| A four-day conference on the use and development of renewable energy in the
Caribbean will be held in Cape Canaveral from June 3 to 6. “Renewables: The Road to Sustainability” is the seventh program in a series sponsored by Sustainable Applications for Tropical Island States (SATIS) and the Caribbean Solar Energy Society. Bill Young of the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center is serving as technical contact for the conference, which will be of special interest to Caribbean government officials and people doing business in the Caribbean islands. Solar energy technology offers significant potential as a major energy source in the area, as well as growing opportunities for jobs such as contractors and installers. Topics of special interest to government officials include energy costs and how to reduce them and using renewable energy as a critical power supply during energy outages and disasters. Business sessions include discussions of the latest markets for renewable energy in the Caribbean. This is the first time the SATIS conference will be held in the United States, and researchers from across the Caribbean will present their latest findings. Young said “this program is designed to bring together scientists, technologists and industry from both inside and outside the Caribbean to talk about ways that tropical nations can use energy conservation, solar energy, wind, biomass and other cost-effective renewable technologies. “There will be information and an open forum on climate change to discuss Caribbean perspectives. This year’s program will feature a special exhibit on solar, wind, energy, water and the environment, and there will be workshops on solar energy technology and energy-efficient building practices.” The program will be held at the Radisson Beach Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral. The conference also includes a tour of the Florida Solar Energy Center, which has one of the largest solar simulators in the world and an energy-efficient office complex that includes renewable energy systems. For more information or to view the conference program, visit www.caribbeansolar.org or contact Young at 321-638-1443 or young@fsec.ucf.edu. |