Smarter solar power could revolutionize industry

I just love that headline from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat - and that fact that it's backed up by proof points.

Solar micro-inverters are officially here after a long struggle by by the entire industry to make them commercially viable.Enphase Energy completed CSA listing per UL1741 for its micro-inverters, which means that it passed difficult tests and can be sold in the US. This is a market first and signals the beginning of a shift in the solar industry from central/string inverters to micro-inverter solar energy systems.

Most of the investment in solar has been to tweak incremental efficiency out of PV cells or even to get economies of scale on the installation side (Solar City). Micro-inverters represent the potential for significantly increased ROI in solar systems. Enphase has a smart system, including communications hardware and software, web-based anlaytics and other technologies, that represent the best option to date. The product is in beta now and will be coming to market in Q2 2008.

More stories on this:

Earth2Tech
VentureBeat
CNET
Red Herring

Enphase Energy is a client of Bite Communications, where I work in the cleantech practice.



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The New Big Oil?

Cleantech industries should consider the sustainability of their entire business ecosystems, lest they be called out like The Other Big Oil (Palm Oil).

I have a complete posting over at the Bite Communications blog: http://blog.bitepr.com/2008/01/the-other-big-o.html

Cleantech Business Kudos

PR Week included Bite Communications (which I work for) in its Editor's Choice "Who to Watch in 2008" list, specifically for cleantech efforts.

Bite has had a cleantech practice for over a year, and currently works with companies such as 3Degrees, AMD, Applied Materials, Enphase Energy, Sun Microsystems, SunPower, Tiger Optics and Validus DC Systems. These are clients of the US business, and the UK and China offices also have cleantech efforts/clients.

It's been great to be able to combine my passion for technology, marketing, and sustainability at my current gig.

I did a similar post on the Bite blog at http://blog.bitepr.com/2008/01/bite-cleantech.html.

Detroit Leads?

I love the idea of the plug-in electric vehicle with on-the-go recharge that Chevy unveiled with its Volt. With a commute of about 16 miles round-trip a day, I'd rarely burn transpo fuel (biodiesel, gas, ethanol) on my daily trips.

Popular Mechanics has a nice overview of the technology.

This could be a big idea that captures short commuters and others. And I hear electric engines have the gusto that Americans have come to expect, and which sub 2-liter, highly fuel-efficient cars don't. At least the Tesla does and the drag race circuit is seriously toying with them too for the torque and instant-on.

This idea could be a big leadership position for Detroit, unlike the flex-fuels that nobody flexes, and the mimicked gas hybrid technology. I still see clean diesel hybrids making a big dent in the market, probably led by Audi, VW, Mercedes in the next year. This could have the same impact that Toyota and Honda had with the gas hybrid. But the Volt could be a shining star, if it moves into production soon.

Defending a Market Under attack

A post on the carbon offset market and some communications tactics to address the recent barrage on it:

http://blog.bitepr.com/2007/11/defending-a-mar.html

Swimming in Oil Spills

The recent disgorging of 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel into SF bay was unfortunate, if not unforeseen. Dozens of large container ships plow through the Bay's treacherous waters daily. But the perceived bungle in cleanup efforts will have the US Coast Guard smarting for many months.

As a surfer who lives on Ocean Beach in SF, this hit home particularly strong. I found dead birds next to oil blobs a couple days after the spill, and couldn't get into the water or even on the beach for most of the past week. Thankfully, I was back in the water at Sloat on Sunday enjoying clean, head-high waves.

The SF Chapter of Surfrider Foundation sprung into action quickly and helped direct folks that wanted to lend a hand in the cleanup. And now we have a brigade of volunteers trained in hazmat cleanup so there will be no delays next time.

Let's hope the NTSB and the Coast Guard hold accountable those that caused the spill and those that didn't quickly contain the spilln which led to its spread across hundreds of square miles of bay, ocean and beach.

Chevy Hybrid on the Radar

The Detroit News reported on Nov. 14 about Chevy's sustainable marketing strategy, led by its new Chevy Silverado Hybrid, a world's first.

Props to Larry Burns for being honest that Chevy hasn't told the "green" story well in the past (honesty). But has Chevy had anything to talk about? The new marketing campaign touting green seems very well thought out and digestible for media and consumers alike -- and shows a vision for the future -- which is great.

But he notes that Toyota has an image "to die for." Toyota's image is built on credibility and proof points that back up claims -- that have been years (if not decades) in the making. Toyota's brand has always had an element of efficiency in it; not so for Chevy (thus the skeptics).

When making "green" a part of a brand, it exposes you to more scrutiny, esp. if there's a legacy actively resisting CAFE (though even Toyota is guilty here). When making a claim, it can't be just to build an image, it has to be authentic -- or you'll get raked over the coals. The "green" bunny is out of the bag now for Chevy; it'll be hard to put it back even if oil drops back to $60 bbl.