Energy Hub is kicking off the new school year with a bang! Come join us for free pizza at our kickoff meeting and learn how you can get connected to energy issues on campus.

When: September 10, 6-8 pm.
Where: Tong Auditorium, Engineering Centers Building (map)

Event highlights:

• Free pizza
• Hear more about Energy Hub and our mission
• Find out about projects and events we’re working on this semester
• Learn how you can help out and take part in our energy future
• Guest speakers:
  Commissioner Lauren Azar of the Public Service Commission
  Professor Dane Morgan of Materials Science and Engineering at UW-Madison

Post-Event News: The SMART COOKOUT was a big success with over 1,200 students in attendance in just over 6 hours.  Read more post-event details here.

Energy Hub is teaming up with WE CONSERVE, Engineers without Borders and REthink Wisconsin to bring you a fun and educational event on Library Mall. Come enjoy some FREE local grilled sweet corn, in-season apples, and learn more about renewable energy, smart recycling, and conservation!

Volunteers: Contact eHub Program Director Nathan Pinney with any questions, npinney@wisc.edu.  No more volunteers are needed for the event, thanks for your interest.

What: SMART Cookout
When: Sept. 8, 10 am – 3 pm
Where: Library Mall

Contact: Nathan Pinney, UW Energy Hub Program Coordinator, npinney@wisc.edu, (608)262-6798

Event highlights include:

• Free local grilled sweet corn and in-season apples for students
• Madison Gas & Electric Solar Trailer—a portable PV array with inverters, regulators in demonstration format
• Midwest Renewable Energy Association will bring a Prius and a demonstration-scale wind turbine
• Info about WE CONSERVE, Engineers without Borders, Energy Hub, and REthink Wisconsin.

The Big Green Bus (thebiggreenbus.org), a student-run, veggie-oil fueled, pro-sustainability roadtrip is coming to Madison Wednesday, August 5th.  This motivated group of Dartmouth College students wants to showcase their green-engineering marvel, the Big Green Bus, on the UW-Madison campus, and promote their mission to help create a future that sustains people, the environment, and the economy.  

Tour the Bus/Meet the Crew:
Where: Library Mall/Langdon Street, UW-Madison Campus
When: 12:00-2:00pm

Learn more about the Big Green Bus mission (short presentation):
Where: Engineering Hall, Rm 3024
When: 3:30pm

It’s time to see megawatts of wind up close and personal.

UW Energy Hub and friends are invited to tour 3 wind turbines near Montfort on July 25th. Plans are to leave Madison at 9am with an arrival of 10:15am. Carol Anderson will give us a lot of facts about the windmills on her property and wind energy in general.

Confirm your tour spot by joining the UW Energy Hub Facebook event

If you’d like to join the Energy Hub team, organize energy/environment events, or help make a more energy-conscious community at UW, come to our weekly meeting. All are welcome to learn more and share their ideas.

Come by Wednesday @ 4:30-6:00pm
Room 3161 in the Student Activity Center, 333 East Campus Mall

Read the rest of this entry →

You’ve surely heard about Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s call for 25% renewable electricity in Wisconsin by 2025. Learn how we’ll get there at Energy Hub’s Spring Forum!

Meeting the Challenge of 25 by ’25

Time: Thursday, April 23, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Morgridge Auditorium, Grainger Hall, 975 University Ave

Read the rest of this entry →

Mr Hagen’s lecture will focus on the economic concept of discount rates applied in an ecological context – including the physiological reasons (evolutionary and otherwise) that cause humans to consume resources as fast as (or faster than) the earth can proffer them. Nate Hagens is the editor of theoildrum.com (a very popular energy blog). Sponsored by Energy Hub, The Nelson Institute, and Madison Peak Oil Group. Contact:  Nathan Pinney, npinney@wisc.edu

Update: Watch the lecture on YouTube

Environmental speaker Jerome Ringo is one of the most influential conservationists in the United States today, and an outspoken supporter of increasing diversity in the conservation movement. The president of the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of diverse leaders fighting to free America from foreign energy dependence, he is a dedicated champion of environmental justice, an advocate for clean energy, and a strong proponent of green business. Free to students, faculty and staff. No tickets required. Sponsored by WUD DLS. Contact:  Eric Schmidt, eschmidt2@wisc.edu>

This final lecture in the Gaylord Nelson Lecture Series on Population and Resources features Robert Engelman, Vice President for Programs at Worldwatch Institute. Bob provides strategic direction for the Institute’s research and programs and is a specialist in issues of population, reproductive health, global public health, climate change, and food security. He is the author of the 2008 book More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want, and his writing has appeared in scholarly and news media including Nature, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
Sponsor:  Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Contact:  Molly Schwebach, mayoung3@wisc.edu, 608-265-6712

This one-day conference will explore emerging federal and state energy policies; opportunities to develop more home-grown energy resources such as biomass, wind and solar; strategies to create jobs in a sustainable economy; and many other topics. Register now. We’re sponsoring 5 students to attend for FREE (a $25 offer) – apply for a free registration now.

Challenges in Integrating Renewable Sources into the Electric Power Grid: A Power Electronics Perspective

Bingsen Wang
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Arizona State University

Time: April 7, 2009, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Central Time
Location: Room 1721, Engineering Hall
Read the rest of this entry →