Category Archives: DIY Renewable Energy

Organic Transit Powers West

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CL90849 300x200 Organic Transit Powers WestOrganic Transit, manufacturer of the ELFpedal/electric vehicle, is moving to a larger facility in Durham and opening a West Coast manufacturing center in San Jose. Organic Transit has outgrown the old retail furniture store where it began in 2011 in downtown Durham.  The new location, located just a few blocks away near Durham’s Central Park District, is 7,500 square feet, much more appropriate than the present location.   The company will use sustainable design in the building renovation and implement a higher-volume manufacturing process.

The company builds the ELF, a pedal and solar electric powered vehicle.”We love the old building, and it was perfect for getting us into business,” said Rob Cotter, Organic Transit Founder and CEO,  “But like Henry Ford realized 100 years ago, we need more room for a proper assembly line to increase our productivity.” “We will utilize recycled and upcycled materials in our build out.  And the building is being prepared with skylights, LED lighting, edible gardens, green walls and bee hives.”

Organic Transit is also opening a San Jose manufacturing facility in partnership with Good Karma Bikes, a non-profit that trains homeless individuals to become bicycle mechanics. Cotter said the San Jose location will also be a base to make local deliveries of vehicles and act as a regional maintenance facility.

Solar Shingles A First In San Antonio

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whysolar mainstory2 Solar Shingles A First In San Antonio Today, Dow Powerhouse announced the first installation of its cutting-edge Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle roof system in San Antonio. Bobby and Sarah Ross waited over a year to be the first homeowners in Texas with a Dow Powerhouse solar roof.“This is an exciting day for us to be a part of the first Dow Powerhouse solar roof installation in Texas” In 2011, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) installed a Dow Powerhouse system in Katy, TX as part of an employee contest before the product was made commercially available. The Ross’ family-owned business, Ross Electric Company, was chosen to connect POWERHOUSE below the rooftop. The family was able to see the installation hands-on, and decided to be one of the first in the country to install this total residential roofing solution that not only protects like a standard asphalt roof but also generates solar electricity, turning the roof into a source of value and savings.

“When I saw the seamless integration of the Dow Powerhouse Solar System, I knew it was something worth waiting for,” said Ross. “I am proud to invest in my home with such an innovative and good-looking product. I expect that my POWERHOUSE™ roof will reduce my utility bills by about 40 percent and will increase my home value overall.” BELDON Roofing Company, the exclusive Dow Powerhouse Authorized Dealer in San Antonio, worked directly with the Ross family to custom design the solar roof array to align directly with the family’s budget, roof design and energy goals.“This is an exciting day for us to be a part of the first DOW POWERHOUSE™ solar roof installation in Texas,” said Brad Beldon, President and CEO of BELDON Roofing Company. “We are seeing the way San Antonians think about their roof change now that they have the option to purchase a smart roof system that goes to work for them and pays for itself.”

The Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle roofing system is offered to San Antonio homeowners as a packaged turn-key solution. It includes:A custom designed array of shingles to fit the individual homeowner’s budget, roof design and energy goals, a DC-to-AC inverter that feeds the home’s power needs or can be returned to the power grid and a monitoring system accessible from any internet connection, showing real-time energy production and generation. Made in the United States and backed by a 20 year warranty from Dow, the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle is also certified as both a solar and roofing product. It has received seven performance and safety certifications, including the backing of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) certification and is proven to withstand rain, hail and wind uplift.

Scientists Tap Into Underwater Solar Energy

full 1339546084underwater1 300x200 Solar Shingles A First In San Antonio

Ascent Solar Charging IPhones At Intersolar Europe

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siri iphone 153x300 Ascent Solar Charging IPhones At Intersolar EuropeAscent Solar Technologies, Inc. a developer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules, announced today it has launched a charger for the Apple iPhone  4/4S smart phone featuring Ascent’s ultra light CIGS technology. Branded under Ascent’s new EnerPlex line of consumer products, the charger incorporates the company’s solar cells into a sleek, protective iPhone 4/4S case, along with a thin battery. The charger adds minimal weight and size to an iPhone smart phone, yet provides significantly improved battery life by harnessing sunlight for electric power. The EnerPlex charger will be available for review at Intersolar Europe 2012, the world’s largest solar technology trade show, from June 13 – June 15.

Ascent Solar’s President and CEO, Victor Lee, said “The EnerPlex charger is the first protective iPhone case to leverage the lightweight qualities and superior aesthetics of our CIGS solar technology. It will extend the usage time of iPhone smart phones while preserving the high level of design quality that consumers demand. Apple customers can now incorporate green technology into their everyday life, improving the performance of their smart phone without compromising style.”

0 300x225 Ascent Solar Charging IPhones At Intersolar EuropeLee continued, “The growth of the smart phone market has been tremendous and is expected to continue for several years to come. Apple has sold over 175 million iPhone smart phones. Samsung is introducing new products in a competitive market where the number of smart phones in use globally is expected to reach 1 billion in the next 4 years. 144 million smart phones were sold globally in the first quarter of this year alone. Ascent’s EnerPlex line is focused on providing millions of smart phone customers with a product that prolongs battery life, increases mobility and allows them to be ‘green’, all without adding significant size or weight to the phone.”

California Leading US Clean Energy Revolution