Our Greeter today was Chris Blechschmidt and he did a marvelous job.
President Dan Crane rang the bell at 7:30 a.m. Then he noted Bill Weber hurrying in and waited for Bill to give a very nice invocation.
Today we again sang the National Anthem with a faster pace as we watched the newer video. Then we said the Pledge of Allegiance.
President Dan says that the word from the country is from our own Gary Englehardt who says “The definition of a balanced diet is a cupcake in each hand.”
GUESTS:
No guests today.
SPONSORING THE WHITEHALL AREA RC:
Herb Klotz led a discussion about having our AWRC members to become a sponsoring RC for the new provisional RC to be called Whitehall Area RC. The obligations and involvement as a sponsoring RC were reviewed, and then a vote of the members present was held. The motion by Bill Palmer and Bill Weber for AWRC to sponsor the WARC was approved with all in favor.
Herb is the District 7430 Advisor to the new RC. They plan to meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, first at breakfast and then as a Happy Hour meeting.
Herb noted that Laura Long is to be the WARC charter President. At its December meeting the AW board approved of inducting Laura as an honorary member to have her experience the PE training.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
President Dan showed slides of the whole bunch of AW members and families and Interact students from our Dec 28th regular party meeting.
President Dan reminds us to refer to the Activities list that he e-mailed to us for volunteering opportunities and contact information.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
The next Thursday Evening Happy Hour meeting will be on January12th at the Holiday Inn. Fleetwood RC’s Loretta Ottinger will discuss solar energy savings.
Friday Jan 6th is the TT3 meeting.
Friday, Jan 6th we volunteer for Kingdom of Life.
Saturday, Jan 7th – Lowhill Food Pantry – 8:45 – 11:30 AM
It was noted that the LFP also accepts used clothing and small appliances donated.
Jan 29th is the board games at the Trexlertown Fire Co.
Mar 8th, is a Women’s Day meeting at Cedar Crest College.
Mar 11th, is the District Foundation Gala.
Herb Klotz reminds us that on Thursday Jan 26th evening is Dining Out at Louie’s. Most of the Thursday evening regulars have signed up. Let’s all go so we can mingle.
AND, of course, you always can have your breakfast at our meetings sitting with Arch Klumph for a donation of $26.50 to the Rotary Foundation.
SERVICE CRUISE:
There is a Rotary cruise for 7 days to the Dominican Republic to do service projects leaving in late March. See separate article.
NEXT WEEK our Greeter will be Ginny Sandoval and our program will be K9 Officer Jason Laky, Salisbury Twp Police Dept. and a Canine Unit Demo with "Rocket"
LUCK of the DRAW:
Today ‘s door prize donated by Chris Blechschmidt was won by President Dan Crane.
Then Chuck Ehninger’s ticket was drawn and he selected a white marble from among 6 and did not win the $100 in the 50:50 pot.
FINES:
S-a-A Don Davis fined Randy Beitler and the Webers for arriving late. Then he asked each member who had a Happy New Year to pay a dollar. It was a good day. Also Don himself was fined $5 for having his picture in the paper; thanks, Jean Masiko.
HAPPY DOLLARS:
Bill Weber was happy that the school bus finally moved so he and Sue could get to the meeting today.
Dale Heffner reminded us of the continuing support we receive from Dan Schantz Farms. They had a severe fire in their Zionsville greenhouses yesterday.
Joe Goll spent some time in Florida last week and reports that the local scenery was very nice.
PROGRAM:
Today’s program featured Fleetwood Rotarian Loretta Ottinger about saving money with Solar energy. Loretta is the General Manager of the, RER Energy Group. RER is the 5th fastest growing company in the Lehigh Valley.
Their website states:
“RER Energy Group is a regional leader in the renewable energy industry focusing on solar electric, solar hot water, biodiesel fuel conversion technology, and waste-to-energy systems.
“A new energy system is a significant investment. We partner with you to help you choose, and tailor, the right system to maximize your funding incentives. After the installation is complete, we stay in contact to continually evaluate the success of your system over time.
“Our approach is to lead clients through a three-phased philosophy:
1.reduce energy usage through conservation and energy efficiency first;
2.locally generate with renewable energy and resource recovery when cost effective; and
3.procure remaining energy needs at optimum rates.
“Our goal is to be your long-term strategic business partner and an educational resource as you consider various energy options now and in the future.
“We have helped secure over $25 million in grants for our clients and led the development of over 30 megawatts (MW) of solar arrays generating cost-effective energy for more than 100 companies.” They do 95% of their projects with commercial and utility accounts. The other 5% is residential.
The average rate of return on commercial arrays is about 12% to 15%. This takes into account any tax breaks and grants. The arrays last 30 to 40 years.
Solar systems also need to have little or no shade to be profitable, and they need roof top and/or land area. Loretta noted that the regular rainfall here in the northeast is a good thing --- it washes the dirt off of the panels.
Loretta noted that 40% of the array cost is the glass panels. And the lower cost for silicon in recent years has brought down the prices. She also explained the a Kilowatt (KW) is a measure of energy. And a Kilowatt-Hr. (KWHR) is a measure of power volume.
Loretta showed a diagram of the parts of a solar array, and some slides of some actual installations. Also said was that some commercial installations are made because it is good PR for those businesses.
When asked by a member during Q & A, Loretta confirmed that without tax breaks and grants, solar energy systems most likely cannot stand on their own financially. She noted that Electric Utility Companies are generating some solar power because the government will fine them otherwise.
CLOSING:
We recited the saying “They profit most who serve the best.”
