Sierra Club Green Home

Solar Company in France Empowers People with Disabilities

By Susanne Green
April 23, 2012 

SAINTE-MARIE-AUX-MINES, FRANCE — Sometimes things turn out the way they are supposed to, and we at Sierra Club Green Home cannot help but notice. In this case, it is one solar company that is powered in equal parts by sustainability and social responsibility.

When Jean Viry-Babel, co-founder of Thousandsuns, had the concept to design a power source for the electricity-free beach houses that scatter the shores of England, he did not know it would lead to providing high-efficiency portable solar generators and panels used worldwide for disaster and recovery purposes, in addition to recreation.

Then it just so happened that ESAT (Etablissement ou Service d’Aide par le Travail) Les Tournesols, a French nonprofit that helps disabled people find work, was located in the vicinity of Thousandsuns’ factory in Alsace, France. When a company hires disabled workers in France, most of its employee wage taxes are waived, amounting to a savings of approximately 35% of the wage, according to Viry-Babel. So it seemed like a practical investment.

Thousandsuns France contacted ESAT in 2011 regarding hiring its production personnel through ESAT’s agency. Since production began in June 2011, disabled persons staffed through ESAT have assembled all of Thousandsuns’ Solarpods, a revolutionary product that in 2011 earned Thousandsuns the Franco-British Award for Innovation. The Solarpod ranges in size from the “Buddy,” a small device with enough power to recharge a cell phone, to the “Pro,” a larger 1,000 watt unit, which weighs about 33 pounds.

Some might call it serendipity, but when asked about how everything fell into place, Viry-Babel says, “That’s the whole point, the normality of it.”

Are there any special challenges to hiring exclusively disabled personnel? Viry- Babel says that the instructions for assembly are all visual, and his production staff perfoms well and reliably.

“I have more difficulties with our non-disabled employees,” he says.

Disabilities among employees range from deafness and severe depression to Autism or Down syndrome. However, Thousandsuns France cannot hire individuals in wheelchairs because assembly on most products requires the employee to be standing.

Thousandsuns has adopted the strategic model of many major French companies (particularly in the environment and energy sectors): contributing to the challenges of sustainable development through corporate social responsibility (CSR). The goal is to collaborate with particular institutions and services to invest in human capital and promote corporate social responsibility. CSR often goes hand-in-hand with increasing a company’s bottom line.

Viry-Babel states that his company doesn’t broadcast its CSR strategy. However, distributors of Solarpod do market the product as a “bundled” socially responsible product. Extending beyond Thousandsuns’ hiring policy, the Solarpod is 98% recyclable, is nearly carbon neutral, and proudly wears the stamp “Made in France,” where there is relatively strong labor advocacy. And, of course, it’s solar.

But investing in human capital is about much more than profits or earning a “socially responsible” stamp. It can make a difference in the life of a person who may otherwise experience difficulty finding gainful employment.

Let us consider François, who began working at Thousandsuns France when it opened its doors for production last June. François began working at age 15. However, after experiencing severe lower back pain and social difficulties, followed by a period of drug addiction, finding employment was a problem for him.

“My back problems in addition to the scars left by the addiction to drugs did not permit me to resume any work,” says François. After 12 years of experience at ESAT, François was sent to Thousandsuns to complete two weeks of training under production manager Arnaud Gailleurd.

In less than one year François has participated in the completion of more than 2,000 Solarpods and is now supervisor of two other disabled employees.

“I thank [Thousandsuns] for giving me this chance and today entrusting me with so much responsibility,” says François.

It looks like this model is making a difference one person at a time at companies like Thousandsuns. Sierra Club Green Home applauds this company’s successful melding of sustainability and social justice.

For related articles, please see:
Los Angeles Youth Plant Seeds of Sustainbility and Social Justice
Clean, Renewable Energy Could Power U.S. by 2050 

Susanne Green is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about green homes, purple hearts, and white elephants.  She is a finance professional who has travelled on foot through varied countries on six continents and now lives with her daughter in Southern California.

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

Clean, Renewable Energy Could Power U.S. by 2050

By Max Havins
April 13, 2012 

SAN DIEGO, CA — Author and clean energy advocate Lovins has mapped a plan to completely eliminate U.S. consumption of oil, coal, and nuclear power by mid-century, all while boosting the U.S. GDP by more than 150 percent. Importantly, this can be achieved without having to push legislation through a gridlocked U.S. Congress.

This week, he outlined RMI’s roadmap at an event hosted by CleanTECH San Diego, the California Center for Sustainable Energy, and Xconomy, and attended by Sierra Club Green Home.

“We need a new fire,” Lovins told the group, which included clean tech companies and entrepreneurs from across Southern California.

Lovins pointed to the opportunities to improve “vehicle fitness,” creating lighter and stronger vehicles. With existing technologies and materials, like carbon fiber, cars could go 50 percent further on a tank of gas. A car getting 30 miles per gallon could be getting mileage comparable to a Prius.

Lovins also spoke about the big opportunities to reduce electricity demand. Efficiency improvements in buildings, together with a smarter power grid and increasingly affordable renewable power, would make us able to meet all of our electricity needs with clean energy—even during a summer in Texas.

All this might sound too ambitious or even impractical if not for the evidence at Lovins’ own home in Snowmass, Colorado. His house, built in 1984 and renovated in 2009, showcases the opportunities integrated design and passive solar heating present.

Located in the Rocky Mountains (20 minutes north of Aspen), Lovins’ home needs no furnace—even in the winter. In fact, it is famous for growing bananas and other tropical fruit. It has a greenhouse that absorbs heat from the sun in the summer and stores that thermal energy to help heat the home through the cold Colorado winters. Lovins uses the home to demonstrate cutting-edge green building technologies, as well as many that are affordable and cost-effective today. Meanwhile, he pays a monthly electricity bill of $5.

The house stands as one small example of a much bigger economic and environmental opportunity. Lovins and RMI are working to turn small examples into the big changes that lead to the $5 trillion of economic benefit they see in the coming decades. Their Superefficient Housing Initiative, for example, includes collaborations and competitions to design and retrofit homes to realize energy savings far beyond incremental improvements on today’s building energy codes.

With each step towards a clean energy economy—without oil, coal, or nuclear power—the U.S. can turn RMI’s vision into reality. As Lovins told CleanTECH San Diego CEO Jim Waring on Wednesday, the big changes will be a result of millions of individual decisions. Much like past transformations with computers and mobile phones, he noted, before long the changes will be everywhere.

For related article, see:
Passive Solar Heating

 

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

Community Solar: Bringing People Together for Clean Energy

By Debbie Van Der Hyde

Just don’t see solar panels fitting on your roof? They can still be installed into your energy future, thanks to community solar programs.

“Community solar is a way for multiple individuals to share in the benefits of a single solar installation,” explains a publication from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Instead of investing in a private solar energy system, people can pool their resources to develop a large-scale solar energy project for the benefit of a group or neighborhood.

Community solar projects remove common barriers to using solar as a renewable resource, including customer inertia due to the potential complexity of choosing photovoltaic panels, finding a vendor, and acquiring permits. Community solar also allows apartment and condo dwellers, as well as homeowners who live in shaded areas, to participate in domestic energy generation.

However, the biggest benefit for most people is cost savings. Private solar installations can be costly (although the price is decreasing) and community solar offers an alternative for Sierra Club Green Home readers to participate without investing a significant amount of money upfront. Instead, participants typically pay for shares into the program and qualify for net-metering savings to match.

The concept is quickly gaining momentum across the nation as people experiment with different business models to bring solar energy systems to their cities and towns. One innovative approach comes from Solar Mosaic, a financing platform that connects investors to solar projects in their communities.

“We utilize ‘crowdfunding’ to democratize the financial and environmental benefits of solar…everyone [can] take part in the solar rooftop revolution,” says Billy Parish, president and co-founder of Solar Mosaic.

One of the organization’s recently funded projects, The Asian Resource Center, is expected to save more than $100,000 over its 20-year lease, which they can reinvest in programs that provide low-income housing in Oakland, CA.

To build awareness, Solar Mosaic also organized Community Solar Day on November 20, 2011.

“We partnered with 20 organizations, [including Sierra Club], to hold a day of action for people to kick start their community solar projects,” Parish says.

The efforts included an online toolkit, small community solar grants, and a MeetUp.com page to help people make local connections. Approximately 127 communities from around the world participated, and Solar Mosaic awarded two community solar grants—one in India, the other in Minneapolis. Plans are being made now for Community Solar Day 2012.

Other community solar models include:

• Volunteer-led efforts, such as the successful grassroots campaigns in Portland, OR, as described in The Solarize Guidebook;

• Special-purpose entity models, such as the University Park Solar Community in Maryland and the Mid-Valley Solar Array in Colorado, a community-owned solar garden that was coordinated through Clean Energy Collective; and

• Utility-sponsored efforts that are funded by grants or other means.

A successful example of this utility approach comes from Seattle which, despite its rainy reputation, was designated a Solar America Community (one of 25 across the nation) by the US Department of Energy in 2008. On March 21, Seattle City Light unveiled a 24-kilowatt community solar project: three new solar picnic shelters located at Seattle’s Jefferson Park.

“Given the growing interest in community solar, this was a great opportunity for a legacy project that also provides our customers with more choice in conservation and renewable energy programs,” says Jack Brautigam, renewable energy program manager for Seattle City Light.

According to Brautigam, the utility could have chosen any site within its service territory for the project. However, in the spirit of community solar, Seattle City Light wanted to make the project as accessible as possible (hence the public park). The photovoltaic panels, manufactured by Silicon Energy in Washington, are translucent and serve as the roofs of the shelters, allowing the sun to shine through.

Seattle City Light received a $300,000 grant from the Department of Energy to develop the customer-supported community solar installation, which the utility matched in program expenditures to plan, design, and market.

To date, Seattle City Light has sold more than 400 of the 500 units to customers for $600 per unit (with a max of two units per customer), in return for Washington state production incentives and energy credits on participating customers’ power bills.

“Revenues from customers participating in the initial project will be used to plan and build a second project, serving as a revolving funding mechanism,” Brautigam says.

In the second phase, Brautigam adds that Seattle City Light plans to install an educational interface near the picnic shelters to help people learn more about the viability of solar energy.

We at Sierra Club Green Home are truly heartened to see these community models that make solar energy more practical and accessible.

For related articles, see:
New Windows Generate Solar Power
Solar Roadways: Energy and Transportation Solution in One 

© 2012 SCGH, LLC. 

Triple Benefits of Solar-Powered EV Chargers

By Erika F. Washington
December 19, 2011

With the interest steadily growing for alternative fuel options for vehicles, more and more consumers are turning to flex fuel or electric-powered vehicles (EV). Issues still remain, however, with purchasing an EV. Some areas have few, if any, spaces for drivers to plug and recharge their cars.

REC Solar and General Electric (GE) are working together to create more of GE’s WattStations to make the transition easier for consumers ready to purchase an EV.

“With expectations of one million EVs entering America’s roadways by 2016, the need to establish a sustainable EV infrastructure is here today,” says Lee Johnson, CEO of REC Solar.

Besides adding economic benefits to owning an EV, solar-powered charging offers environmental and energy-saving benefits.

GE designed its WattStation to help accelerate the adoption of plug-in EVs by significantly decreasing the time needed for charging. It delivers a full charge in only four to eight hours, while standard overnight charging can take 12 to 14 hours, a negative for many would-be EV purchasers. Its smart, grid-enabled technology also could help utility companies manage the impact of EVs on the local and regional grids.

As a distributor of the GE WattStation, REC Solar will make it easier for its thousands of commercial, government, and residential customers to incorporate EV charging capabilities. REC Solar specializes in state-of-the-art solar technology with a vision to make solar electricity a part of the mainstream energy supply.

REC Solar and GE also are looking at a future transportation system free of fossil fuels. The partners  seek to create an end-to-end solar EV charging system that will enable cars to run literally on sunshine.

With a cost around $2,000, EV owners can have a WattStation installed in their garage.

“Actual installation only takes a couple hours, but the big advantage is that it significantly cuts your charge time—basically in half,” says REC’s Cary Hayes.

The ultra-sustainable intersection of solar and EV industries means greater reduction of greenhouse gases and independence from fossil fuels. At the same time, the marriage of the two delivers economic benefits to drivers. The cost of driving a solar-charged EV may be 66 percent less than a gas-powered car, according to a recent study by Green Tech Media Research, an online media company.

GE says it is dedicated to innovations in energy, health, transportation, and infrastructure. With operations in more than 100 countries, the company’s goal is to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry, including renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas, as well as other alternative fuels and new grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.

Incorporating solar energy into EV use will help to ease the demand on electrical grids by a sharp increase of EV chargers. And solar energy itself contributes to a cleaner environment.

© 2011 SCGH, LLC.

Solar Carport for Shelter and Energy

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Close-up of a solar panel. (Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon, Flickr)

By Victoria Lanier

DALLAS — The University of Texas (UT) is known for developing innovative treatments to save lives, and now is using an innovative solar carport to help save the planet.

UT Southwestern Medical Center recently added a solar carport to both protect cars from the elements and generate electricity for nearby buildings. It helps the campus reduce its energy bill and also serves as a charging station for electric vehicles.

It also makes a big difference in UT’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The university estimates that it saves them more than 400,000 kilowatt-hours, which is the equivalent of taking the carbon output of 56 passenger vehicles off the road.

© 2011 SCGH, LLC. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Plastic Bottles Bring Light

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A solar bulb brightens a marketplace. (Courtesy of ALiterofLight.org)

By Debra Atlas

PHILIPPINES — Millions of people in the Philippines live in (relative) darkness. The cost of electricity is beyond the means of many, so residents of poorer communities resort to candles or kerosene lamps, which pose serious health and fire hazards.

Using electricity 24 hours per day, something most of us take for granted, raises a household’s expenses by approximately 40 percent. In a country where the average income ranges from minimum wage to less than $1 a day, this added expense is not seen as crucial.

However, there is an incredibly simple solution that is both greener and safer.

The Solar Bottle Bulb was originally developed by students at MIT and spearheaded by Mac Diaz, the innovative founder of MyShelter Foundation. It uses plastic water bottles and a little bleach to bring light to the darkness.

To create the bulb, developers fit 1.5 liter plastic bottles containing water and bleach snugly into holes in a metal roof. Sunlight refracts through and off the water, creating free solar lighting equivalent to 55 or 60 watts of clean white light. The bleach inside the bottles prevents algae from forming inside them. The bottles do not heat up and are designed to produce clear light for approximately five years.

The MyShelter Foundation is currently distributing thousands of these lights to homeowners across the Philippines, where oftentimes homes are built so close together that little to no light can get through the windows.

The Isang Litrong Liwanag (“A Liter of Light”) project is a sustainable lighting project whose aim is to bring light to low-income communities. The organization envisions lighting 1 million homes by 2012. So far, they have distributed 10,000 solar bulbs.

The installation of these bulbs is brightening more than the homes they light: They are helping to create a better quality of life for entire communities.

Check out more articles by Debra Atlas.

© 2011 SCGH, LLC.

Green Energy Park May Be Answer to Power Supply

Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series looking at Panasonic and its ecological strategies and technological developments.

By E.Q. Lam
November 16, 2011

Incorporating the strengths of SANYO into Panasonic undoubtedly puts the latter company closer to achieving its quest to be the leading green electronics company by its 100th anniversary in 2018. Panasonic Group recently gained full control of SANYO Electric, thereby acquiring SANYO’s technology in solar and battery power systems.

Interestingly, in 1918 Konosuke Matsushita started what would become Panasonic with his wife and brother-in-law, Toshio Iue, who later set off on his own and founded SANYO. Today, the two companies are back in the same fold again.

Panasonic made SANYO and another company, Panasonic Electric Works, subsidiaries in April and is undergoing group-wide reorganization. In the past couple of years, Panasonic’s operating profit and net sales have dipped (both down about 15 percent from 2008 to 2009), and the company posted losses in 2009 and 2010. But the 2011 annual report shows that Panasonic is returning to black. The shutdown of nearly all of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors (which accounts for about a third of Japan’s energy resources) after the March 11 earthquake has helped to draw greater consumer and government interest in Panasonic’s energy solutions. And the consumer-electronics giant is embracing comprehensive green technology solutions as part of its new growth strategy.

SANYO adds to Panasonic’s wide-ranging technology with the latest developments in solar panels, including bifacial photovoltaic modules with HIT technology that can be mounted vertically instead of lying flat on a roof, so that sunlight hits both sides of the panels. Panasonic also acquired SANYO’s Solar Ark facility in Gifu Prefecture, Japan—a gallery, museum, lab, and community center of sorts.

But one of the most exciting acquisitions is Kasai Green Energy Park, a massive testing site for large-scale, renewable power storage systems located near Osaka. “This is Panasonic’s answer to how our group will supply power,” says Fumitoshi Terashima, general manager of SANYO’s Smart Energy Systems Division. “After various tests, we set up this facility to develop the best products—safest, low cost, long life span—to meet our customer demand.”

The year-old Park generates, saves, and stores all of its power from a mega-solar power system (for daytime) and the world’s largest, commercial lithium-ion (li-ion) rechargeable battery power system (for night-time). The smart energy system can cut energy costs significantly; for example, in Japan the daytime energy cost is five times that of the night-time rate. The facility features a one-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PVC) system and 1.5 megawatt hours (MWh) and can produce 1,060 kilowatts (kW) annually. That’s enough power for 330 standard households in Japan—or, as facility tour guide Motoko Scott puts it, enough power to drive an electric vehicle to Spain. The battery system is designed to last at least 10 years using the same rechargeable batteries.

As part of the facility’s energy management system, eight 42-inch screens are located at the main entrance to the administration building, displaying real-time visual information on energy usage throughout the Park—and translating the numbers into more meaningful quantities, such as the equivalent number of trees saved. The company combines technology with information to instill in its employees a green mindset, which Panasonic hopes transfers into eco-conscious behavior at home and elsewhere.

SANYO concluded that li-ion batteries as ideal in comparison to lead-acid and sodium-sulphur (NaS) batteries, taking into account size, weight, lifespan, safety, and cost. The batteries have a charge/discharge efficiency of 98 percent, compared to 90 percent for NaS and 85 percent for lead-acid batteries, Terashima points out.

The li-ion power storage system is scalable for homes, schools and other buildings, and industrial use. “We can arrange or make this system from small one to large one. That’s unique about this system,” Terashima says.

Although the Kasai Green Energy Park facility has strict security, Panasonic opened its doors for a press tour of the world’s largest use of solar and lithium-ion battery power: 

For related articles, see:
Novel Japanese Recycling Plant
Technology for Smart Homes, Smart Cities
Double Energy Savings With DIY Tips and Technology
Panasonic Makes Eco Innovation Central Focus
Exclusive Interview With Panasonic Vice President

Travel and accommodations provided by Panasonic Corporation.

Check out more articles by E.Q. Lam.

© 2011 SCGH, LLC.

Huge Solar Factory Coming to Colorado

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A new GE factory in Colorado will produce solar panels. (Wikimedia Commons)

By Jake Richardson

AURORA, CO — General Electric has decided to locate a new solar panel factory near Aurora, Colorado. The company also was considering the state of New York but could not find a suitable building there and did not want to wait for a new building to be constructed. Another factor is that GE already is collaborating with Primestar Solar, which is located in Arvada, Colorado, about 20 miles away.

The new factory will require $300 million to make it fully operational, and it is scheduled to open next year.

The solar industry continues to grow as the cost of solar technology decreases, and this clean energy source becomes affordable and practical to both residences and businesses.

© 2011 SCGH, LLC.  

Solar Clovers and Gadgets Galore

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A view of the showcase, with San Jose City Hall in the background. (Courtesy of the City of San Jose)

Editor’s Note: This is the final piece in a four-part series looking at the environmental efforts of the city of San Jose, California.

By Debra Atlas

SAN JOSE, CA — Solar installations grew by 69 percent nationwide over the last year, and the City of San Jose is at the head of the race. Last year, San Jose made more solar installations than any other city in the state. The U.S. Department of Energy named San Jose one of three “Solar American Showcase” cities in 2007, and in 2008 the city was designated one of the 25 Solar America Cities.

The Solar America Cities program was created so the designated cities could share their experiences and best practices with other cities. Cities interested in using the technology more can then adapt this information to their own community. The designated cities cover different climates from around the country. It was a way to help break down barriers to this energy source, both commercial and residential, according to Mike Foster, who manages the city’s community energy efficiency and green building programs.

San Jose has always been at the forefront of innovation, ever since it became California’s first established city in 1777, and using technology to go green came naturally. To promote public awareness of clean-tech, San Jose created the Clean Energy Showcase, which puts solar, wind, and electric vehicle (EV) technologies on display across from City Hall.

Close to 6,000 people have toured the showcase since it opened in December 2010, including groups as varied as local schoolchildren, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and Russian entrepreneurs. The block-long exhibit is a hands-on demonstration area created to help educate the community about the benefits of the clean energy technology and how to save money by adopting it.

Among the various solar technologies the exhibit features are the Solar Clover by Armageddon Energy, a Sun Oven solar cooker that scouts use to bake their favorite cookies, and a solar heating and cooling unit reminiscent of a bay window. The Showcase is a great example of the city’s Green Vision Plan and the possibilities it holds for the future of San Jose.

For related stories, see:
Northern California City Reinvents Itself as Green
San Jose’s Green Vision
The Solar Power of San Jose

Check out more articles by Debra Atlas.

© 2011 SCGH, LLC.