Welcome to the Solar Expo lineup!
Friday, Aug. 9th
SunWatcher Peace Crane Invocation
6:00 pm – E-Bikes – Ryan Gillespie, Sol-Mobil
8:00 pm – Your Solar Questions Answered – David Del Vecchio workshop tent
Saturday, Aug. 10th
11:00 am – Keynote Speaker: Dave Freeman – Wake Up America – The Sun is Shining – Presentation Tent
1:00 pm – Renewable Energy Policy and Infrastructure panel – Presentation Tent
12:00 pm – Solar Hot Water and Solar Thermal – Randy Flinders, Renewable Energy Southeast, presentation tent
12:30 pm – Off-Grid Solar in the Developing World – Ed Witkin, Steve Thomson, Samantha Childress, Jon Ruth , United Solar Initiative – sponsor, presentation tent
1:00 pm – Renewable Energy Infrastructure and Policy panel with: Dave “The Green Cowboy Freeman”, keynote speaker; Ben Stockdale, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association; Steffi Rausch, Citizens’ Climate Lobby; Rocky Buldo, Power2Choose/Enough Technologies – sponsor; Ned Ryan Doyle, Asheville energy activist; Jim Warren, NC WARN, Presentation Tent
1:00 pm – Rick Denzien, “The Zero Emmissions Musician”, Elderberry Jam Stage
2:30 pm – Canary Coalition’s NC Legislative Issues – Avram Friedman, Canary Coalition – sponsor, Presentation Tent
3:00 pm – Asheville/Buncombe’s Blue Horizon’s Project – Sophie Mullinax, Blue Horizon’s Project , presentation tent
3:30 pm – Helping Each Other Reduce Energy Use – Roger Helm, Energy Savers Network , presentation tent
4:00 pm – Climate Change & Justice in NC panel with: Tom Maycock, North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, Dr. Liesel Erb, Warren Wilson College; Dr. Anne Richardson, Climate Psychiatry Alliance; Will Heegaard, Footprint Project – sponsor
5:30 pm – Coal’s Impact on Communities of the Southeast – Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, sponsor
6:00 pm – Climate Reality Project , WNC Chapter – Sponsor
8:00 pm – Renewable Energy Systems on a Farm – Richard Freudenberger, Living Web Farms , workshop tent
Sunday, Aug. 11th
10:30 am – Power & Light from the Sun 101 – Ed Witkin – United Solar Initiative, sponsor, Solar Expo
11:00 am – EV Vehicles – Rudy Beharrysingh, Blue Ridge EV Club , presentation tent
11:30 am – Empower Yourself: Edison (Nickel-Iron) Battery Refurbishing and Benefits – Keenan Phillips, KS Phillips Contracting – sponsor, Solar Expo
11:30 am – Financing Solar – Josh Redmond, presentation tent
12:30 pm – Clean Green Solar Machine – Lyle Ciardi – sponsor The Perfect Off Grid Battery Storage Solution, Solar Expo
12:30 pm – Clean Path 2025 – Kim Porter, NC WARN, presentation tent
1:00 pm – Power2Choose Your Personal Energy Security – Rocky Buldo, Power2Choose/Enough Technologies Solar Expo
1:00 pm – Green Jobs Panel with: John Esson, Environmental Careers Center; Montana Bush, Alternative Energy Southeast , sponsor; Chelsa Barnes, Appalachian Voices – sponsor, presentation tent
3:00 pm – Deploying Solar + Storage to Climate Emergencies: Lessons from the Field – Will Heegaard and Lee Feliciano, Footprint Project and Rent Solar – sponsor, presentation tent
3:30 pm -Non-profit and Municipal Strategies for Installing Solar System – Jeff Deal, AIRE (Appalachain Institute for Renewable Energy), Presentation tent
Participating Businesses
Special thanks to our solar sponsors for powering up the festival.
United Solar Initiative, sponsor
Power2Choose/Enough Technologies, sponsor
Footprint Project/Rent Solar, sponsor
KS Phillips Contracting, sponsor
Triple Aught Design and Build , sponsor
Clean Green Solar Machine , sponsor
Preserve Resources – sponsor
Carrborro Solar Works, LLC, sponsor
Alternative Energy Southeast, sponsor
Heartwood Community, sponsor
Rick Denzien, “The Zero Emmissions Musician”
Palmetto State Solar, NC Branch
AIRE – Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy
