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POWER POINTS - Renewable energy show sees biggest turnout in 32 years

Patriot Ledger
March 15, 2007

Steve Pitney, right, of the Alternative Energy Center in Plymouth, chats with real estate developer and builder Paul Cole about wind turbines at the BuildingEnergy07 conference and trade show in Boston yesterday. (MATTHEW HEALEY/For The Patriot Ledger)

By ANTHONY CAPUTO
For The Patriot Ledger

BOSTON - St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until Saturday, but hundreds of people at the Seaport World Trade Center got a head start on being green.

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association wraps up its three-day BuildingEnergy07 conference and trade show today in Boston. More than 2,500 people registered for the event, making this year’s turnout the biggest in its 32-year-history.

‘‘This is the biggest it’s ever been,’’ said Marty Aikens, business agent at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 in Dorchester. ‘‘There are more exhibitors than ever.’’

The event brought together representatives from more than 150 organizations and companies to promote renewable energy and green building.

‘‘Education is a big component to this, because it’s a whole new way of life and a whole new way of heating your house,’’ said Steve Pitney, CEO of the Plymouth-based Alternate Energy Center, an exhibitor at the trade show.

Pitney admitted that 32 years is a long time to be trying to educate people about alternative sources of energy, such as solar power and wind turbines.

‘‘It is a slow process,’’ he said. ‘‘This is only the tip of the iceberg. Only a small portion of the population has (renewable energy).’’

But Pitney says he has been seeing a surge in interest among consumers lately. Pitney, who has been coming to the conference since 1999, hoped that BuildingEnergy07 would help increase visibility for the Alternate Energy Center and foster relationships with contractors and architects. Sales for his company have tripled each year since 2005, he said.

IBEW Local 103, which has a wind turbine next to its offices in Dorchester, had a table set up in an effort to establish relationships with other renewable-energy professionals.

Of the union’s roughly 6,000 members, about 1,800 are trained in wind turbine and solar-panel installation, Aikens said.

‘‘A lot of people have already come up to me to partner with them because they know we have the training,’’ he said. ‘‘My phone doesn’t stop ringing; every day, it’s 30 to 40 calls on how to save energy.’’

Steve MacAusland, co-founder of Massachusetts Power & Light, said that saving energy shouldn’t be restricted to home use. The Dedham company provides solutions to reduce energy consumption for religious institutions.

Massachusetts Power & Light offers renewable-energy options like solar panels and gas-fired hot-water boilers to more than 100 congregations throughout the state, including ones in Canton and Westwood. MacAusland said that it is not uncommon for a church’s boiler to fail during the coldest and busiest time of the year.

‘‘We need to think about our lifestyles too,’’ MacAusland said. ‘‘We need to think of walking or riding our bikes instead of driving to our neighbor’s (house) 100 yards down the road. ...It’s time to get really serious about this. It’s a major issue.’’

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, March 15, 2007