Envision Solar’s Solar Tree(R) with EnvisionTrak(TM) is a parking lot solar array to incorporate solar tracking into the primary structure of its canopy. The dual-axis tracking Solar Tree has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.
By tracking the movement of the sun throughout the day, a Solar Tree with EnvisionTrak can produce a significant increase in energy output over traditional static solar arrays, which generate maximum output only when the sun is at its peak, generally between noon and 3 p.m.
EnvisionTrak’s first installation is part of an Axion Power Cube(TM) installation project, with funding recently approved by the state of Pennsylvania’s Solar Energy Program, which will analyze the amount of solar energy that can be generated by Envision’s Solar Trees and then stored in Axion Power’s lead carbon PbC(TM) batteries. A Solar Tree with EnvisionTrak will deliver solar energy during the day with its output compared to that of an adjacent fixed Solar Tree. The energy will then be released to demonstrate how it can be delivered back to the grid during peak usage times.
"EnvisionTrak overcomes one of the biggest objections to fixed solar PV installations by maximizing the amount of energy that can be delivered during daylight hours," said Bob Noble, CEO of Envision Solar. "By offering the first dual-axis tracking parking lot solar array, we can enable organizations to significantly increase the amount of clean energy that they produce for very little additional cost."
"By partnering with Axion to provide an efficient, high-capacity energy storage solution, Envision Solar can expand the benefits of solar energy even further. Axion’s PbC batteries extend the capabilities of the Solar Tree by enabling it to charge a battery during the day and continue to generate power at night. The combination of these two innovations will drastically impact the capabilities of the SolarTree," continued Noble.
"EnvisionTrak is a major leap forward in clean energy. By extending the high generation period beyond the midday hours, we can significantly increase the amount of energy transferred to our batteries," said Tom Granville, CEO of Axion Power International, Inc. "This provides an even greater opportunity to send energy back into the grid during peak demand hours. By partnering with Envision Solar on this project, we’re able to push the boundaries of the total amount of energy that a solar array can generate and discharge in a day. This will allow us to really showcase the interplay between storage and solar and its impact on next generation clean energy storage and production. We look forward to working with our strategic partner as they continue to advance EnvisionTrak, Life Village(TM) and their other solar projects."
Envision Solar is a leading solar planner, architect and inventor designing and deploying clean energy systems globally. The solar master planning firm provides strategic long-term solutions conducting comprehensive sustainability planning and optimizing locations for solar array structures. It is the first to invent and build structures for solar that address the unused millions of acres of parking spaces. Its innovative systems include commercial, residential, and public entities with products such as the Solar Tree(R), Solar Grove(R), Solar Row(TM), LifePort(R), LifePod(TM), LifeVillage(TM) and others. Envision Solar is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol [OTCBB: EVSI].
Axion Power International, Inc. (OTCBB: AXPW) has developed and patented a next generation energy storage device that won the prestigious Frost & Sullivan Technology Award for North America in the field of lead-acid batteries. According to Frost & Sullivan, Axion’s new PbC(R) batteries have "the potential to revitalize the lead-acid battery industry by breathing new life into an established technology that is not well suited to the requirements of important new applications like hybrid electric vehicles and renewable power."
Axion Power International, Inc. is the industry leader in the field of lead-acid-carbon energy storage technologies. Axion believes this new battery technology is the only class of advanced battery that can be assembled on existing lead-acid battery production lines throughout the world without significant changes to production equipment and fabrication processes. It also believes it will be able to manufacture carbon electrode assemblies in volume at low cost using standard automated production methods that are commonly used in other industries. If and when its electrode manufacturing methods are fully developed, Axion believes it will be able to sell carbon electrode assemblies as virtual plug-and-play replacements for lead-based negative electrodes used by all other lead-acid battery manufacturers. Axion’s future goal, after filling their plant’s lead-carbon battery production capacity, is to become the leading supplier of carbon electrode assemblies for the global lead-acid battery industry.
