6:00pm: Social Hour | 6:30PM: Walking Tour of the Solar Hot Water System | 7:00pm: Dinner | 8:00pm: Speakers
Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA
Click here to view images from the meeting.
Click here to view the Seattle Aquarium's Solar Hot Water News Release (PDF).
Dinner will be buffet-style with plenty of vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare.
This month's meeting will be presented in a panel format with four exciting speakers!
Speaker Bios
Mark Plunkett, MS joined the Aquarium education team in 1985 to help develop the “State of the Sound” exhibit. He has been active over the past 24 years in integrating conservation into Aquarium classes, teacher workshops, exhibits and statewide partnerships. He received the Seattle Parks 1993 Employee of Excellence award for “Environmental Concern” and the 2003 Seattle Works “Visionary” award for his 13-year effort to create 150 acres of marine reserves on Seattle beaches. In 2003, Mark was promoted to Aquarium Conservation Curator to expand the Aquarium's mission throughout the facility. He holds an M.S. in Biology/Marine Ecology from Western Washington University and a B.S. in Biology from Seattle Pacific University. Mark lives in Bellevue with his wife, where he enjoys raising Natty and Kristopher to become the next generation of conservationists.
Jack Brautigam, MS, LEED AP is Program Manger for customer renewable energy and green power programs at Seattle City Light. Prior to City Light, he was commercial program manager for the Washington State Energy Office. Professional experience includes environmental engineer and consultant with private industry on a range of waste management and onsite renewable energy projects. Brautigam holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering.
Micah Haman is curently the Small Scale Renewables Program Manager with Puget Sound Energy. He has 18 years of Utility Experience and 15 average Megawatts of energy efficiency project savings implemented with the Bonneville Power Administration, Tacoma Power and the two Hawaiian utilities on Kauai and Maui. He has 3 years of Building Sciences research at the Washington State Energy Office and 3 years of design and installation of solar water heating systems. His early years include generating 10 foot bolts of lightning with a giant Tesla coil in his grandfather’s creepy basement laboratory in Montana.
Reeves Clippard, NABCEP PV is co-founder of Seattle's first employee owned solar company, A&R Solar. Originally trained at Solar Energy International, he has installed over 150 solar energy systems in the Pacific Northwest since 2005. Current projects include Nucor Steel's West Seattle Facility, the Zero Energy Idea House in Bellevue, and demostration systems for the Issaquah, Renton, and Snoqualmie Valley School Districts.
Presentation Abstract
The Seattle Aquarium has installed solar panels to preheat water used at its café, reducing its use of natural gas and shrinking its carbon footprint. The demonstration project was completed with funding support from Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy. This is Seattle’s first large solar hot water demonstration project. The aquarium wants to tie this to its efforts to promote a healthy Puget Sound and let people know that “Leonard loves solar.” While City Light and Puget Sound Energy have both installed solar electric demonstration projects in their service territories, this is the first solar hot water demonstration project in Seattle. It presents an opportunity to talk about how it is one more piece of the solution to addressing climate change while meeting the energy needs of their customers.
Please visit Seattle City Light's Conservation & Renewables for more information on similar projects sponsored by City Light.
Puget Sound Energy contributed $11,630 toward the solar water heating system to pre heat the cold water entering the natural gas hot water heater serving the Aquarium Café.
A&R Solar Corp. designed and installed the system.