More quotes:

American Design and Build: “There have been lots of people here; yesterday, people were lining up to hear about the solar hot water system.”  Elizabeth Fouch, sales rep

Bergey Windpower:  “I can’t believe how high-quality the visitors and leads have been. There have been many fewer ‘tire-kickers’ than at most other shows.”  Scott Merrick, Marketing specialist

Electric Education Center:  “It was a great show! It was very well-organized and very well-advertised. We got very good leads, and we are thrilled and excited and look forward to the next show. We’ll be there!”  Dessie Kirilova, Marketing Director

Green Building Institute:  “It was an excellent first outing – and I attend more of these than I can count – and the selection of vendors was great.”  David Wooley-Wilson, executive director

Groundloop/A+ Solar:  “This was the MOST successful show we have participated in this year.  We were able to share a lot of information and received a large number of leads.  One reason may be that the show visitors were specifically seeking information on renewable energy products and were very interested in learning more.  There were significant numbers of attendees who had already researched different products and knew exactly what they were seeking.   A second reason the show was so successful, we believe, are the efforts put forth to advertise the venue.  Several people mentioned having heard about the show on their morning news program and on the radio.  A+ Solar & Wind, as well as Ground Loop, is excited to have been a part of the Expo and will be looking forward to next year’s show.”  Susan Fausnaught, operations specialist, A+ Solar

Living Zero Home:  “It was the right crowd, so the show was marketed and advertised well. It was one of the better events we get to do because this was a solar show – we do a lot of NASCAR races, which are the wrong demographic.”  Jordan Price, Living Zero Home rep, Daylight Solar

Maryland Home Improvement Guide:  “There was a qualified crowd coming through. It met or exceeded our expectations of the quality of the attendees for an event like this. They were quite knowledgable about renewable energy.”  Dave Bielecki, publisher

U.S. Energy Department:  “It was a great opportunity for consumers to become more aware of renewable energy alternatives.”  Sheila Dillard, EERE-Technology Advancement and Outreach

Viridian:  “It was a great success. It attracted people looking for a certain energy ‘style’ and a way to help both the environment and their pocketbook. We saw much economic interest, with a number of people looking to use their properties for selling energy back to utilities or getting back money themselves. A couple of folks with large properties were even looking to lease some of their land for solar installations.”  Liz Diffenderfer, Associate

Zanger Associates, Inc.: “On Friday, it was well-attended and we had a pretty steady flow. On Saturday, we were slammed and got some good leads.”  Liz Iacone, Marketing Associate

PRESS RELEASES

U.S. Department of Energy exhibiting at The Solar and Wind Expo

Alternative Energy Expo, First of Its Kind in Region,
to Convene in Timonium in May

Solar-electric three-wheeler to be unveiled at Solar and Wind Expo
before cross-country journey 

Solar and Wind Expo partners with Maryland Public Television to help raffle off
$1.9 million solar/green home – tickets go on sale Jan. 22 

Plug In America VP Paul Scott to speak at The Solar and Wind Expo

U.S. Department of Energy exhibiting at The Solar and Wind Expo

The U.S. Department of Energy will participate directly in The Solar and Wind Expo with its own exhibit, the Expo’s executive director, George Lopez, announced today.  The renewable energy show will take place at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium May 7-9.

“We’re delighted that the Department of Energy is participating in The Solar and Wind Expo in its first year and will have a direct presence at the event,” said Lopez. “The agency is a major player in renewable energy across the nation.  Its efforts provide an important impetus for homeowners and businesses to turn to renewable energy sources, and for the U.S. to rely more on these valuable resources for power.”

The department’s staff will field and answer questions from attendees about renewable energy as well as distribute literature about the agency’s activities. Its extensive renewable energy programs run the gamut: Biomass, Geothermal, Hydrogen & Fuel Cells, Solar, Wind & Hydropower, and Vehicles.

In addition to the U.S. Department of Energy presence at the show, Ross Tyler, director of clean energy at the Maryland Energy Administration, will be speaking about Maryland’s renewable energy programs at The Solar and Wind Expo on Friday, May 7.

For information on the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/.

January 4, 2009
Alternative Energy Expo, First of Its Kind in Region,
to Convene in Timonium in May

The first annual Solar and Wind Expo will convene at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium this May.  The event, to take place both indoors and outdoors on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7 to 9, will be the first consumer show in the state devoted to renewable energy.

George Lopez, a local resident, businessman and alternative energy advocate, is the Expo’s founder and executive director. “Never has there been a better time for this kind of show,” Lopez declares.  “With all the technological advances, the government-sponsored incentives and the desire of so many to save money on energy and reduce their carbon footprint, all that was missing is a place for all parties to connect....and now we have that!”

The Solar and Wind Expo (www.thesolarandwindexpo.com) has already created a buzz in the sustainability community, landing Bob Dixson, the mayor of Greensburg, Kansas, as its keynote speaker.  Greensburg made national news when it was totally destroyed by a powerful tornado in 2007. 

Mayor Dixson has been formally recognized for his leadership role in rebuilding every structure in Greensburg to meet the highest United States Green Building Council certification, LEED Platinum -- most notably by President Obama with an invitation to address a joint session of Congress.  Greensburg, as the first city in the country to go entirely green, is a shining example of how becoming sustainable is both viable and economically beneficial.

The goal of The Solar and Wind Expo is to “make green a reality” by bringing the most instrumental groups together for the first time in Maryland in one location: leading manufacturers and suppliers of green technologies, representatives from government agencies promoting the use of green technologies, and financial institutions providing special financing for green building projects. 

Expo attendees will have the unique opportunity to interact with the actual energy-producing products, as well as have their questions answered by experts in the alternative energy field.  In addition, electric-powered vehicles will cruise around an Electric Car Loop, and renewable energy experts will conduct seminars and meet one-on-one with attendees.

“It is very exciting to give those like me who are passionate about reducing their carbon footprint and living in a more environmentally friendly way an opportunity to interact with the product and become educated on issues surrounding building green, like tax and other incentive programs,” Lopez adds.””This will be a truly groundbreaking event.”

January 5, 2010
Solar-electric three-wheeler to be unveiled at Solar and Wind Expo
before cross-country journey 

A pioneering three-wheeled, solar-electric motorcycle will be officially unveiled at The Solar and Wind Expo in Timonium in May before beginning a 6,000-mile cross-country trek.  The Extreme Bug-E will be powered solely by an electric motor, with a solar trailer in tow to extend the vehicle’s range. 

Charlie Garlow, a lawyer/advisor for the Environmental Protection Agency and a long-time sustainability advocate, will start driving the Extreme Bug-E in Washington, D.C., in June and end up in California.  Garlow, who will be traveling with his puppy, T. Rex, will stop along the way to demonstrate the virtues of solar power and of driving electric. 

"As gas prices continue to rise, remember that the average cost of electricity in America is the equivalent of 75 cents per gallon - cheap at twice the price, compared to gasoline,”  said Garlow. “We need to kick our addiction to oil, and we need to get more of our electricity from clean renewables like solar and wind,” added Garlow, who was recently recognized as a “Solar Hero” by the American Solar Energy Society.  The Extreme Bug-E will be accompanied by a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius driven by Jerry Asher, U.S. Army-Retired. 

"Electric drive vehicles are the wave of the future," added Asher. "They mean using American energy, electricity, not foreign oil, to power our country's vehicles, and solar energy can be used to provide that electricity, as well as other energy – heat and hot water among them – for our homes and buildings."

The Solar and Wind Expo, the first consumer show in Maryland devoted to renewable energy, will take place at the State Fairgrounds on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7-9.  In addition to exhibits by more than 100 solar, wind and other renewable energy manufacturers and suppliers, it will feature an Electric Car Loop highlighting a number of electric-powered vehicles that will be on display at the Expo.

“We are delighted that Charlie Garlow has chosen to unveil his exciting, ground-breaking vehicle at The Solar and Wind Expo before beginning his historic journey,” said George Lopez, the show’s executive director.  “Renewable energy is the wave of the future, and Garlow’s trek will help show how feasible and exciting it can be.”

For more information on the Extreme Bug-E and its upcoming cross-country trek, go to www.funruninthesun.org.

January 21, 2010
Solar and Wind Expo partners with Maryland Public Television to help raffle off
$1.9 million solar/green home – tickets go on sale Jan. 22 

The Solar and Wind Expo is partnering with Maryland Public Television to help sell tickets for and publicize MPT’s “Green Home Raffle.”  In this exciting contest, a $1.9 million solar, near-zero-energy home near Baltimore is the Grand Prize in a raffle to help keep “TV worth watching” in the community.  First Prize is a 2010 Honda Insight hybrid vehicle.  You can buy tickets for just $100 each online starting Friday, Jan. 22 at www.mptgreenhomeraffle.com. 

Selfridge Custom Builders constructed the one-of-a-kind luxury dwelling located in Clarksville, in Howard County.  Its features include LEED-certified "green" construction, a 70% reduction in energy costs over its lifetime, a solar photovoltaic system capable of providing a lifetime of free electricity for the homeowner, a solar hot water system and a whole-house air purification system for healthier indoor air quality. 

Maryland Public Television has chosen to use The Solar and Wind Expo, to take place May 7-9 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, as a major location in which to sell tickets for its Green Home Raffle just a month before the contest ends.  MPT will launch an advertising campaign prior the show to bring folks interested in the raffle to attend. 

“As a fan of Maryland Public Television, I’m very excited that MPT has chosen to partner with The Solar and Wind Expo to boost sales of raffle tickets for this awesome home, which will benefit a truly worthy cause,” says George Lopez, the Expo’s executive director.  “Maryland Public Television is excited to be a media sponsor and exhibitor at The Solar and Wind Expo as we launch our MPT Green Home Raffle,” adds Bert Rankin, MPT’s director of development.  All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the station’s outreach initiatives, local programming and education efforts.

For more information on The Solar and Wind Expo, go to www.thesolarandwindexpo.com, and check out our blog at http://thesolarandwindexpo.blogspot.com/.

January 22, 2010
Plug In America VP Paul Scott to speak at The Solar and Wind Expo 

The Solar and Wind Expo is excited to announce that Paul Scott, vice president of Plug In America and a long-time electric vehicle driver and renewable energy advocate, will be speaking at the event, being held May 7-9 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.  Scott will speak from the Expo’s main stage at 12 noon on Sunday, May 8.  

The advocate, who in addition serves as president of the Electric Vehicle Association of Southern California, also earns his living in renewable energy, working for SolarCity, California's largest residential solar installer.  

“Paul Scott is an electric vehicle leader whose efforts are helping bring about the transition to non-polluting vehicles that are capable of running on renewable energy,” says George Lopez, the Expo’s executive director.  “We are delighted he’s coming to The Solar and Wind Expo to represent Plug In America and share his inspirational vision.” 

Plug In America is a coalition of current and former electric vehicle drivers and advocates for clean air and energy independence.  It promotes battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles for the public to drive today, reducing our nation's dependence on petroleum and improving our global environment.  

The Solar and Wind Expo is the first consumer show in Maryland devoted to renewable energy.  In addition to exhibits by more than 100 solar, wind and other renewable energy manufacturers and suppliers, it will highlight electric vehicles with a display area and Electric Car Loop.  A pioneering three-wheeled, solar-electric motorcycle, the Extreme Bug-E, also will be officially unveiled at the Expo before beginning a 6,000-mile cross-country trek.  The Extreme Bug-E will be powered solely by an electric motor, with a solar trailer in tow to extend the vehicle’s range.