The Cooling Effects Of The Solar Tree
Cooling The Parking Space With Sun Power
Started in 2005 Envision Solar, headquartered in San Diego, California, has a vision of a sustainable future and an end to energy poverty. Their mission is to invent, develop and build Solar Integrated Infrastructure & Building Systems (SIIBS), through cost effective design, fabrication and construction methodologies. Envision Solar has established a robust platform for building a worldwide presence in the solar and clean technology industries by offering numerous products and services in all major market sectors, including commercial, institutional and residential.
The company offers turn-key services, designs structures that support PV modules in an aesthetically pleasing, visible and value enhancing way, manages all aspects of the project from start to finish. Including the capture of stormwater run-off in gutters or pervious concrete areas and directing it to a bio-swale, if necessary. Plus provides a range of financing options that take advantage of federal and regional tax incentives. As well as helping property owners identify energy saving and renewable energy production opportunities that can generate additional revenue while reducing operating costs.
This past October, Envision Solar completed a project with McBride Electric Inc, at the Dell headquarters parking lot in Round Rock, Texas. Parking lots are valuable real estate that can generate power, provide shaded parking and revenue. The project consisted of structured parking covers topped with solar arrays from BP Solar, and Axion Power batteries for energy storage. Called ‘solar trees’ (more than one, of course constitutes ‘a solar grove’), the structure covers 50- 56 parking spaces and include two charging stations for plug-in, electric vehicles. As luck would have it, the PV panels are positioned towards a nearby highway, advertising solar’s potential to passers-by. It is designed to produce 131,051 watts of solar power and reduce 221,000 lbs of GHG emissions each year, roughly equivalent to planting 23 acres of pine forest every year.
Envision’s high-tech sun shades not only make the lots cooler and more comfortable (a real big deal in a Texas summer), they generate clean power during daylight hours when it’s most needed and provide stored energy for safety night lighting. When “planted” in the parking lot of a typical regional shopping mall, a grove of the square-shaped shades can generate up to half a megawatt, enough to power about 500 homes. 
Distributed solar power generation can be beautiful, efficient and affordable. In the context of growing global concerns about climate change, the atmosphere and the environment; escalating costs and reduction in availability of fossil fuels, and increased interest and investment in green technology development, Envision Solar takes a unique approach to renewable energy systems design and implementation.
… as the green future unfolds.
Tags: bio swale, bp solar, clean technology, cost effective design, design fabrication, earth, electric vehicles, energy, energy storage, environment, Gaia Hypothesis, global warming, Going Green, green, James Lovelock, market sectors, mother nature, nearby highway, Organism, power batteries, production opportunities, pv modules, pv panels, renewable energy production, robust platform, san diego california, solar arrays, sun, sun power, tax incentives, Volcano, water, wind, worldwide presence
January 16th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Wow that is great concept.Loved the article.
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January 16th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
It really looks pretty too! Functional and pretty. Good combination.
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January 17th, 2010 at 7:48 am
wow.. very interesting. i could see things like that in our country. solar sheds and all.
January 17th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
This is a wonderful post. Thank you. I will be writing about it on my blog, http://energication.blogspot.com/ which is devoted to promoting renewable energy education in our schools. I recently retired from 8 years on our local school board but still work with the district and the community college on “modernizing” the science curriculum.
Energication looks at renewable energy and its relevance for our students through the eyes of an educator. If you feel these perspectives would be of interest of your readers, you are welcome to share your perspectives in a post.
I found you recently Entrecard and Adgitize and look forward to checking back often.
Best regards,
Dave
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January 17th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Hi Auntie E … Why thank you! I believe it will work everywhere!
Hi Karen … It has its bennies!
Hi Iva … Imagine all of the ways that this can be done! Not just here but all over the world!
Hi Dave … Welcome aboard! Please feel free reference any post here. You are in the right place at the right time in educating our young to what is available along with whatever they can dream up and put into use. I look forward to visiting your site often.
January 18th, 2010 at 8:26 am
I’m glad to have learned that there are people who actually cares for the environment. I’m always afraid of the future in terms of our neglect of mother nature. These efforts of sensible people are of great contribution.
January 18th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
That would work great here in Houston. We have hot weather almost year round. I could see this being implemented at the Galleria. Great article and information!
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January 18th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
I think a lot of good ideas have this quality of simplicity and brings things together–a real win/win.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
This is a pretty cool idea. I could really see this taking off. I wish we had something like this. I live in Texas as well, and in the summer, whenever I go to my car in the office parking lot, it’s literally over 110 degrees in there.
January 18th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Hi Walter … Yes, they are and we will continue to find them!
Hi Randy … Thank You! Yes, Houston could really benefit this not only in the Galleria but all over the city!
Hi psyche … Yes, win/win for all and should be implemented now everywhere.
Hi Johnny … I am pretty sure your car is much hotter than 110 degrees! This should work everywhere…
January 20th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
yea, you’re probably right. It’s probably hotter than 110. It’s blazing hot in the summer. I have a black steering wheel, and you can barely touch it for the first few minutes.
January 20th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Hi Johnny … Ouch! I know what you mean about that! Too Hot to handle! BTW, one of the Houston News Channels put a thermometer in a car and it read around 167 degrees. Of course, he did put it on the dashboard so it is still even hotter yet!
January 20th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
What a phenomenal idea. It could be implemented just about anywhere!
January 21st, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Hi Corrin … That’s that real beauty of this. I like it!
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:30 am
Can this thing be implemented just anywhere in the world? I mean what about in some parts of Asia? I hope there’d be in our place because this is really beneficial to all.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:09 am
Hi College … yes it can! Asia could really benefit from this all over. Does not matter where in the world, it would work!
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Hey Linda!
This makes perfect sense to me. Again, I’ve always believed that we ought to take full advantage of that ball of fire in the sky. Neat idea.
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:26 am
Hi Brad … Cool! Sooner or later, you will become a greenie!