic gardening at one or more of these locations which include Richard Komp's beautiful home on the coast of Maine, a long established SEADS workshop center on 40+ rural acres and a small organic farm. All three locations are off- the-grid with many solar and renewable energy features and all three need repair and upgrading work to make them more useful as alternative learning centers. The internships arrangements will include free lodging. The only cost will be payments for food. For more information and to register contact: SEADS-Charles Ewing seads@maineline.net MESEA-John Burke 516-674-9090 dadsolar@yahoo.com Joan McMurray 207-483-4690

Grupo Fenix Solar Culture Course in Nicaragua

January 15 - 22, 2012
Come to Nicaragua and engage your head, heart, and hands in the real work of developing countries. Our hands-on courses allow you to be immersed in the daily life of rural Nicaraguans by living with host families and working alongside local community members to create their vision of a model community through renewable energy and sustainable practices.

Discuss the theory behind solar energy and the challenges of development with your instructors and other course participants. Spend your days learning how to construct solar cookers, photovoltaic panels, and installing photovoltaic systems. Laugh along with your host family as you try to recall your high school Spanish, balance water on your head or make tortillas. Most activities and classes are held in the new adobe Solar Center . Housing will be simple, like that of a typical rural Nicaraguan family.

Explore a beautiful country and its culture while learning about renewable energy and sustainable development in the field. Our courses provide a unique travel experience that is educational, rewarding, and fun!

This 11-day course, offered twice a year, has been held by Grupo Fenix since 1999. It is a great introduction to the science and use of appropriate renewable energy technologies such as solar cookers, dryers and photo-voltaic systems. Dr. Richard Komp, an expert from the United States with over 50 years experience working with solar technologies, teaches the technical classes for the January version of this course and the July version is based on his methodology for fabrication of PV panels in developing countries.

See www.grupofenix.org for the latest schedule of courses.

Also, the course includes various tourist activities such as a visit to nearby beautiful spots in the mountains of northern Nicaragua . If weather permits, we will spend a day exploring the Somoto Canyon and swimming in its natural pools. Also, during the course we will spend a night at a rustic ecolodge in the Tisey Nature Reserve, which has hiking trails, fields of organic vegetables, a farming community that produces its own specialty cheeses and one of the best panoramic views in the country.

The course fee of $995 includes all food and lodging, with a $50 deposit to be sent to the nonprofit Skyheat Associates at PO Box 184, Harrington ME 04643 before June 15th to insure a place in the course, which has a limit of 15 participants and is often completely full. For more information, please contact the grupofenix@gmail.com or sunwatt@juno.com or look on-line at www.grupofenix.org for details of all of our programs.

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