Energy Engineers Explore a Low Carbon Future at Globalcon 2008

Presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, Globalcon 2008 is designed to showcase promising new technologies, such as the Xantrex™ Gateway monitoring system, wireless monitoring for small scale solar power installations.

Xantrex is one of dozens of exhibitors. Large organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council, the U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association and the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association have booths and so do smaller, innovative companies such as Solar Dynamics, the first company to mass produce solar powered attic roof vents to cool homes.

Sterling Planet is on hand to show what made the company the winner of the U.S. Department of Energy 2007 Renewable Energy Marketer of the Year award. A supplier of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions, Sterling Planet offers comprehensive carbon neutral solutions for businesses, universities and organizations of all types, bringing together supply and demand side solutions in the emerging environmental market.

The annual Globalcon event attracts thousands of energy professionals. (Photo courtesy AEE)

The conference will unfold along four tracks - carbon reduction; renewables and distributed generation; energy management and sustainability; and standards, legislation and technologies.

Austin Mayor Will Wynn will open the conference by talking about global warming and the Austin Climate Protection Plan. Announced in February 2007, the Plan aims to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from virtually all municipal activities by the year 2020.

It includes powering all city facilities with 100 percent renewable energy, converting the entire city fleet of vehicles to alternative fuels and electric power, and implementing greenhouse gas reduction plans in every city department.

"Climate change may be the most critical issue we face today," Mayor Wynn said. "That may seem like a dramatic statement, but all the science points to catastrophic results if we don't quickly get a handle this growing crisis."

"It's a global problem, but it's a local problem too. And our responses have to be both global and local," Wynn said. "Austin has long been a national leader on energy efficiency, renewable power and innovative technologies. Now we need to push those efforts to the next level."

State Representative Garnet Coleman will present the TexSUN Solar Energy Rebate Program, a bill introduced in 2007 that would create a five year, $500 million program to provide incentives for people who want to invest in a solar system for their home, business or school.

According to the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, every acre of land in West Texas could produce 800 barrels of oil worth of energy from solar power.

Also Wednesday, engineer Bill Bojorquez, vice president of system planning with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas will give a presentation on resource adequacy challenges in North America.

Presentations over the two day event will cover everything from smart buildings to biodiesel, from plug-in vehicles to street lighting solutions, from clean coal electricity generation to the zero emissions automotive manufacturing plant.

Globalcon 2008 is presented by the Association of Energy Engineers with more than 9,000 members across the United States and in more than 70 other countries.

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