groSolar’s CEO, Jeff Wolfe, keeps popping up all over the place in the world of solar power. From speaking at events like PV America to helping craft policy to help grow the renewable energy industry, Jeff is an active and familiar face in the industry. Most recently Jeff was listed as one of the featured presenters on TheClimateProject.org. The Climate Project is an international non-profit founded by Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore with a mission to increase pubilc awareness of the climate crises at a grassroots level worldwide. Jeff is one of just 2,600 people worldwide trained by The Climate Project to educate people about the effects of global warming.
Our friends at PanelClaw just came out with a great installation video that gives a simple overview of the Polar Bear product. For those of you who don’t know, Polar Bear from PanelClaw is a ballasted, non-rail based system designed for commercial flat roof applications. groSolar is the exclusive distributor of PanelClaw in North America. Check out the video:
This is a crazy idea. And I wish I was not here. But sometimes the only sane alternative is to be crazy, and sometimes we have things we NEED to get done.
The steps outlined here are all necessary, fundamental, and critical to business growth. groSolar is a fantastic example of what our economic system can do and repeat. Unfortunately, creating 20, even 100 companies like groSolar does not solve our problem. What we need is the integration of all the ideas presented here and more, across the economy. We need a realization that together, as community in the broadest sense of the word, not only do we all thrive, it’s actually the only way we can survive. As I said above, the confluence of events that brings us here today is no less than the need to reorder our economy, restructure the biggest industry in the world (energy), retrain a huge percentage of our workforce, and save our planet.
I’ve said before that I’m an evolutionary technology person (there is no silver bullet), and a revolutionary business person. Of course, I’m evolutionary in a rapidly changing technology driven world, and I’m revolutionary in a market-driven economy. But listen to where we need to go. I warn you that I am not an economist, or even a learned student of business. I am a person operating in this environment, I sometimes feel thrust in from the outside. This perspective has often been useful, as well as frustrating, (some would say dangerous), but it is my perspective on where we need to go. Read the rest of this entry »
Below are some comments from a session I moderated at PV America in Philadelphia on June 9:
The confluence of events that has brought us here today is staggering.
Once upon a time, a husband and wife decided to leave Chicago and return to Vermont to “simplify” their lives, and follow their passion to create a small solar energy company. Then they come to understand the magnitude of climate change, and this couple decides they should work on solving it. (Naiveté has always been a strong suit). And so groSolar began.
Business school case studies will be written about this time in the solar industry, and the business transformations that occurred. Read the rest of this entry »
This past winter as the snow was flying in Vermont and the wind was howling, we installed a 58 kW solar array at Farm-Way in Bradford, VT. By December Farm-Way was making approximately 43% of their electrical needs with their new solar system. Farm-Way hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their solar installation and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas was on hand to speak and cut the ribbon. This system saves approximately 76,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to 11 passenger cars off the road or planting 1500 tree seedlings and growing them for 10 years. Not only is Farm-Way making clean solar electricity but they are becoming more energy efficient overall thus utilizing the solar power they are creating to supply the majority of their electrical needs. You can see a live stream of their solar system here.
groSolar participated for the first time in Strolling of the Heifers this past Saturday in Brattleboro, VT. This annual event attracts about 50,000 people who come to see the heifer parade (trivia: a heifer is a cow who has not had a calf yet) and to educate the public about sustainable local agriculture. We got to interact with some heifers, met some great people and the groSolar Prius even got in on the action with cow spots! Mark your calendar for next year’s Strolling of the Heifers on June 5, 2010.
I am at the North American Climate presenter’s Summit. I am privileged, and burdened, by being one of the 1200 people in the US trained by Al Gore to deliver his climate slideshow. I say privileged because it is an incredible group of people and fantastic training. I say burdened because, well, ignorance is bliss, and not only am I not allowed to be ignorant, I am required to understand and spread both the message of the crisis confronting us and the solutions we must undertake immediately.
We’re getting updated science from some of the leaders in climate science. We’re getting information on human health effects (right now while I’m multi-tasking and typing this actually). We’re getting information on the just released draft of the Waxman -Markey climate bill. And of course, we’re getting motivation and direction for immediate action.
The overriding message is that the time is now, this is the moment. Historians look back through time and note those periods when significant change happened. It is unusual to be able to understand at the time of occurrence, that this is an historic moment in the history of the world. This is such a moment, such a time. Read the rest of this entry »
The once elusive, mysterious and even mythical Pennslyvania grant program is now a reality. We know that some of you have been waiting years for this - and at times even we wondered if it would actually manifest. But now I’m happy to report that it is here and well worth the wait. The $100 million dollar program is currently offering rebates up to $2.25 per watt - even more for low income applicants. We can confidently say that there has never been a better time to go solar in PA - and we’re here to help. To learn more about the PA Sunshine grant program, visit their website or contact our sales team at 866.GRO.SOLAR or by email.
We celebrated the opening of our newest office and warehouse space in Massachusetts on Monday. The new location in North Billerica, MA expands groSolar’s presence in Massachusetts - we have another warehouse and office in Raynham, MA. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and groSolar CEO, Jeff Wolfe both spoke about the benefits of green energy in Massachusetts and then cut our green ribbon. We were thrilled to see so many people in attendance!
