BOONE—The Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative at Appalachian State University will present a series of workshops addressing wind, solar, hydro-electric and biodiesel energy through October.

Workshops will be held in Katherine Harper Hall on campus unless otherwise noted. Katherine Harper Hall is located in the front portion of Kerr Scott Hall on Rivers Street in Boone.

Detailed information, directions to the workshop locations and online registration is available at http://www.wind.appstate.edu/workshops/workshops.php. For additional information, call the Office of Conferences and Institutes at Appalachian at (828) 262-2933 or Brent Summerville at (828) 262-7333.

The seven workshops are sponsored by the Department of Technology and the Energy Center at Appalachian and the State Energy Office in Raleigh.

A workshop on residential micro-hydro systems will be held May 26-27. Don Harris of Harris Hydro and members of the WNCREI staff will lead the workshop.

Harris has developed residential hydro systems since 1981. The Harris system is an efficient, durable-battery charging pelton turbine and one of the most popular micro-turbines in the United States. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s leading experts. Cost is $150 for nonstudents and $75 for students.

Domestic solar water heating design and construction will be the focus of a one-day workshop June 2 led by Fred Steward. Steward has more than 25 years experience designing, building and maintaining solar thermal systems in North Carolina. Participants will learn how to save money by providing most of their hot water needs with free energy from the sun.

The workshop will cover aspects of the design and installation of solar hot water systems including site assessment; system sizing; design issues such as collector location; orientation; and tilt and storage tank volume; servicing tips and tricks; code compliance; and incentives and economics.

Stewart is the service manager for Solar Consultants in Carrboro, where he installs solar and radiant heating systems in new construction and existing buildings. He also services all makes of solar, electric, instantaneous (tankless) water heaters and radiant systems.

The workshop costs $75 for nonstudents and $40 for students.

Sustainable community-scale biodiesel production is the focus of a workshop June 22-23. The workshop will include field work at Appalachian’s Biodiesel and Education Research Lab.

State and national experts in the field of biodiesel production will lead the workshop focusing on sustainable community-scale biodiesel production with classroom and hands-on components. For more information about Appalachian’s biodiesel research facility, visit http://biodiesel.appstate.edu/.

Cost is $100. There will be no student discount because of the limited workshop size.

A workshop on photovoltaics and the National Electrical Code will be led by John Wiles Aug. 29. Wiles is a leading expert on the National Electric Code (NEC) and PV installations and the author of the “Code Corner” column in Homepower Magazine.

Wiles has a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to provide engineering support to the PV industry and to provide the industry, electrical contractors, electricians and electrical inspectors with a focal point for code issues related to PV systems.

A thorough knowledge of the NEC is required to competently install any electrical power system, including PV systems, in the United States. Participants will learn how to install a Code-compliant PV system and receive critical information on the latest installation techniques that are being used by the top installers and systems integrators throughout the country.

The workshop costs $60 for nonstudents and $30 for students.

On Sept. 15, interested persons can attend a workshop on active solar hydronic space heating, led by Fred Stewart. Participants will learn how to install radiant floor heating systems in conjunction with an active solar water heating system. This workshop will cover aspects of the design and installation of active solar hydronic space heating systems including: site assessment; system sizing; design issues such as collector location, orientation, and tilt and storage tank volume; radiant floor installation tips and tricks; code compliance; backup heating options; incentives and economics.

Cost is $75 for nonstudents and $40 for students.

A small scale wind energy installation workshop led by Robert Preus of Abundant Renewable Energy will be held Sept. 22-23 at the WNCREI research and development site at Beech Mountain. Participants will learn all about the new ARE 110 wind turbine from the experts at Abundant Renewable Energy during this hands-on installation workshop.

Abundant Renewable Energy (ARE) wind generators are designed for harsh climates, and have a large swept area to capture more wind and produce more energy, especially in low wind speeds.

The workshop costs $100.

Staff from Southwest Windpower and WNCREI will lead a workshop Oct. 20-21 on small scale wind energy. The workshop will be held at Beech Mountain WNCREI’s research and development site.

Participants will learn the basics of residential wind systems from the world’s leading manufacturer of small wind turbines. The hands-on portion of the workshop will involve a tour of the Beech Mountain wind turbines and installation of SWWP’s newest product, the Skystream 3.7, described as “the first affordable energy producing appliance for homes and businesses.”

The workshop costs $150 for nonstudents and $75 for students.

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