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Download Uhlir Presentation (1.0 MB PDF)
The incorporation of Renewable Energy sources in building design is gaining popularity nationally and locally. A handful of local Green Building projects have been recently completed and many more are currently underway. Several viable renewable energy sources continue to gain momentum in the industry, including urban wind energy, solar heating, geothermal energy, and photovoltaic panels.
Bil Becker, Founder and CEO of Aerotecture International, Inc. will provide an update of progress in Springfield and Washington regarding renewable energy grants and tax incentives as well as the impact on system payback. He will explain the latest applications of renewable energy technology in building design, including the benefits of combined renewable systems. He will also outline the benefits of renewable energy sources in attaining LEED certification for your next building.
Kurt Uhlir and Brian Kustwin, Standby Power System Consultants, Inc., will present design and specification guidelines for electrical systems in green buildings, including inverter systems, battery systems, and utility protection/metering equipment. They will also provide a brief overview of the requirements of NEC Article 690 for Solar Photovoltaic Systems.
Bil Becker, CEO
Aerotecture International, Inc.
Drawing on over 25 years experience in industrial design and renewable energy engineering, Becker discovered a unique way to utilize wind power in locations previously unavailable. In the 1990's he began the development of an urban wind generator he calls the Aeroturbine which is now the center of his effort with Aerotecture International, Inc. (AI). AI is an Illinois corporation working on all forms of renewable energy and centered on urban wind power.
Becker's most important influences have come from R. Buckminster Fuller; his research as professor of industrial design at University of Illinois-Chicago; and his years of collaboration with architects exploring solar thermal and solar electric design applications.
As part of an Evanston-based volunteer group, Becker cooperatively designed and erected the first successful urban wind generator in the US. He also helped found the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago, and coordinated the design and construction of five solar heated greenhouses/solaria located throughout the city. As a product development engineer with SunWize Inc, he collaborated in the design and development of over twenty solar electric projects and products.
As CEO at AI, Becker has led an innovative team that has established AI Aeroturbines from San Francisco to New Jersey and is now planning manufacturing in India and China to complement production in Chicago. Locals in Chicago can see his largest project to date, a multi-family residential building with Aeroturbines developed with the international architect Helmut Jahn.
Kurt Uhlir, Principal Owner
Standby Power System Consultants, Inc.
Kurt Uhlir, founder and principal owner of Standby Power System Consultants, Inc. received a BS in Electrical Engineering and Technology from Southern Illinois University in 1981. For the past 22 years, he has specialized in stationary battery, dc power system and energy storage design, installation, maintenance and testing for electric utility, communications, industrial and renewable energy applications.
At Commonwealth Edison Company in Chicago from 1981 to 2001, Kurt held the position of Stationary Battery and DC System Technical Expert for the Nuclear Generation Group and Transmission and Distribution Department where he was directly responsible for the design and specification, procurement, maintenance and testing, and installation of stationary batteries and dc power systems. Kurt was a member of Edison Research Case No. 213, Distributed Generation (formally Electrochemical Energy Storage and Utilization) that was responsible for monitoring and evaluating existing and new technologies relating to energy storage and renewable energy systems.
Kurt has been active for over 16 years in the development of industry standards for stationary batteries and dc power systems. He is a member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society and Industrial Application Society, has been a member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society Stationary Battery Committee since 1988, and the IEEE Battery Protection Working Group since 1993. He served as chairman of the IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee (SCC) 29 Nuclear Task Force (NTF) from 1995 to 2001 and is a past member of IEEE DC Auxiliary Power Task Group which was responsible for the development of IEEE Std. 946-1992, IEEE Recommended Practice for the Design of Auxiliary Power Systems for Generating Stations.
Kurt is also a technical contributor to the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA) - Acceptance Test Specification (ATS) 1999, Section 7.18, Direct Current Systems, and he has been an advisor for the the Illinois Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering Interprofessional Projects (IPRO), Distributed Independent Power Generation Systems since 1998.
Kurt is on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Renewable Resource Group and is a member of the Illinois Renewable Energy Association since 2003. Kurt has authored and presented several papers on stationary batteries, dc power and energy systems. He has also developed and conducted several seminars on stationary batteries and dc power systems for Fortune 500 companies.
| Location | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bar Association | 11:30 AM | Social | |
| 321 South Plymouth Court | 12:00 PM | Lunch (optional) | |
| (near Jackson & Dearborn) | 12:00 PM | Presentation | |
| Chicago, IL 60604 | 1:00 PM | Adjourn | |
| 312-554-2000 |
Lunch tickets can be purchased in the lobby bookstore for $13.