Higher Education and Solar Boats

As we have emphasized before, a core belief of Eastern Energy Systems, Inc. lies in education. E2Sys is dedicated to educating the community on renewable energy, and our contribution towards education does not stop there.

Our company likes to work with people who have the energy and drive to make things happen and colleges are usually a good place to find them. E2Sys is working with SUNY Farmingdale, Stony Brook University and Stony Brook's Southampton campus. The company's most recent involvement is with several of Stony Brook's School of Engineering students.

A student engineering team, led by Philip Haasnoot, is building a solar powered boat that will be entered into a competition between other universities. The boat is designed to compete in both endurance and speed events. The team requires several different engineers; mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering students have teamed up with the hopes of breaking records.

Three members of E2Sys; Jamie, Morgan and Adam, visited their shop, in the basement of the Light Engineering Building, to learn more about the project. With only ten weeks left from when we saw them until the competition, we made a donation to the team. E2Sys donated $500 towards the team and any materials we can provide.

The company's interest stems from our president, Jamie Minnick's interest in solar powered boats. When he found out about the project, he wanted to do all he could to help out.
The competition is closing in and the team seems confident in their work. We wish them luck and will alert everyone on their success.

Read more: Solar Boat Team Website

The Future of Electric Cars

Electric cars are coming. This article from southern China is a fascinating look into how new technologies breakthrough the old paradigms and change whole industries.

Wang Chuan-Fu started BYD (the letters are the initials of the company's Chinese name) in 1995 in Shenzhen, China. A chemist and government researcher, Wang raised some $300,000 from relatives, rented about 2,000 square meters of space, and set out to manufacture rechargeable batteries to compete with imports from Sony and Sanyo. By about 2000, BYD had become one of the world's largest manufacturers of cellphone batteries. The company went on to design and manufacture mobile-phone handsets and parts for Motorola (MOT, Fortune 500), Nokia (NOK), Sony Ericsson, and Samsung.

Wang entered the automobile business in 2003 by buying a Chinese state-owned car company that was all but defunct. He knew very little about making cars but proved to be a quick study. In October a BYD sedan called the F3 became the bestselling sedan in China, topping well-known brands like the Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota (TM) Corolla.

BYD has also begun selling a plug-in electric car with a backup gasoline engine, a move putting it ahead of GM, Nissan, and Toyota. BYD's plug-in, called the F3DM (for "dual mode"), goes farther on a single charge - 62 miles - than other electric vehicles and sells for about $22,000, less than the plug-in Prius and much-hyped Chevy Volt are expected to cost when they hit the market in late 2010. Put simply, this little-known upstart has accelerated ahead of its much bigger rivals in the race to build an affordable electric car. Today BYD employs 130,000 people in 11 factories, eight in China and one each in India, Hungary, and Romania.

Not only is he pursuing a technology that changes the market place, he's doing it faster and bolder than anyone thinks is possible. We can all learn from his example. In addition, its worth noting that electric cars are coming, so think about making your solar system larger to account for what could soon be an added demand.

Read the full article here.

Solar Powered Electric Car

E2Sys has a solar powered electric car. We don't have solar panels on the roof (yet) but we do charge it from our solar and wind array.

This thing is excellent for getting around town. It cruises at 30-35 mph, and I can drive about 20 miles on a charge. More if I drive really slowly (20mph) and less if I really step on the accelerator. It takes around an hour to get a decent charge, but a full charge takes in the range of 6-8 hours.

The model is the E4, by Gem car. It was made in 2005 and has been modified to have larger wheels and a larger motor. (All the way up to 7.5 hp!)

Legally, these cars, known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) aren't allowed on roads with a speed limit of more than 35mph. That means I have to plan my route carefully to make sure I don't run out of battery or get pulled over somewhere I should be. Luckily, the north fork is ideal for getting around on the backroads and ducking in and out of town.

This will be the perfect addition to Team E2Sys for the summer. Hope to see you driving around town.

Climate and Energy Town Hall Meeting with Tim Bishop

Dear Community,

I want to invite you to a very special event on Saturday, April 25th. We are hosting a town-hall meeting with congressman Tim Bishop and people from all over the east end. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the congressman (and each other) of the efforts underway to promote energy solutions in our area, and encourage Mr. Bishop to support a bold national climate energy policy.With a new president, we're shifting from 'talking about doing things' to 'actually doing things' and this is an opportunity to share those efforts with each other. Furthermore, we want to show our representatives in Washington that we are increasing our efforts and our demands for a strong climate bill. This moment is unique. In December 2009, the nations of the world will convene in Copenhagen to draft a global climate treaty. The US has been watching from the sidelines for much of the last decade, but this year its going to be different... it needs to be different.
We need to pass bold national legislation on climate change so that President Obama can attend Copenhagen ready to lead the world. He can only do that if congress, and Tim Bishop, hear our calls for strong and bold policy. This is our chance to tell him.

Please mark your calendars:
Saturday, April 25th
2:00-4:30pm

East End Climate And Energy Town Hall Forum
A meeting with congressman Tim Bishop to discuss national legislation and local action to build a clean energy economy that strengthens our environment, our security, our communities and our world.

• Conversation with Congressman Bishop
• Updates from east end efforts for promoting renewable energy, protecting the environment and creating green jobs
• Networking with like minded leaders

I hope you can join us. Your presence, your energy and your contributions will make this an amazing event. This event hosted by East End Organization for America, Riverhead Renewble Energy Committee and Eastern Energy Systems.

We hope to see you there,

Morgan

Solar Rebates Easier for All

Solar rebates are really good right now, but they're not simple or straightforward. Three different rebates combine to make solar pay for itself in 4 years and make you money after that. But those rebates are from 3 different places - and they don't work for everyone!

Two of the major rebates are tax credits. The federal government agreed to increase its tax credit from a cap of $2000 to a full 30% of the cost of the system. This can be over $20,000 for many homes. New York state, like many states, has a 25% tax credit which is still capped at $5000. Unfortunately, you need to pay income tax to get these.

While its great that the government is able to provide such a strong incentive, they rule out a large percentage of the population. Retired people typically don't pay income tax, and have no use for tax credits. And yet, Americans over 65 have the highest rate of home-ownership: 80% in 2008. Whey are we ignoring this large percentage of the population, effectively preventing them from making investments with their money and their homes that will benefit future generations and make them more secure against rising energy prices after they stop working?

The third rebate is the one that should be focused on. The Long Island Power Authority gives an up-front rebate of $3.5/watt, or about 40% of the installed system cost. This rebate is similar to how solar has developed as an industry in Germany and other parts of Europe.

The federal government should make rebates available to all people, regardless of age, and they should simplify the process by providing a single-source for rebates: through the utility companies. Then we can get in the business of installing solar on house after house, putting Americans to work and strengthening our clean energy future.

Early Innovators

Renewable energy is new stuff. Its cutting edge, and its the way of the future. Which means its not going to appeal to everyone all at once. We were talking tonight about Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point. Gladwell explains the Diffusion Model--". . . a detailed, academic way of looking at how a contagious idea or product or innovation moves through a population" - key individuals include innovators (a very small percentage), early adopters (maybe 1%-5%), early majority (the next 30%), late majority, and laggards.

What we're seeing in the Long Island solar industry is the early innovators and early adopters getting excited about the reality of solar. But, what's happening in some small towns, is that within a community the early adopters are talking to the early majority, who are getting in on the action too. That's where the magic happens.

I like seeing people who never would have wanted to get involved in something green or risky, hearing from their friends about their meter spinning backwards, and becoming dead-set on making their home solar powered. We need to create communities of innovators who can make solar energy the thing that everyone has.

The Time is Now

What's the best phrase to use about solar energy? 'The time is now'

Objectively, solar has never been a better value. The federal, state and LIPA rebates all line up to make investing in solar more profitable and safe than its ever been. Systems pay themselves off in as little as 4 years, making a 25% return on investment, and is currently one of the only home improvements that pays for itself. (How long did the new bathroom take to pay for itself?)

But the cost to the homeowner is only one small part of this. Our economy is in a state of flux. We don't know where the stock market will go, or what the credit markets will do. Real estate seems to be starting to recover, but will remain shaken for a time to come. All of these things stem, at least in part, from our uncertainty over energy. This summer's oil shock jolted a lot of us into an unpleasant realization of how much we depend on cheap gas and heating oil. I've certainly been riding my bike a lot more since then. I think more and more of us are realizing that its time for a change.

The time is now to become a pioneer. Solar energy right now is the choice that you wish you could have made all those times before. Do it for every time you forgot to recycle a bottle or left your travel mug at home. Do it for all those fast food meals that you wish you hadn't eaten. Do it for the money that you should have put in your retirement fund. Do it for your children.

The time is now for the planet. I'm motivated to work for this company because the glaciers are melting. I'm working because coal companies poison entire communities to keep bringing us dirty electricity. I'm working to stop thousands of square miles of tundra from being scraped away in the Canadian tar sands. I'm working because I can make the biggest impact on climate change here, reducing home's demand on the electric grid to zero.

I hope you feel the same urgency to become part of the future. The time is now for solar energy.