By David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca
ReThink Red Deer’s popular Renewable Energy Fairs were “deep-sixed” by COVID, but the good news is it’s being reincarnated as the Energy Innovation Fair and it’s back live on October 21 at Red Deer Polytechnic.
We were making some really great momentum here with our Renewable Energy Fairs,” says Rene Michalak with ReThink Red Deer.
Gallery from previous event
He says the new event (Energy Innovation Fair) is a continuation of that. “I think people are hungry again to get back on to the alternative renewable energy, clean energy technology bandwagon, and get as many perspectives and ideas shared as possible.”
This event features 11 workshops, 2 panel discussions, 25 booths and a gaggle of electric cars on display.
I attended the previous ReThink Red Deer Renewable Energy Fairs and the events were fantastic.
This is where we learned about Scott Subaru building the first passive house car dealership in North America.
And this was when learned about Red Deer College’s (now Red Deer Polytecnic) goals of getting to net-zero starting with the 1.6 megawatts of solar they installed back then.
Energy Innovation Fair set for Oct. 21
I even did a presentation at a previous event, but this time they have asked me to MC the event on October 21.
“Together with Rethink Red Deer and Red Deer Polytechnic, we’re hosting the Energy Innovation Fair on October 21st at Red Deer Polytechnic. And it’s basically a free public event,” says Chelsah Thomas of Solvictus Energy Services who is helping organize the event.
The City of Red Deer is coming to do an EnergyWise workshop, CBI Solar will be there to talk about going solar and federal grants available to help you do that.
Daikin will be there to talk about heat pumps and why they are such a good opportunity to save energy and go electric in your home.
There are two panel discussions on energy transition that should be fascinating.
Hand’s on DIY Net-Zero
They also have presentations on agrovoltaics, the merging of agriculture with solar and even a few sessions on how the electricity grid is evolving to accommodate EVs and electrification in general. Check out our previous story on sheep and solar in Claresholm, Alberta.
There are also several workshops on going net-zero featuring folks you have seen on Green Energy Futures.
Darren and Darcy Crichton renovated their 1960s bungalow in Edmonton all the way to net-zero even though they had no idea what net-zero was when they started. The couple will be in Red Deer sharing the story of how they did the right things, in the right order to transform their 60-year-old home into a geothermal-heated, solar-powered, net-zero home one DIY project at a time. This is an amazing story. It would be worth coming just for this workshop.
In another workshop, a Calgary family who built an amazing multi-generational, passive house will share the story of Project Leo and the details of their amazing Calgary passive home that requires only about 10% of the energy of a regular home for heating.
Check out the program for the Red Deer Innovation Fair and then join us in Red Deer for this free event on Oct. 21, 2023.
