Gliding along

I'm feeling very happy with the direction this WISE project is taking me. Just in the course of working through the challenges of implementing residential PV in a tight little urban neighbourhood has given me an excellent idea for a graduate thesis, looking at the feasibility of distributed micro-generation in urban retrofit applications. It even sounds like a plausible grad thesis! These community projects are the most successful current model for getting systems out there into the residential setting. But they're seriously lacking data to assess their efficacy in meeting Ontario's goal of narrowing the electricity supply/demand gap.
I think a thesis along these lines would score highly for relevance and researchability.

I haven't mentioned it yet in my blog, but one of the joys of working on the WISE is the residents I get to visit. They often have interesting insights into energy issues. I enjoy being invited into their homes and seeing the different ways people express themselves in the place they live. It's also a chance to hone my people skills.
The second resident I met with on Friday was ARISE's VP of Corporate Development, Steve V. After giving him the presentation, I mentioned the Nomad he purchased for his cottage last summer, and he came back with the comment that Africa could hold opportunities for our little solar-power systems. In fact, he has a niece working for an NGO in The Gambia.

Really...? How exciting to hear a senior executive at ARISE reflecting the vision for micro-solar in Africa that I've been working on for a year with the interest and support of West African partners.

And lastly, I'm continually crossing paths with prof. Chris Mills, who teaches in the UW Health Studies Dept, and is an active advocate for pedestrian-friendly urban planning. She rides a neat little belt-drive bicycle and runs a new music concert series out of her home. She offered Mathmatikos a spot to play in the Fall. Our first paid gig!

Now, onto the details of making all this happen...