WKU Staff Member Elected To Solar Energy Society Board

June 27, 2008

Bowling Green, Ky. - The Kentucky Solar Energy Society (KySES) has elected Western Kentucky University staff member Nancy Givens to its board. 

Givens works with the WKU Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and is co-chair for BG Green Partnership for a Sustainable Community. Also elected was Fran Lockwood, director of research for Valvoline Corporation in Lexington.

The Kentucky Solar Energy Society was established in 2007 by Appalachian Science in the Public Interest (ASPI) and the Kentucky Solar Partnership to better promote the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation in Kentucky and is an official chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). Through affiliation with ASES its members have access to an international network of renewable energy experts, advocates and professionals.

The KySES was formed to provide a unified voice calling for the increased use of energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in Kentucky and the United States. It carries out its mission through education, advocacy, networking, and the development of demonstration projects. With energy costs soaring and fossil fuels putting the U.S. economy, environment and even the security of our country at risk, the need for renewable energy is clear. Colleges and universities will play a large role in the societal transition to a new energy economy based on conservation, efficiency and renewables.   

In 2007, BG Green and the WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships participated in the 6th Annual National Solar Tour. Early in 2008, a small commercial grid-intertied solar photovoltaic community demonstration project was completed at the WKU ALIVE Center. Local plans include participation in the 7th annual National Solar Tour and bringing the Green Energy Road Show to Bowling Green. 

Community members are encouraged to join KySES to meet others seeking to see renewable energy become mainstream and widespread in Kentucky, to learn about the state-of-the-art in solar energy and related technologies, and to help chart the path towards sustainability in Kentucky. 

More information about the KySES is available online at http://kysolar.org/kentucky_solar_energy_society or by contacting Andy McDonald, board chair, at (502) 227-4562. You may also join both the KySES and ASES online at the ASES website at http://www.ases.org/about/membership.htm  
               
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Nancy Givens at (270) 745-6507.