By Sue Tiffin
Published June 20 2017
Visitors to the grand opening of the Haliburton Solar and Wind headquarters and demo site wanted to see how living off grid was possible.
Owner Brian Nash noted that without awareness some people don’t know if they can brew a cup of coffee in an off-grid home.
“There are no limitations” he said. “This is possible; here’s our office.”
At the celebratory event on June 10 Nash said two car chargers coffeemakers and catering equipment the band equipment and the energy in the entire office brought energy stores down just slightly to 91 per cent capacity at the end of the day. The building is run entirely on wind and solar generated power.
Visitors from Kingston Parry Sound Ottawa Thornhill and Innisfil joined interested local residents at the event which was attended by about 300 people.
“The highlight for me is that at one point I looked out at the demo park and there were probably 30 people in there exploring” said Nash. “It exceeded our expectations and we were pleasantly surprised. We know we have an excellent facility here. We’ve created a facility that speaks in plain language to people about renewable energy. We wanted to make a space that creates awareness through education.”
Guests enjoyed food a kid’s zone and music by Gord Kidd and Friends. John Patterson brought his Tesla Model S and Plug’n Drive representatives brought a BMWi3 and Chev Volt to the grand opening. More than 60 test drives were taken by curious drivers wanting to see the inside of an electric car.
“It’s a fabulous thing to drive” said Patterson who said he loaned his car to help promote the science behind electric cars and so that “people could have fun with it.”
Nash is passionate that renewable energy can bring independence to home owners.
“It lessens their dependencies lowers their monthly living expenses and brings a great sense of personal freedom” he said.
The Haliburton Solar and Wind headquarters located at 1067 Garden Gate Drive on the Abbey Garden property open from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment on weekends. The off-grid demonstration park is open for people to experience at any time.
