Tag : electricity
LA JOLLA, Calif. - (Business Wire) Envision Solar Internationalannounces the launch of its latest product designed to integrateclean power into buildings and communities. Envision Solar isclaiming a trademark of the term and design of the LifeVillage ™ , a modular self-contained “ infrastructure in a crate ” that can provide critical utilities in even the most remote areasof the planet. A demonstration project featuring the LifeVillage ™ is planned for installation in Cote d ’ Ivoire, on the west coast of Africa.
The LifeVillage ™ concept includes Envision Solar ’ s LifePort ™ and LifePod ™ modular steel-frame structures that include solar panels thatprovide between 1.5 and 4 kW of electricity, and also includesenergy storage in the form of batteries to provide electricityoutside of the hours when the sun is shining. Finally, theLifeVillage ™ includes a self-contained water treatment unit that will captureand reuse water. The LifeVillage ™ can be shipped in two shipping containers for assembly on-site.
LifeVillage ™ creators Robert Noble, AIA, LEED AP, and William Adelson, AIA, aresustainable architects based in La Jolla, California, who foundedEnvision Solar to create architectural solutions to facilitate theuse of clean energy. “ We were captivated by what occurred in Africa with thetelecommunications industry, ” notes Adelson. “ With the use of mobile telephones, the system is highlydecentralized; effectively, satellite technology evolved morequickly than did the ability to install infrastructure in Africa. ” Noble adds, “ The LifePort ™ and LifePod ™ products were always intended to be enabling technologies forphotovoltaics and other clean technology. The LifeVillage ™ , by including energy storage and water treatment, adds utility foran off-grid solution for remote areas without access to traditionalinfrastructure. ”
“ The LifeVillage ™ structures can be used to create medical clinics, schools, housingfor doctors and teachers, cell, mobile telephone, radio, TV, WiFi,and WiMax facilities and transmission. The combination ofinternational building code engineered buildings, solar energygeneration and battery storage provides all that is needed toimprove health, safety, education, economics and general quality oflife around every project or team has planned, ” Noble says.
Each structure can be assembled and activated within two weeks ofits arrival at the site. “ The goal is to plant LifeVillages ™ anywhere decentralized critical infrastructure is needed, startingin Western and Central Africa, ” comments Noble. Adelson adds, “ We hope that the LifeVillage ™ product will provide renewable energy and sustainableinfrastructure for growth and advancement of underdeveloped areas. ”
For the demonstration project in Cote d ’ Ivoire, Envision Solar partnered with ZBB Energy Corporation, aWisconsin-based energy storage innovator. ZBB will provide theirlong-lasting ZESS-50TM zinc energy storage system. Other potentialpartners include Nucon Steel for the structure framing, Kyocera forthe solar panels, McElroy Roofing for the standing seam metal roofand Worldwater & Solar Technologies for the water purificationand pumping components.
The demonstration project will provide critical communitybuildings, powered by solar energy with battery support, and with aself-contained water treatment system to allow occupants to recycleand reuse water. A prototype will be constructed in the UnitedStates and tested prior to deployment at one hundred villages inCote d ’ Ivoire.
The Cote d ’ Ivoire project, at the specific request of the country ’ s Ministry of Energy, will incorporate a small medical clinic and aschoolhouse, including the housing for a resident doctor or nurseand the housing for a resident teacher. Envision Solar ispartnering with Scripps Health and Hospitals of San Diego for theimplementation of the clinic and its components.
About Envision Solar International, Inc.
Envision Solar International, Inc. is a turn-key, solar integrated buildingsystems developer. The company ’ s mission is to provide aesthetically pleasing photovoltaic systemsto increase the worldwide use of renewable energy. Led by a groupof visionary architects, builders and engineers, Envision Solartransforms heat-absorbing parking areas into beautiful, efficientsolar power plants. Learn more about us at: www.envisionsolar.com .
ZBB Energy Corporation
ZBB Energy Corporation, a leading innovator of energy storagesystems, is breaking industry ground by providing turn-key energystorage systems to utility companies, industrial and commercialorganizations and renewable energy generators. ZBB strives todevelop and produce products that increase energy efficiency,minimize the impact on the environment and maximize the use ofrenewable energy.
Envision Solar International
Pamela Stevens, 858.768.5151
pstevens@envisionsolar.com