DANBURY, CONN. — Chemical engineer and solar power specialist Dru Bacon will discuss the economic and environmental implications of conversion to solar and wind energy use in a lecture on Thursday, April 10, 2014, at Western Connecticut State University.

Bacon’s talk, presented by the WCSU Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies, will be at 7 p.m. in Room 125 of the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. Admission will be free and the public is invited to attend.

His lecture will focus on the comparative costs and environmental impact of solar and wind energy conversion as a complement or alternative to conventional coal, oil and natural gas resources used for power generation. Bacon, who resides in Goodyear, Ariz., has volunteered his services in his own and other Arizona communities since 2006 to provide consultations about residential conversion to solar energy as a primary power source. He has lectured widely in the United States to present the case that renewable energy sources are both environmentally friendly and economically viable.

Bacon has provided professional advice to Arizona homeowners as a trained solar coach affiliated with Arizona SmartPower, a nonprofit organization whose mission statement affirms a commitment “to helping Arizona residents make smart energy choices.” The organization, supported by Arizona Public Service, offers free consulting services to energy consumers as part of a program called the Arizona Solar Challenge that has asked communities in the state to commit to conversion of a minimum 5 percent of homes to renewable energy by 2015.

Bacon also has served as an alternative energy consultant for Allwest Energy, an Arizona-based company founded in the 1990s to design and install solar and wind electric systems for a diverse range of commercial and residential applications.

A chemical engineer by profession, Bacon previously worked for more than 31 years at Eastman Kodak, serving as superintendent of the company’s production research and development division. He has written numerous published articles and lectured widely at universities, energy conferences and other public forums about the potential for development of alternative energy resources. Bacon received recognition in the Arizona Republic 2008 Green Hero Award contest for his work as founder of an environmental group in the Pebble Creek community of Goodyear, Ariz., to promote solar panel installations by local homeowners. Goodyear is one of six Arizona communities that already have met the Arizona Solar Challenge goal, with more than 11 percent of owner-occupied homes in Goodyear now equipped with solar power installations.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.