Solar Powered Charging Station in Portland

EV Charging Station at Farrell & Associates is Live!

Oregon is a eco-friendly state. With electric vehicles (EVs) like the Nissan LEAF arriving this year, it will be getting even greener. One business is getting ready for customers with EVs and plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt and Plug-in Prius that are expected in 2012.

The company is Farrell & Associates Inc. They are a real estate and property management company. They hope to attract eco-friendly customers with their new solar array and plug-in car charging station.

Mark Farrell, Principal Broker and Owner of Farrell & Assoc., said that they are doing this to be good neighbors and because it matters to customers in this region. Their business area has several recent green renovations and they are looking to stand out. Solar panels and an EV charging station help them do just that.

The solar photovoltaic (PV) system is made up of 40 solar panels and is 9.8 kilowatts in total. The PV array will generate enough energy to power an EV such as the LEAF nearly 40,000 miles per year. These solar panels are more than enough to charge any cars that plug in here while still greatly reducing the electricity bill of the business.

Solterra Systems installed the solar panels and partnered with Charge Northwest for the plug-in vehicle charging station.

Farrell said that they would not have been able to take these steps without the state and federal incentives.

The charging station has both level 1 and Level 2 charging and is open to the public free of charge!

Name: FARRELL & ASSOC / STATION #1
Address: 4772 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203, USA

Photos courtesy of Solterra Systems and Farrell & Associates

Making Portland a Solar City

In a residential area of unincorporated Washington County, west of Portland Oregon, there is a house that is now solar powered.

The owner, Doug, said that the large south-facing roof screamed "SOLAR!!" when he and his wife moved in 10 years ago. The normal bills of life and the quick arrival of two children meant that the solar scream dream would have to wait.

That changed when Doug read about SolarCity in this blog. He researched it and signed up for a program that offered him solar energy for less than what he was paying for wind power and with no money down. "Solar was not something that we could afford. The panels alone would have cost about one-third of the house price. Electricity is cheap here so I could never make that work. However, this program made it a no-brainer for a place like my roof."

We asked Doug a few questions about his experience.

CelticSolar: What does your family think about this?
Doug: My family is all environmentally aware so they all think it’s pretty cool. My favorite moment so far is when my son said “Daddy, with the panels we could turn our house into a space station!”

CS: How big is the system?
D: It’s just under 8kW. The installers said it’s about 3x the size of what they normally do. There are 36 panels (Kyocera I believe) so it should be good for a watt or two.

CS: How does this align with your values?
D: I would like to leave a legacy of stewardship and responsibility to my children. I want to be an example to them. I felt it was the right thing to do. SolarCity allowed me to do this while still keeping the costs down. Why every house in LA or Arizona and why the whole Sunbelt isn’t covered in panels is a real failure of mankind. We have the technology, we know this stuff is helpful for a ton of reasons (emissions, reduced dependency on oil nations, better supply distribution) but we still don’t get it. It kills me.

CS: This is installed in Oregon, is there enough sunshine in Oregon to make it worthwhile? (see the clouds in the photos)
D: While it was overcast and raining, during the test phase of the install it still generated 400W. Even a tiny amount like that is still energy that is not from burning coal or gas. Every little bit helps. And Oregon doesn’t have THAT bad of weather. Look at my garden. When I bought the house that was a deck, and I took it out because there is no shade at my house and it would get killer hot out there during the summer. I’ll be making some juice even during the winter. With an array the size of mine it won’t take much sun to make a positive outcome.

"Doing what’s right shouldn’t come with a label"

CS: Do you consider yourself an environmentalist, an eco-geek, or other?
D: I consider myself a realist. Doing what’s right shouldn’t come with a label.

CS: How will this change your electricity use?
D: We are already responsible energy users. We have all CFC for lighting and when they die I’ll probably put in LED lighting. Best of all, now we'll be able to play solar powered Rock Band!

Power Line Park: South-facing view from the property

CS: What did you think of the install crew?
D: The team was great. They worked three days, rain or shine, and kept me in the loop at all times. They put up with my nosing around, and they left the work area in good shape. They always practiced safety protocols, and that made me feel better since I knew they were safe (unlike some roof repairer we had last year).

CS: What would you say to someone else that is considering SolarCity?
D: If you have any doubts about working with them, I can only tell you my experience has been great. Professional, patient (I asked lots of stupid questions) and even kept after it when the rules in Oregon changed. I’m very happy.

The output will continue to be meager throughout the winter. In the spring and summer, however, this system will be able to power his entire house and feed the grid during peak sun hours. You can see the energy produced by Doug's PV system here. Φ

J1772 Finally Here

In this month's Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) meeting, the Portland based charging station company, Shorepower, showed off a prototype of their new SAE J1772 plug-in vehicle charger.

This plug will be standard on all new PEVs that use level 2 charging.  All new charging stations installed after October can have this option. Many of the Shorepower charging stations currently planted around Oregon are scheduled to be upgraded later this year.

Links:
J1772 One Ring to Rule Them All
OEVA.org 

The Race to Support Electric Cars

Early in 2009 the Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, claimed that San Francisco will be the epicenter of electric vehicle technology. Portland Oregon Mayor, Sam Adams, responded by announcing that his city would be the first to develop the charging infrastructure to support full-scale electric vehicle deployment. With this the battle was on. In a competitive, but friendly race, throughout 2009 these two Mayors volleyed back and forth with their visions for their city's and how they would lead this upcoming electric vehicle race. In a link at the bottom, you can see the dance that played out on Gas 2.0 with articles and videos by the two Mayors.

As politicians, neither Mayor was short on talk, but as an engineer, I respect action and results. So now, over a year later, who has delivered on these promises? Looking at the EV Project website you can see maps of both cities and compare them.

The Portland map shows charging stations scattered all over the city, east-side, west-side and along Interstate 5 covering the city and suburbs north to south.

Looking at San Francisco, the EV Project map only shows the few charging stations in front of City Hall. These are the same stations that Mayor Newsom stood in front of for his initial press event.

Scrolling around The EV Project map, you can see that Portland is clearly far ahead of any other US city in being prepared for the arrival of electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt later this year.

Links:
Gas 2.0
EV Project

Electric Vehicle Class at Portland State

Portland State University, in Portland Oregon, is now offering a course on electric vehicle engineering.

Power electronics and electric motor technologies have had decreasing emphasis in Electrical Engineering curricula over the last thirty years. In large part, this is due to the growth in semiconductors, digital technologies, signal processing, and wireless communication. Power electronics and electric motors have employed fewer engineers than their digital counterparts and had less glamorous, less exciting reputations.

However, with the growing focus on green and sustainable technologies, these older techs are making a comeback. In many cases, exciting new combinations of modern controls and old technologies are creating solutions that were previously not possible.

Portland State University is now offering a class that brings these technologies together. It is from PSU's School of Engineering & Computer Science. It is a senior elective (410) or graduate level (510) class, so there is an expectation that you have an understanding of electrical engineering. It is not a walk-in introductory 101 class.

Part 1 of the class is scheduled for this Spring semester with Part 2 planned for the Fall semester. The class will be limited to only 20 students.

Over the two classes, students will learn about electric propulsion and drive control systems, with emphasis on brushless DC and induction machines. Other topics include switch mode power electronics, battery technologies, battery management, vehicle weight and driving performance (range, acceleration...). The extensive laboratory work for the class will use Matlab and Simulink and include experiments with the Power-pole board and the Arduino microcontroller.

You can see the course details and syllabus here.

via PSU and the OEVA

Better Living Show 2010

The Better Living Show is Coming to Portland

This free show offers Earth-friendly living ideas for your home, garden, & lifestyle. The show is March 26-28 at the Portland Expo Center. Green-tech, eco-chic, or smart conservation, you can find it there.

Special activities for kids in the Planet Kids Corner including "Mad Science".

Attractions include:

• Stage Kitchen
• Solar Pavilion
• Vege Village Vegan Foods
• Gardens Gone Wild
• Electric Vehicle Display

Find some ideas to make your life greener.

More info @ better living show.org

Less Coal for Portland

Portland Mayor Sam Adams has made a video explaining why Portland Oregon needs to reduce dependency on coal and how it can be done.



Portland's Coal Problem from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

Solar Waffle Works

A new solar-powered food cart in northeast Portland serves up more than waffles.

Located at N.E. Alberta St. and 23rd Ave. and set to open later this month, the small blue trailer housing "Solar Waffle Works" is a nonprofit project that helps high school graduates gain independent living skills and vocational training.

The young adults involved are part of the PPS Community Transition Program, which helps recent graduates transition to life after high school.

Corinne Thomas-Kersting, CTP administrator, says Solar Waffle Works benefits students by making them active partners in the creation and management of a socially responsible start-up.

"This project gets them out of the classroom and into the real world," says Thomas-Kersting. "That hands-on experience is incredibly valuable."

Students designed the cart from start-to-finish: they helped create the business plan, the logo, the marketing concepts and the menu, assisted with preparing the cart for service and will work in Solar Waffle Works preparing and serving food as well assisting with accounting and advertising.

The cart is the result of a partnership between PPS and SolTrekker, a Northeast-based nonprofit dedicated to renewable energy education. A solar panel array on the cart's roof supplies much of its power.

"It's about a lot more than CTP students learning how to flip waffles," says Allison Hintzmann, a CTP transition specialist who envisioned and co-created Solar Waffle Works with students and SolTrekker. "This fosters entrepreneurship while also teaching skills that will make them more employable."

In addition to job training, Solar Waffle Works emphasizes the importance of conserving resources and reducing environmental impact.

SolTrekker provided the trailer and added plumbing and solar components. The nonprofit contributed labor, funds and materials and received partial funding from PPS and the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.

Ty Adams, founder and board chair at SolTrekker, says his organization didn't need any convincing to participate.

"This is a project that's not just unique to Portland, but one that is unique nationwide," says Adam. "It's definitely the tastiest project we've ever been a part of."

Visiting Solar Waffle Works

For its grand opening, Solar Waffle Works will feature live music and free samples on Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its location on N.E. Alberta St. and 23rd Ave. Hours of business will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Weekday revenue supports the Community Transition Program.

via Portland Public School News

Skystream Over Portland

Southwest Windpower designed the Skystream line to be residential wind turbine. However, they are discovering that these little turbines can find uses in far many more places than just the neighborhood backyard.

The latest use is in downtown Portland Oregon. Four wind turbines, rise 45-feet above a 22-story building. The turbines do not generate much of the building's energy needs (about as much as it takes to run the elevator) but the turbines are just the icings on the cake for this building that is designed so efficiently, it is expected to receive not one, but two Platinum LEED certifications — for new construction and commercial interiors.

Listen to the Story on NPR's All Things Considered