Energy Leaders Today Summer 2010

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T R Y

ENERGY LEADERS TODAY www.energyleaderstoday.com

emerald coast utilities authority

brings

clean water to

Otto H. Rosentreter Co.

In southern California OHR Energy has been at the forefront of fuel cell technology since it began to take off in 2005, and since then they have installed 21 fuel cell power plants throughout the state.

p26

the gulf coast p06

Switch Renewable Advocates for renewable energy sources, Summer 2010 $24.94 USD $26.30 CAN

these solar pioneers want to see solar panels on the roofs of every home.

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in this issue FEATURES UTILITIES

06 ECUA The ECUA has won water quality awards, has an elected board that enables it to act like a private company, and is building a new wastewater treatment facility in record time and under budget.

GREEN BUSINESS

12 Brower Mechanical T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T RY

ENERGY LEADERS Editor-in-Chief Todd Weaver Editor Diana Doyle Executive Editor Jonathan Mack Assistant Editor Joseph Orange Creative Director Emily Detoro Art Director Stephanie Hess Director of Advertising Julian Vu Production Coordinator Jason Rone Assistant Production Coordinator Elizabeth Macks Photography Editor Ian Palmer Video Director Susan Maybach Editorial Director Kate Darling Editorial Production Rachel Goldberg Copy Editor William Finch Assistant Copy Editor Amy Roberts Content Directors Brandon McBride (W), Aaron McGaskey (SW), Juan Orellana (Int’l), Steve Peters (Nation), Mike Rodgers (Nation), Juan Stewart (NE) Vendor Relations Director Diana Stephens Vendor Relations Eric Miller, Dov Teta Advertising Sales Coordinator Patricia O’Brien Advertising Sales Director Peter Jostens Advertising Sales Moe Kazemi, David Levi, Steve Stone Publisher Steve Reed

In addition to abdicating the use of solar power as a main energy source, Brower mechanical offers their services wtih untraditional products like Geo-Thermal heat pumps and radiant heating.

POWER GENERATION

16 Bravo Zulu International, Ltd. Through battery optimizing technology, Bravo Zulo International, Ltd. is extending battery life and creating new energy saving standards for the industrial battery industry.

21 Dewey Electronics CEO John Dewey knows that designing generators that use less fuel and keep equipment running isn’t just energy efficient and keeping bills down for people at home, but is helping our soldiers overseas.

FUEL CELL

24 U.S. Fuel Cell Forward Fuel cells, which convert chemical energy to electricity without combustion, provide a new pathway to cleaner and more efficient energy helping ease the problem of U.S. dependence on petroleum.

26 Otto H. Rosentreter Co. With a strong dedication to renewable energy OHR Energy, a power development company and design-build engineering firm, is coming up with new ways to create energy and help the environment.

34 LOGANenergy LOGANEnergy Corp. is a world recognized leader in providing fuel cells for clean energy services, and markets systems from 250 to multi-megawatts capacities to commercial energy consumers.

SOLAR

40 Switch Renewable Chris Graves left his job working for the conventional energy sector and has since been dedicated to spreading the word about renewable energy. His ultimate goal is to have a solar roof on every home.

46 Dichtel Group oZ WORLD MEDIA, LLC 1100 H Street NW Suite M100 Washington D.C. 20005 www.energyleaderstoday.com Energy Leaders Today is a quarterly B2B trade journal that services the energy industry in geothermal, hydroelectric, gas, solar, wind, fuel cell and new tecnhologies. CLT has a readership of 100,000 C-Level executives within the energy industry. We do not accept subscription requests from the general public, however an abbreviated version is available on our website.

4 Energy Leaders Today Spring 2010

The Dichtel group in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University has developed a method that could revolutionize the way solar cells are made by lowering costs dramatically, while creating highly-efficient and easy-to-manufacture solar cells.

48 Solar Usage Now Thom Blake, president of Solar Usage Now, is pioneering new ways to harness the power of the sun making helping customers cut their energy costs dramatically.

ILLUMINATING THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

rebecca rodriguez

Unfortunately, recent investigative reports have revealed that less than two percent of the money has actually been submitted. Of course, when we’re talking about several billion dollars, spending two percent in a third world country is nothing to sneeze at.

Despite the lag in cash flow and stagnant decision-making processes in the struggling country, www.cwctenders.com, lists 460 local projects that are currently accenting bids. Even so, the majority of citizens are homeless or living in camps and mountains of debris remain.

At Energy Leaders Today, we hope to bring light to some of these conflicting situations in the upcoming fall issue. While the global construction industry is still struggling from the recession and Haiti is a great opportunity to initiate some change in our own country’s economy while delivering some much needed help to those who cannot currently help themselves. With the energy industry’s innovations is renewable energy, we should be able play an important supplementary role in the rebuilding of Haiti.

jane caffrey

Rebecca enjoys a career of writing about critical issues and prominent business leaders of our time. Her work has been recognized both locally and nationally.

Jane Caffrey earned a B.A. from Carleton College in Minnesota. Based in Madrid, Spain, she writes for a variety of print and online publications both in Europe and the U.S.

joan tupponce

It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since an earthquake devastated the infrastructure, economy, and culture of Haiti. While the average Joe texted “donate” to the Red Cross or drove toiletries, tarps and other supplies to their local drop-point, some leaders in the energy industry were able to offer a bit more—fuel, solar panels and other means of emergency power.

With over $5 billion pledged to the Haiti Recovery Commission fund alone, it’s hard to ignore that many of these energy companies are hoping to lock down some pretty impressive long-term contracts.

For example, the Solar Electric Light Fund, an organization dedicated to providing solar power and wireless communications to those countries that are energy impoverished, is providing energy to 10 clinics across Haiti. Their efforts have immediate short-term effects, but SELF also hopes that their presence during the rebuild process will also provide a foundation for a robust and sustainable healthcare infrastructure for Haiti.

CONTRIBUTORS

Joan’s experiences as a writer have taken her places that wouldn’t have been possible in other careers. Her success is evident in the awards and recognitions her writing has received.

TODD WEAVER

rachel goldberg

editor@ozworldmedia.com

johanna gretschel

Rachel specializes in coroprate profiles on up-and-coming companies as well as industry news alerts. Rachel majored in media studies at the University of Virginia.

A native Washingtonian, Johanna studies English and Political Science at Tulane University. She has previously written for Silver Chips, The Hullabaloo and The Gazette.

Energy Leaders Today Spring 2010 5

corporate profile | utilities

bringing

better water to the

emerald coast

by Rebecca Rodriguez

6 Energy Leaders Today

utilities | corporate profile

1

2 The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) has many unique factors that affect Florida’s panhandle region, including Escambia County and the City of Pensacola where it operates. It has won water quality awards, has an elected board that enables it to act like a private company, and is building a new wastewater treatment facility in record time and under budget.

Three out of the past five years the company has received awards from the American Water Works Association for having the best tasting water in region nine of their Florida section. This region encompasses the four northwesternmost counties of Florida. To participate in this contest, a utility cannot have any violations of health or regulatory codes.

And ECUA prides itself on its high quality water and its abundant water supply due to the prolific Sand-andGravel Aquifer.

ECUA has an unusual operating structure. It has a five-member, publicly elected board that provides oversight, allowing what is essentially a government agency to operate much like a private sector business. “We operate comparably to a private business with some public oversight from the board,� said executive director, Stephen E. Sorrell. The board is responsible for resource allocation and major organizational policy, while the day-to-day operations are the full Winter 2009 7

3 MANSFIELD Mansfield Industrial is a world class provider of industrial coatings, insulation, fireproofing, refractory, industrial cleaning, scaffolding, metal building erection and roofing services. In addition to having worked with ECUA over the last 30 years, they have worked on projects like the Pensacola CRWF wastewater treatment facility. For this project, Mansfield provided specialty concrete coating and linings. Mansfield is responsible for piping and painting of pipe coating, equipment painting, architectural painting, carbon steel structural painting and water proofing coatings. Mansfield Industrial has also been heavily involved in the gulf coast oil spill recovery effort.

responsibility of the staff.

In operation since 1981, ECUA handles water, wastewater, and solid waste collection. It has 32 deep wells and is permitted to pump more than 70 million gallons of potable drinking water per day.

“One of the recent efficiencies we’ve instituted was our Automated Meter Reading (AMR) Program.

Automated meters replaced approximately 95,000 manually-read meters over the last few years, allowing for a dramatic reduction in personnel and processing costs, while increasing accuracy and productivity,” Sorrell added.

The company runs three wastewater

treatment plants, including the Main Street plant that is being replaced in an impressively quick and financially smooth way.

Affectionately called “Ol’ Stinky” by Sorrell, the Main Street plant has been around since 1937. It is located on the southwest side of downtown Pensacola and employs an activated sludge process that can emit odors. A study showed that it would be more beneficial to build a new facility rather than upgrade the existing plant. What’s even more exciting for the Authority, and the community as a whole, is that this new plant will have 100% industrial reuse of the effluent, eliminating

utilities | corporate profile

MIOX MIOX’s on-site water disinfection technology safely and economically generates either hypochlorite or advanced mixed oxidant. For municipal and industrial water disinfection, using just salt, water and power replaces the need to purchase, transport and store dangerous chemicals. Winner of the Frost & Sullivan 2010 Product Line Strategy Award, MIOX has a range of products – including the RIO™ and Vault™ series - to fit your disinfection needs. Visit www. miox.com for more information.

the surface-water discharge currently in place at the Main Street facility.

The odor given off from the old plant can be oppressive.

“Most people in Pensacola do not want to live near the plant,” Sorrell said. “It will be a huge economic development shot in the arm for Pensacola to have approximately 200 acres of new frontier to develop in the downtown area once the plant is replaced.”

Sorrell explained that the disappearance of the old plant will lead to investors converging on the area; the economic stimulus to the local community will be a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city.”

The new facility will be called the Central Water Reclamation Facility (CWRF) and will be incorporating state of the art onsite generation technology for its disinfection solutions. It is being built to withstand a category 5 hurricane and 191-mph Winter 2009 9

corporate profile | utilities

wind gusts; it will be built 100 feet above sea level with 25 miles of new ductile iron transmission pipeline.

The project is now on target to start in August 2010. The $316 million-budgeted project is currently close to $11 million under budget. Because Hurricane Ivan hit the Main Street plant in 2004, ECUA was able to acquire $134 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair the damage that occurred. The ECUA Board decided to replace the plant in lieu of upgrading and armoring “Ol’ Stinky”.

The elected board members took a “leap of faith” empowering the Authority’s staff to make decisions for the project and to assume the financial authority normally vested in the board. The lack of need for public meetings to approve change orders and to make construction decisions greatly accelerated the construction schedule,

10 Energy Leaders Today

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utilities | corporate profile

significantly reducing the cost of the project.

“This is a tremendous win for the entire community,” Sorrell said. “It’s the largest public works-type project in Escambia County, and it will have a very significant impact on the long term economy, environment, and aesthetic effects on this region.”

ECUA has low water rates of $1.78 per thousand gallons of potable water.

“We have some of the most economical water in our area. About one half to one third as much as some other purveyors,” Sorrell said.

The company serves approximately 250,000 people and maintains over 2000 miles of water mains.

Any revenues in excess of the operating costs go back into the system for capital improvements, which in turn keeps rates low. There isn’t any siphoning of the revenue stream to fund other governmental operations— something that occurs in many other agencies.

Residential refuse, recycling, hazardous waste, and bulk collections are part of the company’s solid waste collection department operations. There are about 74,000 customers for solid waste, 1,000

of those are commercial customers.

The company has 550 employees and many have licenses of various levels from the state of Florida.

ECUA’s engineering staff includes civil, mechanical, and chemical engineers.

The company compensates its engineers for maintaining their professional licenses. There is also a state-certified lab staffed by chemists for water quality analyses. The laboratory staff conducts approximately 15,000 water quality tests each year.

Safety training is ongoing and there is an incentive program for safe practices within the solid waste collection department. Since the collection crews operate $230,000 fully automated trucks that will incur costly repair costs for any degree of damage, workers receive a $300 incentive for each quarter they do not have an at-fault accident.

“Since implementation, the number of incidents has dropped sharply,” Sorrell said.

Before coming to ECUA, Sorrell worked as a professional engineer, finance director, assistant city manager, and city manager in southwest Ohio. He took over as ECUA’s executive director in late 2002 and gives much credit to the success of the

company to those with whom he works.

“I give a lot of credit to the elected board and to our competent, dependable staff,” he said.

Looking to the future, Sorrell said he hopes to see the company continue to run so efficiently.

And with a new wastewater treatment facility being completed ahead of schedule and under budget, efficiency is something that comes naturally to ECUA. ELT 1. Pensacola Beach, Pensacola, Fla. Photo by Stephanie Hess.

2. ECUA executive director, Stephen E. Sorrell Photo courtesey of ECUA. 3. Central Water Reclamation Facility under construction 25 miles North of Pensacola, Fla. Once the facility is completed, the ECUA will shut down the Main St. Plant, a process expected to take several months. Photo courtesey of ECUA. 4. Perdidio Key, Fla. Post Hurricane Ivan recovery. Photo courtesey of ECUA. 5. Pensacola Beach, Fla. Three dolphin decorated water tanks, located at the base of the Bob Sikes Bridge, house the water for the Santa Rosa Island community. Photo by Stephanie Hess.

5 Winter 2009 11

corporate profile | geothermal

JOIN THE GEOTHERMAL

heat wave

by Johanna Gretschel

Founded in 1979 as an HVAC specialist company, Brower Mechanical Inc. has since expanded its repertoire to delve into alternative energy sources.

In addition to steadfastly abdicating the use of solar power as a main energy source, the Northern California company offers their services in the installation and maintenance of untraditional products like Geo-Thermal heat pumps and radiant heating.

Brower Mechanical has created a brand for itself as a company that provides durable, high-quality goods and excellent service. The company emphasizes that investments into their products often pay for themselves over time.

Customers who purchase a Geo-Thermal heating and cooling system, for example, will save between 40 and 60 percent on their electric heating and cooling bills, according to an estimate by the Black Hills Power company.

Geo-Thermal heat pumps create heat by transferring heat to and from the soil under customers’ houses. The pump unit itself is a compact object that fits into a cabinet inside the house. While in heat mode, the unit can produce heat at 110 degrees, and the cool setting makes the air a brisk 55 degrees. Besides the obvious advantage of a decrease in heating bills, the installation of a GeoThermal pump eliminates the need for outdoor equipment. The device also operates completely silently.

Radiant heating is another atypical method of heating. Brower Mechanical specializes in hydronic heating, a type of radiant heating, in which warm water circulates through tubes installed underneath the floor.

Of all their services, Brower Mechanical is the most enthusiastic about the

12 Energy Leaders Today

geothermal | corporate profile

Winter 2009 13

corporate profile | geothermal

14 Energy Leaders Today

geothermal | corporate profile

use of solar power as an energy source. Their enthusiasm comes with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approval this past May of a $350 million rebate system for residents who install solar heating. California is incentivizing the use of solar energy because it is the most economically and environmentally savvy energy source to use. The state’s goal is to install 300,000 solar heating systems over the next 8 years, which would save Californians six million cubic feet of natural gas and three million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, according to Brower Mechanical Inc. Brower Mechanical uses a photovoltaic (PV) system to process solar energy. The PV process converts light to electricity through solar panels, usually located on the roof of a house.

The home uses what it needs and excess electricity is sent back to a power grid. The extra electricity results in credits with the utility company that are given back to consumers during winter months when the system creates less electricity than what is needed.

Brower Mechanical has even organized a “Summer Symposium” of two weekends in August to address how homeowners and small businesses can capitalize on the solar energy rebates. According to the company, commercial PV systems can convert 7 to 17 percent of sunlight into electricity. Using solar energy eliminates waste, emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. The amount of solar energy used to run one million homes reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 4.3 million tons per year.

The economic pros to utilizing solar energy are obvious as well. The installation of solar heating units increases a house’s value by 20 times the annual savings, according to Brower Mechanical. Houses with solar heating units are also exempt from property tax increases and qualify for federal tax credit.

Of course, Brower Mechanical still provides the standard services that it began with as an HVAC provider. The company installs and maintains the basic HVAC utilities as well as fireplaces and insulation.

More information about Brower Mechanical Inc. can be found online at http://www.browermechanical.com. ELT 1. Brower mechanical crew at well installation site.

2. Drilling a well.

3-4. Goldman Guest, Palo Alto, Calif. Radiant Floor tubing and the flowcenters, 2007.

5. Drilling in Dansville, 2009.

6-7. Spanish Springs Middle School site. Geo wells waiting horizontal manifolding, Nev., 2003.

All photos by Jeff Brower.

MELINE Meline Engineering Corporation has provided energy efficient mechanical system designs for commercial and residential buildings for the past 15 years. Located in Sacramento, Calif.

Meline is considered the West Coast industry leader in designing geoexchange and related applications.

Winter 2009 15

corporate profile | power generation

from to

by Johanna Gretschel

Bravo Zulu International The average lifespan for an automotive battery is four years. But according to Bravo Zulu International, Ltd., these same batteries can extend their lifespan to six to ten years through a simple utilization of their battery optimization technology.

Battery optimization targets and minimizes accumulated sulfation, the leading cause of early battery failure and loss of capacity. The sulfation process starts when sulfur in the sulfuric acid of the battery forms sulfur crystals. The crystals attach to the battery’s lead plates and act as insulation, preventing the battery from accepting the charge and rendering it useless. What California-based Bravo Zulu offers are the Batt-Recon Rapid Sulfation Elimination System and the Zulu One ScanCommand -Control System.

“Battery optimization techniques are the new energy savings standards for the industrial battery industry,” Zeier said. “The energy consumption to re-charge industrial batteries in a typical distribution center is about 30 percent of their electrical grid usage.

Our data shows that about 20 to 60 percent of this charging grid electricity is wasted because of battery sulfation and charger inefficiencies, which can be dramatically reduced using battery optimization techniques developed

by Bravo Zulu.“ President Bruce Zeier and his Bravo Zulu team stumbled upon the key to desulfation by chance. The company’s initial enterprise was in designing helicopter flight simulators. Their creation of the patented Heli-Trainer marked the first time student fliers were able to experience a simulation of a helicopter tail rotor system failure and a fixed wing aircraft flat spin.

The simulator’s hydraulic motion-based system required the Bravo Zulu team to master the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) process.

16 Energy Leaders Today

power generation | corporate profile

Winter 2009 17

corporate profile | power generation

“The majority of work is performed by the resonant vibration induced into the cell and secondarily the electrical repulsion or normal charging effect of electrons being forced into that molecule,” Zeier said.

“PWM is basically the switching on and off of a constant voltage device.” Once his technicians were highly skilled in PWM operations, Zeier wanted to investigate whether PWM could be manipulated to combat sulfation.

“When we first investigated this, it wasn’t to become a manufacturer of devices, it was to attach to aircrafts,” Zeier said.

Aircraft batteries are extremely susceptible to sulfation because of their initial minimal capacity, long periods of inactivity, and storage and operation in high temperatures. Sulfation in general is more common in hot climates and aircraft batteries’ standard environment is in a fairly hot climate.

Zeier and Bravo Zulu’s research on PWM and de-sulfation was not intended for commercial purposes; they simply wanted more information to improve the battery life of their aircraft products. Yet as they continued gathering data, they found that there was an extensive market for de-sulfation technologies.

What they first came up with was the Batt-Recon system.

While Bravo Zulu’s product is admittedly not the first of its kind, as several smaller-scale products exist, Zeier calls it the first

18 Energy Leaders Today

commercially viable system. While similar products can require anywhere from eight hours to four days to complete the desulfation process, the Batt-Recon system takes just 30 minutes for most batteries.

Zeier says that his Batt-Recon system has been scientifically proven to exceed the performance restoration capabilities of conventional battery optimization methods. The Batt-Recon system is also much more economical than standard methods.

Batt-Recon is easily portable and can be transported directly to clients, while conventional methods dictate that the batteries must be brought to a repair facility. Zeier also says that BattRecon uses about 500 to 1000 watts of grid electricity, compared to hundreds of kilowatts used by the conventional repair process.

Zeier did his homework before putting the Batt-Recon system on the market.

“Our clients said they wanted a universal machine,” he said.

“We don’t want five different machines to work on five different batteries.’”

True to form, the Batt-Recon system is universal and is just as often utilized on telecommunications batteries as motive batteries. In fact, though Batt-Recon’s current top industries rank in with forklifts ahead of golf carts and telecommunications, Zeier believes that based on world market demands, that list will shift to telecommunications on top with forklifts and shipping coming in second and third. Telecommunications is the big mover here; India recently started using Batt-Recon to maintain the batteries in their 400,000 cell phone towers.

Zeier outlines how cell phone towers in India, as well as in African nations with a similar socioeconomic profile, are often located in remote areas. Long journeys by donkey or camel are

power generation | corporate profile

BRIGGS INDUSTRIAL Established in 1896 as the Briggs-Weaver Machinery Company, Briggs Equipment has experienced just about every industry change that has occurred in the past 114 years; but their commitment to their customers has never wavered.

Serving some of the largest markets in the United States, Briggs Equipment operates 19 locations throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Briggs offers new and used industrial equipment, service and parts, forklift rental and fleet management. Principle products include material handling equipment, forklifts, terminal tractors, telescoping booms, scissor lifts and railcar movers from Yale, Taylor, Ottawa, Genie and others.

Ranked largest in the world by many of the manufacturers we represent, Briggs has earned a leading-edge position by developing the best people, investing in the right technology, and listening to thousands of customers to better understand their goals and needs.

often the only option to reach these areas.

The energy used to make such trips is often unnecessary because the batteries are usually prematurely replaced.

“We’re talking about millions and millions of batteries every year,” he said.

Without the use of a product like Zeier’s Batt-Recon system, batteries are replaced well before their threshold has been reached. Needless energy is then invested into grinding up and re-melting the batteries to make new ones. Of course, this applies to Western civilization as well as India and African nations.

“If you think about the energy that’s used to grind up these batteries, it’s millions of watts certainly,” said Zeier. “The numbers are staggering on what could happen, what is happening with respect to increasing the life of the battery.”

To extract full potential from each battery, it is crucial to know how much power remains in each and to then use each accordingly. It was from this concept that Bravo Zulu unveiled the Zulu One,

which should be commercially available by the time of publication.

“The Zulu One product measures cell by cell and controls the battery optimization process,” Zeier said. “The Zulu One process allows the operator to closely monitor the performance of their battery fleet on a cell-by-cell basis and determine in a scientific manner when to de-sulfate the battery maintaining their optimum performance. Zulu One does not wait until the battery is noticeably lacking in performance, rather, it allows the operator to determine the acceptable level of electrical efficiency and scientifically maintain the batteries automatically to this standard.”

The ability to optimize batteries will put an end to needlessly charging batteries, which actually decreases battery operating power in addition to wasting energy.

“If you don’t overcharge these batteries so much, they last longer,” Zeier said.

Prematurely retired batteries are likely the warehousing industry’s largest waste Winter 2009 19

corporate profile | power generation

product. The industry as a whole has embraced the newfound “green” practices that promote sustainability. Yet most of their conservation centers around lighting, heating and air conditioning practices, ignoring battery waste.

“If you measure the carbon footprint of wasted battery, it’s is a very large footprint,” Zeier said. ELT

1. BZi flight simulator for Pakistan Airforce.

2. BZi Simulation at a hleicopter show.

3-4. BZi products including: Model 4800F Facility Industrial De-Sulfation machine and model 1000 Load tester.

5. Batt Recon system repairing a helicopter battery.

6. BZi static flight simulator 7. President and founder, Bruice Zeier, with motion flight simulator.

8. Impedence testing class.

9. Batt Recon booth at a Golf Conference.

All photos courtesy of Bravo Zulu International.

20 Energy Leaders Today

power generation | corporate profile

DEWEY ELECTRONICS

by Rachel Goldberg

Most people know that being energy efficient is good for the environment and the electric bill. But for a solder fighting overseas, it could mean the difference between life and death. That’s why Dewey Electronics, headed by CEO John Dewey, designs and manufactures generators that use less fuel and keep essential equipment running under extreme conditions.

Dewey Electronics Corporation, based in Oakland, N.J., has been providing electrical equipment to the Department of Defense for over 50 years.

The company was founded in 1955 by Gordon and Frances Dewey. According to their website, it began as a “systems oriented research and development organization that designed and built electronic and electromechanical equipment for use by the U.S. Navy and Air Force.” They went public in 1968 and transformed into a manufacturing operation. Since 1996, they have produced one of the Army’s most commonly used generators - a two kilowatt, open frame style which runs on diesel fuel.

After Gordon Dewey’s unexpected death in 2002, his son John took over as CEO. Under his leadership, the company’s focus has shifted to compact diesel generators and power management systems for military use.

“By compact I mean one or two people can pick it up and move it,” Dewey said.

Under the direction of John’s father, a nuclear physicist, the company concentrated mainly on technically complex systems like radar, navigation and torpedoes.

“When I took over, I picked a market segment which was battlefield power generation and continued to build the

company around being the best in compact power,” Dewey said. “To succeed now, a company really needs to be specialized.”

The company still conducts longterm research, but their major focus today is rapid design and production of equipment. Their driving philosophy is “simple equals reliable”, and they focus on a product’s practical application.

“In power generation you have to picture that a soldier’s going to be at a guard post somewhere in the desert making life or death decisions, or exposed on a mountaintop, and they really don’t have time to fix the generator,” Dewey said. “If the generator goes out it can have serious consequences. So what Winter 2009 21

corporate profile | power generation

we do is focus on how to keep the equipment as simple as possible so that it works, and keeps working.”

The Department of Defense has consistently turned to the small, family-run business for electrical equipment with broad applications. Their products are used aroun dthe world and power everything from mobile kitchens to counter-mortar ground protection and IED defeat systems. The power systems are designed to be flexible.

“We use a modular design, kind of like Lego pieces, meaning that all of the parts we use are individual modules which can be snapped together for different applications,” Dewey said.

In recent years, the company has started to produce more direct current generators. Unlike alternating current generators, direct current generators can be easily connected to storage batteries, AC inverters or renewable energy sources, like solar panels. Dewey also builds the military equipment that optimizes the generation, storage, conversion and distribution of the energy obtained from these systems.

“These generators will work even when other systems fail,” Dewey said. “The user can put a wind, solar or fuel cell system in a remote location and know it may be generating extra power, but when push comes to shove, our generators work. If there’s no sun, if there’s no wind. It’s the backbone of reliability.”

Just as commercial energy producers are making the switch towards renewable energy, the Department of Defense is now concentrating its efforts on fuel efficiency for troops around the world - but for unique reasons.

“What they’ve discovered is a very large portion of casualties that are happening in convoys delivering fuel and water, not in traditional combat,” Dewey said. “So there are two things: one, they’re losing life and limb trying to get this fuel out to the forward operating bases, and two, their missions are limited in the distance they can go and the amount of time they can stay out based on how much fuel they use.”

The Department of Defense’s commitment to energy efficiency represents a major priority shift. It used to rely on ample and inexpensive fuel. In this respect, the military 22 Energy Leaders Today

technology has followed that of the commercial sector, rather than the other way around. ELT All photos courtesy of Dewey Electronics

power generation | corporate profile

industrial engine distributor air & liquid cooled diesel engines From 4 to 84 HP

For more information, contact Sales@MartinDiesel.com www.martindiesel.com (419) 782-9911

Winter 2009 23

corporate profile | fuel cell

FUEL CELL FORWARD:

finding a path to cleaner energy

by Rachel Goldberg

The growing problems caused by U.S. dependence on petroleum have made the need to find alternative sources of energy more urgent than ever. Fuel cells, which convert chemical energy to electricity without combustion, provide a new pathway to cleaner and more efficient energy.

The fuel cell was first discovered in 1838. It has been used in the space program since the 1960s. Fuel cell power generation systems have been operating since the 1990s. The fuel cell works using a chemical reaction that is the opposite of electrolysis, combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water, along with useful heat. According to the US Department of Energy’s website, 24 Energy Leaders Today

fuel cells are “an energy user’s dream: an efficient, combustion-less, virtually pollution-free power source.”

Fuel cells run on a variety of fuels, increasing the efficiency and lowering emissions when powered by fossil fuels and providing a mechanism to transform excess electricity generated by intermittent renewable sources, such as wind and solar, into hydrogen for use in a broad range of applications.

“Fuel cells and hydrogen are integral components of the clean energy portfolio,” said Ruth Cox, executive director of the US Fuel Cell Council. “They facilitate the transition to renewable energy sources by increasing the power generated with fossil fuels while minimizing their

environmental impact, and providing a highly efficient platform for generating electricity with biogas, biofuels, and other renewable feedstocks.”

Fuel cells are being commercialized for a wide variety of markets, including combined heat and power (CHP) systems, backup and remote power, consumer electronics, recreation, military markets and industrial vehicles. In many markets, federal tax credits help cover the cost of purchasing the fuel cell systems; energy savings from the fuel cell’s efficiency provide a significant additional cost savings - literally millions of dollars in some cases.

So why aren’t we driving fuel-cell powered cars? A few hundred lucky

fuel cell | corporate profile

drivers are driving fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) today, but the excitement is focusing on the year 2015. Major auto manufacturers have agreed that FCEVs will be commercially deployed around the world in 2015 or perhaps a year earlier. Within a decade millions of fuel cell vehicles will be on the road. Japan, Europe, Korea and China have all have programs to provide the fueling infrastructure the FCEVs will need.

This renewed optimism is based on the exceptional recent progress on fuel cell system cost, performance and efficiency.

The best fuel cell vehicles get well more than 300 miles per tank, refueling takes only a few minutes, and the vehicles are

full size, with all the creature comforts and performance consumers expect from their cars today.

The auto industry, working in the US with the Department of Energy has solved or knows how to solve issues such as cost related to platinum use as a catalyst, cold-weather operation, durability and onboard fuel storage.

“The industry has made exceptional progress in the past two or three years,” said Bob Rose, cofounder and now Senior Advisor to the US Fuel Cell Council.

The US Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) is an industry association that promotes the commercialization of fuel cells. Its members include the major producers, suppliers and distributors

of fuel cells. Rose says that the group offers technical expertise, advocacy and education for members and for the industry as a whole.

The USFCC is working to increase government investment in infrastructure and market support and to accelerate enabling regulations. Congress restored a proposed reduction in the DOE vehicle program in the 2010 fiscal year and USFCC expects another increase for FY2011.

The USFCC’s vision is a near future in which fuel cells power everything from cell phones to industrial equipment, making the problems of pollution and power outages a thing of the past, and ensuring our energy security and economic growth. ELT Winter 2009 25

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fuel cell | corporate profile

POWERFUL energy

THE OHR WAY.

By Rebecca Rodriguez

Southern California has a strong dedication to renewable energy and Otto H. Rosentreter Co. (OHR Energy) based in Santa Fe Springs, Ca., is coming up with new ways to create energy and a cleaner environment.

The power development company and designbuild engineering firm, specializes in biogas and renewable fuel cell projects.

In southern California, fuel cell technology began to take off in 2005, and OHR Energy was at the forefront working with companies like FuelCell Energy. Together they completed fuel cell projects at two Sheraton Hotels in San Diego, Calif., OHR Energy’s first fuel cell installation. Since then OHR Energy has installed 21 fuel cell power plants throughout the state.

The company is also talking with UTC Power and Bloom Energy about using their equipment on different projects. The fuel cell companies manufacture the fuel cell equipment while OHR Energy develops the projects, interacts with customers, provides design, permitting and installation services to complete the project.

The company’s biggest customers are municipalities, waste water treatment plants, hotels, universities, and colleges.

“Anyone who has large electrical and thermal loads 24/7 are our big customers,” said company vice president, Ken Rosentreter.

Rosentreter noted that they are working with a new customer, Pasadena City College, where the fuel cell could save them approximately half a million dollars a year in utility costs.

Fuel cells operate like batteries but do not require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water, and heat.

About ten years ago during the California energy crisis, skyrocketing electricity rates, continued

environmental regulations, and the emergence of cheap goods from China resulted in many of OHR Energy’s California foundry customers going out of business. OHR Energy had been in the foundry business since its formation in 1952, but it found itself in need of a change. So around 2001, it entered the cogeneration business and began exploring fuel cells.

Because of the volatility of the electricity market during the last couple years, the company has found that the installation of fuel cells fed by natural gas and/ or renewable fuels such as Anaerobic Digester Gas offer a reliable and inexpensive source for electricity, while at the same time providing clean renewable energy.

HR Energy is working on an exciting new project with the Sonoma County Water Agency which involves the use of chicken waste from local egg producers as the feedstock for a new anaerobic digester. OHR Energy responded to an RFP for a fuel cell running on natural gas, but the project has evolved into this larger, more cutting edge project. The Agency will host the digester, built

by OHR Energy’s strategic partner Biostar Systems, LLC, and a fuel cell that will consume methane released by the chicken waste digester. A significant byproduct of animal waste is methane.

“I think we’ll soon see methane come to the forefront of greenhouse gasses,” Rosentreter said.

“CO2 gets all the bad press, but methane is 21 times worse for the environment.”

The digester creates methane as the bacteria inside it digest the waste stream. The methane is then captured, and sent to a gas conditioning system.

The gas conditioning system cleans and compresses the methane to a point where it is pipeline quality, at which point the methane is either sent to the fuel cell cogeneration system or injected into the utility natural gas pipeline. Once in the pipeline,

O

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the methane can be nominated for use in another fuel cell, such as one installed at a hotel or university, which has no source for renewable gas. Because this second fuel cell is running on methane injected into the pipeline and nominated for use onsite, it is a renewable energy source.

“There is no flame and no combustion interacting with the methane during the electro-chemical conversion process of a fuel cell, therefore the emissions are miniscule,” Rosentreter said.

“In California these (projects) will get a lot of press. We’re able to create renewable fuel and renewable electricity while removing something harmful (methane) from the environment,” he said.

Along with benefits to the environment, fuel cells can benefit one’s wallet. A reduction in energy service costs for a building can be between 20 to 40 percent.

And federal and state incentives can make upfront costs nonexistent.

The state’s Self Generation Incentive Program can be quite lucrative. The dollar per kilowatt rebate is $2500 per kilowatt for natural gas and $4500 per kilowatt on biogas or other renewable fuel.

A federal treasury grant cuts a check for 30 percent of the total project cost in lieu of incentive tax credits.

The cost for a 1.4 megawatt fuel cell along with installation is approximately $7.5-8 million.

OHR Energy is also working on Advanced Energy Storage which is similar to a big battery that converts electricity into another form of stored energy. This energy – in multi megawatt ranges - can be stored onsite and then converted back to electricity at another time.

By coupling this system with fuel cells, customers have a reliable source for back up power that can power their critical energy needs in case of a utility blackout. Advanced Energy Storage systems also allow customers to store power produced at night from fuel cells and use the energy during the day when electricity rates are the highest.

“We store energy at night when it’s cheaper to purchase from the utility, and then consume the electricity stored in the battery during the day when electricity is more expensive,” said Rosentreter. “This results in a cost savings in addition to the back up power supplied by the battery.”

OHR Energy markets directly to its customers, companies who Rosentreter feels are “good matches” based on a company’s philosophy and energy profile. OHR Energy’s comprehensive website www.ohrenergy.com, is an excellent source of marketing for them, he said.

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“We definitely have the most experience out there and have done projects for the widest range of customers,” he said. “Our extensive portfolio and our experience speak for itself.”

The company works throughout all of California and is branching out into other states because large companies have approached them. Rosentreter said that although the companies do not receive the 1. San Diego Sheraton, West Towwer. OHR Energy was awarded the design-build EPC contract to construct a cogeneration facility using two 250KW DFC300MA fuel cell power plants fueled by natural gas. This project involved the installation of the first DFC300MA in California. Project was completed in July, 2006.

2.. San Diego Sheraton, East Tower. The cogeneration portion of this project involved recovering the exhaust heat using multiple heat recovery units to produce hot water. The hot water was then tied into the heating loop of the hotel pool via a plate and frame heat exchanged to supplement the pool heat needs. The project was completed in November, 2005.

3. Turlock Irrigation District, City of Turlock Waste Water Treatment Plant. Installation of the fuel cell cogeneration system at the City of Turlock’s Waste Water Treatment Plant using one 1200KW DFC1500B FuelCell Energy power plant. This system was designed to run on both natural gas and treated anaerobic digester gas. The cogeneration portion of this project involved the recovery of exhaust heat using a single heat recovery unit to produce hot water. Project was completed in December 2008.

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same level of incentives as those available to customers in California, they are motivated by being socially responsible and doing something that’s good for the environment.

“It is financially harder for them, but they want to be a part of these types of projects,” Rosentreter said.

SNOWDEN ELECTRIC Snowden Electric Company is a Southern California based electrical contractor with over 32 years of experience in commercial/industrial electrical design, engineering, and installation. A little over ten years ago, Snowden Electric began an endeavor into cogeneration plants and has since become an industry leader in renewable energy fuel cell installation. The Snowden team alongside the Rosentreter Company has installed prizewinning fuel cell cogeneration plants from San Diego to Sonoma County.

Snowden Electric’s record for success is proven by over 20 awards for electrical excellence presented by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

Snowden’s team is comprised of some of the brightest electricians, project managers, CAD designers, and electrical engineers in the industry. Snowden Electric carries one of the highest regarded names in electrical construction. All of Snowden’s clients can attest to their unparalleled commitment, and the level of service offered. Snowden Electric offers 24-hour emergency service 7 days a week, and their service provides professional, experienced project managers who are available anytime.

Snowden Electric is qualified, experienced, and ready to serve all of your electrical needs. At Snowden Electric “Service with integrity is their success.”

30 Energy Leaders Today

Rosentreter came to work for OHR in 2001 after graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with an economics degree.

He also holds a master’s degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

The company is a family-run business. His father, Bill Rosentreter is president.

Ken Rosentreter’s grandfather started the company after working in the foundry industry for many years. Business is so strong, Ken and Bill Rosentreter will be bringing in a third person to join the company.

Five years down the road, Ken Rosentreter sees the company more than doubling its business.

Currently the company has its hands full during the next two years with 25 projects in different stages of development. The company’s annual revenue is about $6 million.

“In the last eighteen months we’ve gotten really busy. We’ve had more inquiries into what we’re doing,” he said. “I’m confident this will continue to take off.”

Like a fuel cell storing up power, OHR Energy has powerful prospects for the future. Its solid reputation for excellence and ingenuity is guiding it toward even stronger success. ELT 4. Eastern Municipal Water District, Moreno Valley, Calif. OHR Energy recently completed the fuel cell cogeneration facility at the Eastern Municipal Water Districts Waste Water Treatment Plant. This system was designed for a final build out of five 300KW DFC300MA fuel cell power plants. They installed the infrastructure for a total of five 300KW DFC300MA, foundations, electrical and piping for four total units and installed three DFC300MA units. Project was completed in March 2009.

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ESC CORPORATION The biogas purification system is a substantial part of the Turlock I.D. fuel cell power generation project. Biogas purity is critical for the longevity of the fuel cell’s reformer, which converts the methane to hydrogen. After conversion, the hydrogen produces the electricity. The fuel cell reformer requires the digester gas to have no more than 30 parts per billion total sulfur species, less than 100 parts per billion halogenated species, and less than 1,000 parts per billion organic silicon species.

ESC corp. is one of the few companies in the world that can provide biogas ultrapurification systems for fuel cells.

Without ultrapure biogas, the fuel cells would not be able to produce power.

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corporate profile | fuel cell

1 1. Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii One 300 kilowatt carbonate fuel cell during construction. Photo courtesy of LOGANEnergy.

2. Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii. One 300 kilowatt carbonate fuel cell.

3.Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Three 5 kilowatt hydrogen fueled back-up fuel cells. Photo courtesy of LOGANEnergy.

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The Power of Fuel Cells 2

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by Joan Tupponce

Sam Logan was surprised when an engineer suggested he use a fuel cell for power generation when he was developing biogas production sites in the early 1990s.

“I had never heard of a fuel cell except as in an aircraft fuel bladder,” he said. “I was very, very intrigued by this technology.”

Developed in the 1960s with the Gemini and Apollo space programs, fuel cell technology converts chemical energy into electricity. Fuel cells are more efficient power generators and provide clean energy, unlike incumbent oil and gas technologies.

“The technology allows us to move in new directions, away from oil and gas to cleaner energy and more efficient use of resources,” Logan said.

Today, LOGANEnergy Corp. (LEC) is a recognized world leader providing fuel cell solutions for clean energy services.

Logan started the company in 1994. It markets systems from 250 watts up to multi-megawatt capacities with a primary focus on providing fuel cell solutions to commercial energy consumers.

“We are now in our third decade of providing those types of solutions,” Logan said.

LOGANEnergy identifies markets where fuel cells can be used and targets customer projects in those vertical markets.

The company provides design, installation, operations and maintenance services for fuel cell projects across 13 time zones, from Hawaii to the United Kingdom.

Interest in the benefits of fuel cells continues to grow.

“Fuel cells have few moving parts as the power block generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction rather than combustion,” Logan said. “Because of the absence of combustion, there are no harmful emissions, meaning fuel cells offer sustainable energy solutions that produce clean power and heat.”

In some cases, LOGANEnergy, a service company, not a manufacturer, owns the fuel cell at the customer site, providing the company with energy services. In other cases, LEC sells the fuel cell directly to the customer. .

Fuel cells are now used in commercial and industry applications. As they are scaled down, there will be more demand for the technology in the residential industry.

“They are expensive for residential use,” Logan said. “Price Winter 2009 35

points are linked to the size of capacity of a system. On a kilowatt basis, the larger you get, the more cost effective you become.”

Currently LEC is focusing on backup fuel cell systems as well as larger scale systems that provide prime power.

“We are not involved in portable systems such as laptops,” he said. “We are, however, doing a lot of work to get small units prepared for commercial release into the residential marketplace but that’s probably about three years away.”

Logan has been steadily growing his company, strategically hiring experts from the fuel cell industry.

“Today our core leadership has a total of over 100 years of experience in the fuel cell industry,” he said. “Our brand is recognized as a company with broad-based technological experience and knowledge.”

When Logan started his business, there was only one fuel cell product and one commercial manufacturer.

Now there are up to 50 companies with various fuel cell products.

“We work with a dozen different vendors [and different fuel cell technologies],” Logan said. “We know all the fuel cell technologies and all the applications that can be used. We match the customer application with the best fuel cell product.”

Over the years, LEC has developed close working relationships with different manufacturers.

“We really work for the customer,” Logan said. “OEM relationship management is a big part of our business.” LEC also works with a variety of vendors such as R.C. Knox/Bruce Murray which underwrites property casualty insurance for LEC’s installed properties.

The federal government, especially the Department of Defense, is one of LEC’s largest customers. Over the years, the company has received numerous contracts from the Army Corps of Engineers to test fuel cells across the U.S. and in the United Kingdom, Iceland and Puerto Rico. In 2005, LEC opened a subsidiary in Edinburgh, Scotland, Logan Energy Ltd., and in 2008, took on an investor. The UK firm recently installed a couple of large projects, one for the City of London and another for a large electric utility.

“In the United States, companies still want low-cost solutions to suit their immediate goals, whereas in the United Kingdom they rate carbon reduction and clean energy as more important than cost,” observes Logan. “There is growing social awareness about cleaner air, water and energy in the power industry and fuel cells have a strategic role in helping that come about.”

When it comes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, Europe has put steadfast regulations in place. Any new construction has to achieve a certain carbon footprint.

“Each year that gets stiffer,” Logan said. “Developers have to figure out how to use energy systems on large buildings that will give them a lower carbon footprint. Fuel cells can do that.”

The company is currently doing a great deal of work with 5 to 35-kilowatt small scale backup generators for cell phone towers, emergency responders’ communication networks and various remote applications.

“The fuel cells are powered by hydrogen stored in pressurized cylinders at the site,” Logan said.

“They only come on when there is a utility upset. They take the place of diesel generators. With fuel cells you don’t have the same service and maintenance concerns as you do with diesel backup systems and they are clean, quiet and more reliable.”

LEC designs small scale refueling stations capable of generating hydrogen at the point of need. For example, a fork truck operating on batteries may need three sets of batteries a day, one in the lift truck and two in standby.

“That’s very expensive,” Logan said. “If you take out the battery and replace it with a fuel cell with a hydrogen storage tank, you can refuel quickly.”

Always on the forefront of new technologies, LEC has its eyes on the future. The company is expanding into energy storage (LEC transfers electricity into hydrogen for storage) and mobile fuel cell generators. It is also integrating solar systems with fuel cells.

“The fuel cells provide the base load and the solar system is used to provide peaking demand at the facility,” Logan explains.

As the President of the Fuel Cell Seminar and Exposition

We work with a dozen different vendors.

We know all the fuel cell technologies and all the applications that can be used. We match the customer application with the best fuel cell product.

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Fort Jackson, Columbia, SC. Keith Williams, a LOGANEnergy technician, inspects the condition of the cell stack. Photo courtesy of LOGAN Energy.

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5 Merrifield Post Office One 200 kilowatt fuel cell US Post Office, Merrifield, Va. Photo courtesy of LOGANEnergy.

THE CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY Brighten Your Energy Future with Solar It’s good for the earth and great for your bottom line California’s premier solar city, San Diego, is leading the way to a clean energy future. For businesses, solar power is a financially sound way to dramatically reduce utility bills, supplying a fast return on investment, while also helping the environment.

Sunshine is the ultimate renewable energy source, and the cost of solar power systems in California has dropped 40 percent over the past decade. Installing solar power or water heating systems is the best hedge against higher future energy costs for both construction companies and their clients looking to build more sustainable facilities.

The California Center for Sustainable Energy empowers businesses to make wise energy decisions using objective information, sound analysis, and incentives such as those available through the California Solar Initiative or the Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal programs. These programs offset the installation costs of solar power systems making them affordable for both contractors and their clients. Federal tax credits are also available for up to 30 percent of the solar equipment costs and approximately 85 percent of system costs qualify for depreciation deduction over a six-year period.

With so many reasons to use solar energy, construction professionals can lead by example and advise clients to do the same. There are many San Diego area businesses benefitting from solar photovoltaic (PV) power. Even a small 10-kilowatt solar system can provide 80 to 90 percent of a small business’s energy needs for 15 to 20 employees.

Local business owners are encouraged to join San Diego’s solar energy evolution by contacting the California Center for Sustainable Energy at 858-244-1177 or www.energycenter.org.

Board of Directors, Logan feels the fuel cell industry has been overshadowed by the solar and wind powered industries.

“The fuel cell industry hasn’t done a good job of telling its story,” he said.

“Because of the number of companies with vastly different fuel cell products and applications, the industry is more of a mosaic than a single face.”

During his term, he hopes to promote government policy as well as awareness of fuel cell technology.

“We are grateful for federal and state incentive programs like those managed by the Self Generation Incentive Program in California -and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund that help transform the market by providing grants for fuel cells and other alternative energy products,” Logan said. “As a society we are creating more and more air quality issues and ground water pollution. Changes need to be made. Our industry can make a significant contribution to a model environment.” ELT Winter 2009 39

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40 Energy Leaders Today

solar | corporate profile

Switch

Renewable Energy

by Rachel Goldberg

Chris Graves is a man on a mission. Since he left his job working for the conventional energy sector, he has been dedicated to spreading the word about the advantages of renewable energy. But Graves doesn’t just talk about energy; as CEO of Switch Renewable Energy he oversees every aspect of solar power system installations on commercial and private buildings. His ultimate goal is to have a solar roof on every home.

Graves’ journey from the corporate world to energy advocacy was an unusual one. He had worked as a consultant for various companies developing natural gas power plants. Though he saw opportunity in alternative energy, economic concerns seemed at first to be an insurmountable obstacle.

“It was a transformational process,” Graves said.

“It wasn’t something where a product or service was immediately economic or viable, it was something that developed over time, it clearly needed to be done. And just like the automobile replaced the horse and buggy, and electric lighting and gas lighting replaced candles, it needed a nudge, it needed some economic help.”

That economic help has started to arrive, in the form of incentives offered by federal and local governments and a slow decrease in price as more people decide to go solar. These programs have met with mixed results, Graves said, due to inadequate enforcement. “I think it’s great that more jurisdictions are doing it,” he said. “But if you look at all the ways the fossil fuel industry is subsidized and compare, I think

you would find that they do not fully capture solar benefits in the same way.”

People who want to “go green” are often deterred by the high costs of installation, but Graves said, the systems pay for themselves in the long term. He believes the solution is for financiers to lower upfront costs associated with these systems and spread out payments so people can commit to going green.

But in order for his vision of a solar powered world to happen, Graves said, it will also take a significant marketing effort to raise awareness and change attitudes toward renewable energy. Because the industry is relatively new, businesses lack the consistency and structure they need to effectively disseminate information about their products. Without an established knowledge of the technology, potential customers needed to see the benefits of solar firsthand before signing on.

“Business grows through word of mouth,” he said. “And my struggle, and I think the struggle for a lot of people in the renewable energy business, is to find a way to accelerate that process, to make it more like selling refrigerators, in that it’s a more established product and there’s more awareness.”

Switch’s first big local project, solarizing the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington DC, was a valuable learning experience in the economics and politics of solar installation.

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for energy suppliers. After working with residents to plan their system, many chose to hire Switch to install their solar panels.

Installing a solar system of a larger scale was a practical test of Graves’ economic theory. It was also when Switch differentiated themselves from their competitors by making safety and durability their priorities.

Switch Renewable Energy is aware of cost concerns and maintains competitive pricing, Graves said. “But the idea is that we’re really focused on safety, and building a system so that it will genuinely last beyond the thirty years that we use as the standard in the industry…We want to be the guys that build it safe and build it sound.”

Instead of ignoring the structural hazards of the Mount Pleasant townhomes, Switch chose to retain a third-party engineer to inspect the buildings and assess whether they could support a solar system. The houses had unstable roofs and partition walls built out of brick without mortar to bind them. That meant that if they fastened solar panels in the standard way, the building would be unable to support the weight of the roof, especially in bad weather. Though the effects would not be seen immediately, Graves said, a poor installation would eventually cause the roof to collapse. Other installers chose to ignore the risks, but Switch constructed additional supports to allow the panels to work without damage to the existing structure.

“So it was a structurally sound solution, a solution that will work well for over 30 years, and extremely safe,” said Graves. “But it’s something that requires us going the extra mile. We had to do the engineering studies, we obviously had to do the extra work in terms of installation, and we had to design the system.”

Another important and complex project for Switch was at Mountainside summer camp in Frederick, Md. They created a system that could use solar power, plug into the power grid with a battery as a backup. Unlike other grid-tied inverters, Graves said, this system could continue to function even during a utility outage, using only the necessary power source. With some modifications to the existing technology, they created a more efficient and reliable system.

The available tools used to tap into renewable energy still have some shortcomings, said Graves. “We move very 1. Chris Graves, President of Switch Renewable Energy.

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2-4. Mt. Pleasant, DC. 3.15KW grid-tied PV system mounted on aluminum I-beam platform built onto bond beams.

corporate profile | solar

incrementally, we make some mistakes but there are still things that need to be done in terms of improving the system.” In a fastgrowing industry, each project is an opportunity to develop new solutions to the problems that arise in working with alternative energy.

Aside from the well-known advantages of solar power-- reducing pollution and dependence on fossil fuels, Graves said that an important but often overlooked benefit is its capacity to lessen the strain on the electrical power grid. A grid-tied solar inverter can feed power back into a distribution network, and with a battery backup, can manage power so that they will work when the utility grid shuts down. This kind of system would be especially valuable in high-volume areas where there is more pressure on the grid system and frequent blackouts. In urban areas, where there may not be space for additional energy infrastructure, roofs and parking lots provide an ideal location for solar panels and wind turbines.

Graves said that he is also looking into other alternative energy sources and hopes to expand Switch to eventually become a national company. He brings a practical business sensibility to the clean energy campaign, urging people who wish to “go green” to focus on basic changes that will add value.

The sense of working towards a worthwhile mission gives his work a deeper meaning.

“There’s something about what we’re doing that goes beyond the standard business metrics,” he said. “It’s the whole idea of getting the solar roof on every house and how that could radically transform a lot of things in this country.”

By changing the world one roof at a time, Switch is laying the foundation for a solarpowered future. ELT 5.

6. Mountainside Camp, Urbana, MD. 10KW grid-tied/ battery back-up PV system.

JKM ELECTRIC JKM Electric, Inc. is an electrical contracting firm with a reputation for integrity, quality craftsmanship, and excellence in management. Jim Merriam, the founder, has over 29 years of professional experience in the electrical field.

JKM Electric performs basic electrical installation, nurse’s call, fire alarm, motor control, Lab and PCU rough in, and chiller and HVAC rough ins. JKM is involved in three distinct activities: Commercial Construction & Service, Electrical Design & Consulting, Back Up Power Systems – Solar, Battery, & Generator. They have worked with Switch Renewable Energy on Multiple projects as the primary installer of solar back up systems.

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by William Coleson

The Dichtel group in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University has developed a method to organize organic dyes into stacked sheets that are porous for incorporation into flexible solar cells. The process could revolutionize the way solar cells are made by lowering costs dramatically, while creating highly-efficient and easy-to-manufacture solar cells.

“Also, advances like this could significantly lower up-front costs for solar power systems, which has been a deterrent for the industry that we would like to see disappear.”

The process employs organic dye molecules assembled into a structure known as a covalent organic framework (COF). The strategy uses a simple acid catalyst and relatively stable molecules called protected catechols to assemble key molecules into a neatly ordered 2D sheet.

These sheets can be stacked on top of one another to form a lattice that provides pathways for charge to move through the material. At the core of the framework are molecules called phthalocyanines, a class of common industrial dyes used in products from blue jeans to ink pens.

Phthalocyanines are also closely related in structure to chlorophyll, which absorbs almost the entire solar spectrum.

This structure is a model that can significantly broaden the scope of materials that can be used in COFs. Once the framework is assembled, the pores between the molecular latticework could potentially be filled with another organic material to form light and flexible solar cells.

“This framework developed by Cornell researchers could possibly be one of the most significant advances in making solar energy more competitive with fossil fuels,” stated Robert Hines, President of Evolution Solar. “Also, advances like this could significantly lower up-front costs for solar power systems, which has been a deterrent for the industry that we would like to see disappear.”

Evolution Solar is currently building a solar demonstration site in partnership with Texas Southern University, to be located at the University’s Houston Campus. The project should help Evolution Solar acquire new projects in a sector that is growing to compete in the energy industry, which includes BP (NYSE: BP), Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA), Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN) and EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: EOG). ELT 46 Energy Leaders Today

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A New Recipe for Solar Cells

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solar | corporate profile

solar Useage now

harnessing the power of the world’s oldest energy source: the sun

by Rachel Goldberg

I

n the heart of Amish country, Thom Blake is pioneering a new way to harness the power of the world’s oldest energy source: the sun.

Blake started out with a small furniture business in Harlan, Ind. selling solar products and woodstoves.

But when economic incentives for renewable energy evaporated in the face of falling oil prices in the 1980s, he shifted his focus to manufacturing wood fixtures for retail chains. His business grew successfully, supplying stores including Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works.

Four years ago, Blake was traveling to look at more stores when a new type of solar collector caught his eye. He contacted the manufacturer and became a distributor of their evacuated tube solar collectors. But the collectors weren’t enough; for solar energy to power a home, it takes an entire system. He teamed up with an Australian company called Rotex to sell their solar systems in the US, and branched out to create Solar

Usage Now, or S.U.N. “The SUN Equinox is a residential and commercial system that will revolutionize the way people heat homes and water,” Blake said. “Australia has a lot of business in the solar industry, and they decided to bring it over here and help set up my factory.”

Blake saw the need in the US market for a complete system when he installed one in his own home. His house, a renovated 19th-century church with an indoor swimming pool, racked up high energy costs each month. So he decided to take action- but installing a solar system turned out to be harder than expected.

“I had to drive hundreds of miles to get any solar products,” Blake said. “Every news station covered it because no one’s doing it. It’s a great idea but difficult to come up with the money.”

Though the upfront costs of installing the system were high, he says the system has cut his heating costs by a wide margin.

He found that there was a great deal of interest in solar energy, but few resources to support it. For people who wanted to go Winter 2009 49

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green but didn’t have the time or money, a solar-powered home would seem out of reach. Blake realized that he had to change his tactics.

“My company started out as a distributorship, where I thought I was just going to sell collectors and people were going to flock to me and buy,” said Blake. “Well, they flocked to me- but they didn’t buy. And then as I grew I realized that I had to do the same thing I did in the store fixture industry. I had to give people value added incentives, a one-stop shop.”

Unlike other companies, which involve a long process of communication between designers and contractors to install a solar system, the SUN Equinox System does all of the work in one place.

They design the modular system and produce it so that it can easily be rebuilt and installed in a home or business.

The industrious residents of the local Amish community turned out to be an advantage for the young business.

“When I needed brass parts or European fittings, I went to other shops and asked them to manufacture them,” said Blake. Horse and buggys were a common sight outside the high-tech manufacturing facilities.

The Rotex solar water heating systems include several innovative features that distinguish them from others sold in the US. The atmospheric tank is insulated with a thick layer of foam and plastic, and the hot water used to store heat is kept in a separate tank from the domestic hot water supply. The insulated “Sanicube” is designed to be as hygienic as possible, keeping out any diseases or bacteria. The drain back tank and secondary coil ensure that the system can accommodate the heating needs of a home without freezing or overheating.

Because the systems were tested and 50 Energy Leaders Today

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refined for several years in Australia before being brought here, Blake said, they have proven reliable and effective.

They also include modifications to meet the needs of cooler climates.

Solar energy’s newness in the U.S. marketplace means it is not wellunderstood, and Blake says many people make mistakes in installing their solar systems that can easily be avoided.

He points to the “law of diminishing returns”- more solar collectors do not necessarily lead to a more efficient system.

“Solar is like a bomb,” he said. “If you don’t hook it up right, the energy has to go somewhere.”

The SUN Equinox system is also designed to be versatile, powering large scale systems as well as residential ones.

It can be used in conjunction with other types of systems as well.

“You can manifold tanks together for commercial jobs,” said Blake. “In Australia, they’ve used them with 600room hotels, hospitals and military bases.”

He is currently in talks with large groups in the US, including universities and restaurants that are looking to solar as a way to reduce their energy costs.

As the benefits of solar become more widespread and visible, interest in the technology is quickly picking up in the US. He sees a bright future ahead for the solar industry.

“The magnitude of this business can’t even be envisioned; the number of people that can be employed can’t even be envisioned, because this is a whole new industry, and it’s in its infancy,” he said. “The possibilities in solar, as a way to heat a building that can save thousands of dollars plus helping the environment, are endless.” ELT 52 Energy Leaders Today

solar | corporate profile

Winter 2009 53

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