SolWest Renewable Energy Fair, July 23-25 in John Day Oregon, will host the Bell Cell Golden Anniversary Exhibit, a Straight Vegetable Oil vehicle "meet", hands-on installations, and over 50 presentations, including a special appearance by Carla Emery and new video by Jerry Igo.

A SOLWEST FAIR PREVIEW

The organizers of SolWest Renewable Energy Fair, July 23-25 2004 in John Day Oregon, have been busy for months planning an exciting event. This is the time of year when experts volunteer their skills to make renewable energy exciting by bringing their projects to present at SolWest. Some of the proposals in planning stages for this year's SolWest include:

SOLAR HISTORY EXHIBIT COMES TO OREGON
On April 25, 1954, Bell Labs announced that three of its scientists (including two educated in Oregon) had invented the silicon solar cell. In honor of its 50th year, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in consultation with solar expert John Perlin, created the "Bell Cell" Golden Anniversary Exhibit. SolWest Fair is one of only a few locations in the US that the exhibit will visit this year. If you've seen the articles in Home Power and Solar Today, now you can see the original artifacts and hear John Perlin's keynote address as he brings a historical perspective to today's energy dilemmas.

FREE YOURSELF FROM THE GAS PUMP!
Let's say the prognosticators are right, and the price of gasoline goes up to $3 a gallon by the end of June. That is about $1.30 per gallon more than it was last SolWest season. Let's say an average SolWest fairgoer travels 250 miles to SolWest, in a car that gets 25 mpg, with one other person. The round trip will cost each person $13.00 more than it did last year. How much would a person have to learn about alternative transportation to be worth $13.00?
Check out the vehicles in A-V Alley, attend the Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) Vehicle "meet" at this year's SolWest, and rideshare to SolWest through www.AlterNetRides.com.

WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS
As usual, SolWest is working to bring you hands-on workshops before and during the fair, including Solar Hot Water, Small Hydro-electric, and RV Solar Installation. Carla Emery, author of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" will be making a special appearance at SolWest this year to speak about the Homesteading Movement. Jerry Igo will show his new video on starting the solar life simply. For those who wish to learn more about becoming a certified RE installer, there will be workshops on NABCEP certification and Oregon electrical licensing.
Plus regular workshops during the fair on zero energy homes, vegetable oil fuels, data logging, grid-tied solar, microhydro, solar hot water and hydronic heat, PV for the technically challenged, and more. It's a must-attend for those who wish to become better-informed about their energy options.