VIDEO: Solar-powered Lifepod launched at the Oscars
Before the dozens of gold statuettes were handed out on the big stage the other night there were lots of celebrities milling about at the pre-show events. The one we were most interested in was the 5th Annual Global Green Pre-Oscar Party. There, amongst the Aptera, Fisker Hybrid, and Tesla Roadster, was a new product from Lifeport, provider of home solar solutions by Envision Solar International Inc. For those of us who don't want our plug-in hybrid electric cars to be responsible for more pollution from coal plants, we now have a simple, more affordable solution, the Lifepod: a small, easy-to-assemble building that comes with its own solar panels. Yes, I know we have seen small home solar setups before but this one comes with walls, giving you that 120 square feet of extra storage space we know you all need. Capable of providing 1.7kw of power from the noonday sun, the available batteries can also store that power for when you want to plug-in your car.
Don't take my word for it though, there's a press release from the company and a video of Bob Noble, Chairman and CEO of Envision Solar Intl, enthusiastically spilling the beans after the jump.
UPDATE: the video seems to have disappeared, but we've found a new one to take its place.
Press release:
Envision Solar International Launches New Multi-Use Solar Structure at the 5th Annual Global Green USA Pre-Oscar Party
La Jolla, Calif. (Feb 25, 2008) - Envision Solar International, Inc., the leading developer and provider of solar integrated building systems, launched LifePod™, a do-it-yourself, system-built photovoltaic solar structure, at the February 20, 2008, Global Green USA's Pre-Oscar Party in Hollywood.
lifepodLifePod's™ versatility and high-energy output creates a major shift in residential and small business access to solar technologies across the globe. LifePod™ is a scaled-down version of Envision Solar's flagship product, LifePort™, a fully integrated system-built, do-it-yourself, photovoltaic solar carport. The 120 square foot solar structure can be used as an enclosed pool house, cabana, storage facility (for motorcycles, sports equipment, and garden supplies), playhouse, pet house, music studio, private home office, emergency shelter, and a wide variety of other uses.
LifePod's™ integrated solar panels have a 1.7 kilowatt DC rating and produce over seven kilowatt hours per day (that translates to about 60 percent of a Southern California home's baseline allocation). In addition to the monthly savings of $35-50 per month, residents who purchase a LifePod™ are eligible to receive cash incentives of up to $5,450 from their utility and federal tax rebates of $2,000. Businesses that purchase the LifePod™ can receive even greater benefits.
Assembling a LifePod™ is simple and can be done in four hours or less. None of the 15 preassembled steel pieces weighs more than 75 pounds, allowing owners to assemble their LifePod™ without the help of a contractor. Additionally, LifePod's™ footprint is only 120 square feet and normally does not require a structural building permit, providing users with greater flexibility when setting up their solar system.
Envision's chairman and CEO, Robert Noble, LEED™ AP, said, "The LifePod™ by Envision Solar is a versatile and cost-effective system that greatly reduces small businesses and residents' energy dependency." Noble also said, "Now that we all understand that global warming is a reality and our use of fossil fuels is extremely damaging to our planet, let's do everything we can to deploy real solutions now."
For information about Envision Solar's LifePod™ and its debut at the Fifth Annual Global Green USA's Pre-Oscar Party please visit www.lifeportsolar.com, or contact Lucia Stone at (619) 236-0231 or lucia@hutchenspr.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . To find out more about Envision Solar please visit www.envisionsolar.com.
[Source: Lifeport]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
meme 5:29PM (2/27/2008)
"LifePod's™ integrated solar panels have a 1.7 kilowatt DC rating and produce over seven kilowatt hours per day (that translates to about 60 percent of a Southern California home's baseline allocation). In addition to the monthly savings of $35-50 per month"
These numbers seem a bit off. First, PVWatts:
http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/codes_algs/PVWATTS/version1/US/California/Los_Angeles.html
I'd use the economics calculator, except the site is down right now:
http://www.daughtersoftiresias.org/progs/insolation/
This shows that their assumed power output is fairly reasonable. However, the state average for electricity is 12.5c/kWh. $35 would mean paying 16.8c/kWh. $50 would mean paying 24.0c/kWh. That's way over the state average.
Also, is this assuming that the power is always in use? I see no reference to batteries either here or on their site, and since it doesn't require a building permit, it can't be grid connected. So that means you're going to lose power whenever you're not using 100% of the electricity (assuming I simply didn't miss a reference to the batteries... of course, I didn't even see a reference to an *inverter* for that matter...)
Lastly, 7kW/day isn't very much, especially, if there are no batteries, given that your car would likely be away from the house during the peak. Even if there were batteries, EVs range from ~80Wh/mi for an extreme case like the Aptera to 200-300Wh/mi for a more typical EV. While that'd enable a daily 85 mile round trip with an Aptera, it'd only enable a daily 23-35 mile round trip with a more typical EV. Sounds more like a charger for a PHEV or NEV than a BEV to me.
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Jon Dutch 7:25PM (2/27/2008)
I think we are overlooking something here. According to "meme"'s numbers, which look pretty spot-on to me... than again I didn't even attempt to check them :) Anyhow, let's take those numbers into consideration for a moment. From what I understand most people stay within a certain bubble around their homes with concern to distance traveled in a day. While this model doesn't necessarily hold true for everyone (especially those who travel 1hr+ each way to work everyday), it is still valid for many.
Combine this "Lifpod" (which looks striking similar to a building of my own design...) with a sensible local-area electric car (or Neighborhood Electric Vehicle if you prefer?) like the Xebra from ZAP (http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars) and you get a great combo... am I wrong?
Note: If I am wrong, tell me in a gentle manner... I bruise easily... like a fuzzy peach!
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Domenick Yoney 9:36PM (2/27/2008)
meme: The battery I referred to was mentioned in the video by Mr. Noble. I agree that the amount of power produced isn't huge but neither is the building. They also offer a larger structure with much more capacity, the Lifeport.
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Mark Colby 9:09PM (2/28/2008)
The comment was that this structure offsets $35 to $50. This is true. The highest 30% of the electric bill is the most expensive for most utilities and although the average cost may be around $.15/kWh, the highest 30%, which this structure aims to offset, costs over $.20/kWh with summer season peak rates climbing to over $.33/kWh in SCE territory (http://www.sce.com/NR/sc3/tm2/pdf/ce84-12.pdf). Further, this system is intended to be grid tied, which with net metering allows you to use all of the power produced by the solar panels.
In terms of permits ... there is no structural permit required (120sf or less). You are correct that a permit is required for electrical connections & to claim incentives. Futher, not all LifePods will sell with solar. Some will be purchased as just the structure and roof at a very reasonable cost. In that case, no permit is required at all.
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