Sittin' By a Dock On the Bay, Chargin' Up An EV All Day
By John O'Dell December 22, 2009New York's First Solar EV Charger Recycles Sunlight and Shipping Containers
Energy-saving? Yes. Space-saving? Well....
A fledgling Brooklyn-based company is looking to generate attention for its renewable-energy business by building what it says is New York's first solar-powered electric-vehicle charging station.
Beautiful Earth Group built the solar charging station in a stacked a pair of 8-by-40-foot cargo containers to power the company's Mini E electric car as part of an effort to generate awareness of sustainable energy.
The top container supports a large solar panel array and contains the batteries that store the electricity as well as the electronic equipment that manages the system.
The lower bay holds the charger and provides a covered parking and charging area for the EV.
The station, used only for the one car right now, is adjacent to Beautiful earth's office in Red Hook, overlooking New York Harbor. The solar charger gives the Mini E a 100-mile range with a three-hour charge, the company said.
Building with the cargo containers, which are usually discarded after about five years of shipping use, is part of Beautiful Earth's promotion of environmental conscientiousness, according to company sustainability manager Amanda Cleary.
"We liked the idea of using recycled pieces so it's as sustainable as possible," said Cleary, who didn't disclose how much the station cost to build.
While the solar-powered station is believed to be the first in New York - and the first by Beautiful Earth - there are a number of private stations and about a dozen other commercial-scale solar EV chargers around the world, including one near Google's Northern California headquarters and another in Denmark.
Cleary said Beautiful Earth doesn't have immediate plans to build more stations, but is developing a handful of solar- and wind-powered energy plants in the southwestern U.S. she declined to be more specific.
The company, founded in August 2008, is run by Lex Heslin, former head of private-equity firm Capital Holdings LLC.
Danny King, Contributor
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