Rural Renewable Energy Alliance had a recent unveiling of the company's newly developed solar air-heating collector.

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance introduced their new solar power energy panels at an October 11, 2007 open house to celebrate the nonprofit organization's Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) certification submission. Solar Rating and Certification Corporation certification is required in order to begin installing the collectors at other locations.

The open house and a tour were held at Rural Renewable Energy Alliance's facility on the Hunt Utilities Group campus in Pine River in conjunction with the quarterly meeting of the Central Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS).

"The design was a collaborative effort," Edens said. Rural Renewable Energy Alliance's design team included Sarah Hayden, BJ Allen, Graham Wright and Tim Ollhoff. Wright and Ollhoff are both AmeriCorps Vista volunteers who left their jobs at Kodak and Lutheran Social Services, respectively, to work on this yearlong research and development project.