Putting Solar’s Pedal to the Metal – show 34

First, she found a 1950’s vintage gas pump and installed batteries, inverters and charge controllers inside it. Then she connected it to mini solar panels and voila! A fully functional solar pump that will charge your cell phone, laptop or the Go Green Electric Bike from Blue Waters Adventures I got to whiz around in at the Bioneers conference. It doesn’t get more fun than that.

Beth Ferguson is an environmental designer and her company, Sol Design Lab, wants to make solar super accessible to the public. If she had it her way, this bright yellow outdoor charging station would be on college campuses nationwide. It’s already at a few. If you want it on your campus, call Beth!

Want to see how it works? Watch this.

Sol Design on Women Of Green from Women Of Green on Vimeo.

About the SolarPump: The SolarPump re-purposes vintage technology to demonstrate the possibility of transforming unsustainable products into part of a green future. The nozzle on a reclaimed vintage gas pump has been replaced by a standard electrical outlet, and the underground gas tanks have been replaced by a solar panel roof. Other gasoline-era automobilia have been bent and welded into furniture. Their charging stations have been successful conversation-starters by inspiring dialogue about the shift of oil dependency towards renewable energy and by demonstrating sustainable transportation options.

The SolarPump logo is a flying electric scooter, inspired by the Mobil Gasoline Pegasus that first appeared in1934 at the Magnolia Petroleum Company building headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Highlights:

• Created from reclaimed gas pumps and other recycled scrap metal

• Uses four 195W Sanyo Bifacial PV Panels to generate 870 Watts of power (on the dual station)

• Contains a 1100 Watt ExcelTech Inverter, made in Ft Worth, TX

• Outputs 110 V to a standard outlet

• Digital read out panel shows: 1) Solar energy stored in the batteries and 2) Amount used by a recharge

About my guest: Beth Ferguson is an environmental designer and educator and the founding director of Sol Design Labs, a company that provides innovative solutions to climate change to create healthy & fossil fuel free communities. Its mission is to create interactive and inspiring solutions for urban sustainability. Their services offered include ecological design, fabrication and consulting, ecological public art installations, Green Mapping, carbon foot printing and educational workshops.

Beth’s links

http://www.hampshire.edu/news/20036.htm

http://www.livingprinciples.org/solarpump-charging-station/

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