Our Instructors

Amy joined AltE in 2007 and has earned the title "Solar Thermal Queen" in only a short time. When she isn't in the office helping people design solar systems, both water and space heating systems as well as solar electric systems, she can be found sailing or skiing in the NorthEast.  Amy has recently installed a couple of solar thermal systems on her house in Massachusetts.  The systems she installed were a solar air heating system as well as a 128 sq. ft. flat plate collector solar hot water system used for domestic hot water as well as space heating.  Check out some of her projects here.

Bob Ramlow, Artha Sustainable Living Center/Focus on Energy
Bob is co-owner of Artha Sustainable Living Center LLC, a lead consultant for the state of Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program and a founding member and senior instructor for the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. He is the author of Solar Water Heating, A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems, the first book of it's kind written in over 20 years. Bob is an ISPQ Independent Master Trainer in Solar Thermal and an NABCEP Certified Solar Thermal Installer. Bob has more than 30 years experience designing and installing solar systems and has been a driving force in the growth of solar thermal use in the mid-west. Bob not only consults and educates on renewable energy, he leads by example living in a home that is powered by the sun and built with sustainable materials.

Chris LaForge is a NABCEP certified installer who owns his own renewable energy installation business, Great Northern Solar, in Wisconsin. Chris has been teaching advanced solar electric training and installation for several years.

Dave draws on his experience growing up in a solar family to add real world examples to the classes he teaches.  Dave is a NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer (Cert. # 031310-43) and is an ISPQ Certified Instructor for our PV 301, PV 302, and PV 303 classes (Cert. # US-0053).  Dave has been involved with numerous PV system designs and installations including the installation of a 3 kW grid tied PV system on his own house.  When not teaching for AltE U, you might find Dave on a tennis court, golf course, or maybe even out playing drums with his band.  If you want to see some photos of Dave's install on his house, you can check out Dave's picture gallery.

Eric Pedersen joined AltE in late 2007 and has been fast becoming our in-house sales expert for Solar Electric. He has a marketing degree from University of Texas and a passion for working towards worldwide resource sustainability. When he made the career switch to renewable energy, he made a choice to learn as much as he can so he can pass that learning on to others. In his free time Eric can be found wandering about outside somewhere soaking up all that good clean nature.

Coming soon!

James, who now works at RBI Solar, originally joined the AltE team in 2005 as as a Technical Sales Rep and then became our Sales Engineer, specializing in Photovoltaic system design and lead PV Instructor. James earned his degree in Renewable Energy from San Juan College in New Mexico.   James is a NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer as well as an ISPQ Certified Instructor for our PV 301, PV 302, and PV 303 classes. James is also tireless in his ability to talk and teach renewable energy to anyone who will listen! When he's not working with renewable energy, he is likely refereeing soccer games, or doting over one of his Volkswagens.  You can check out James' photo gallery here.

Based out of our Columbus, OH office, Joey joined AltE in 2008 and has quickly risen to become one of our resident Solar Thermal Specialists. Joey has been involved with Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic system design and has designed numerous systems that have been installed across the country as well as overseas.  When Joey is in the office and isn't teaching our Thermal 301 and 302 classes or designing systems for AltE, you can usually find her taking care of her numerous office plants.

Karl teaches solar thermal installations with the MREA and is a NABCEP Certified Solar Thermal Installer. He has been in the renewable energy industry for 9 years where he has completed over 40 solar hot water system installations as well as 24 solar electric and 12 wind electric systems installations. He currently works for North Wind Renewable Energy as the Solar Hot Water Department Lead.

Peter joined AltE in the summer of 2007. Although new to the industry at the time of joining altE, he has been practicing and advocating for renewable energy for much of his adult life. Growing up on a farm allowed him to have a deep appreciation for working in concert with nature. This has spilled over to his use of alternative and renewable energy strategies. His home incorporates geothermal for space heating and cooling, solar collectors for domestic hot water, and a small wind turbine for electrifying the chicken coop. Peter works with various types of photovoltaic modules and wind turbines to better understand their application. He is also actively involved in local town governance and the creation of ordinances relating to renewable energy use for the community. Peter is one of our wind specialists and continues to pursue knowledge in this field.