More than 600 attend Piedmont Alternative Energy Expo

by Pam Owen, Summer 2006

	Mike Millan (left) listens to Brad Schneider explaining the plans of his company, Washington, Virginia-based Recovered Energy Resources, to convert waste to energy. RER is testing a gasification process that uses animal wastes or the contents of a landfill to produce electricity or steam. Photo by Richard Lykes.

The gloomy weather of the third week of May broke very nicely on the morning of the 20th—to make a sunny day for RLEP's Piedmont Alternative Energy Expo. The event opened to the public at 9 a.m. at the Fauquier County Fairgrounds; by 10 o'clock, the parking lot was full.

Throughout the day the vendors and exhibitors were busy. Bryan Walsh of Solar Connexion reported in the evening that he often had three or more attendees waiting politely to ask questions. At one point a small boy stood and stared in awe at the Mars Rover model parked in its display, copper sheathing glistening, poised as if ready to roll across the alien landscape.

Outdoors, Charles Bigelow of Light Speed Power, Inc., demonstrated solar-powered WiFi, while David Thornton of the Piedmont Biofuels Co-op drew a crowd as he showed how biodiesel is made and used.

Playing with solar toys at the Expo.

By at least two measures, the RLEP investment in money and volunteer time seems to have paid off—450 paid adult admissions (plus many kids, RLEP and community volunteer workers, and exhibitors) and the apparent genuine pleasure of vendors and exhibitors as they packed up and said goodbye at the end of the Expo.