Outlining the outcomes of the Cancun conference, South African Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said the conference had been unable to answer many (SIC) “difficult political questions.”

These have now been forwarded to the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will take place in Durban, South Africa from 28 November to 9 December 2011.

Meanwhile, in the background, and perhaps not coincidently, some developments are taking place.

German-based Concentrix Solar has inaugurated in late 2010 its first facility in South Africa, commissioning a 60-kilowatt solar power plant at Aquila Private Game Reserve in Touwsrivier in the Western Cape. “CPV systems are perfectly suited for the use in South Africa with its energy shortage, water scarcity and high temperatures. Our systems can be easily and fast implemented, they do not need cooling water and do not suffer from heat degradation at hot ambient temperatures,” said Hansjörg Lerchenmüller, CEO of Concentrix Solar. “In addition, this facility will initiate the transfer of know-how and serves to develop local skills in South Africa with immediate effect.”

Ubuntu Sustainable center also exemplifies what is possible is South Africa.

Located in Port Elizabeth’s Zwide Township, and based on the Bantu concept that no human lives in isolation, the Ubuntu Center features various sustainable components such as locally-sourced materials,passive design and renewable energy sources.

Developed by the Ubuntu Education Fund with California-based Field Architecture’s, who received the Architect magazine Progressive Architecture Award in 2009, $6 million were devoted to the new sustainable education and health center.

Inspired by Zwide’s footprints, Stan Field designed a space for people to walk through, not to. Born in Port Elizabeth during the apartheid era, he felt that long footpaths through a loosely aggregated center could transform how the community sees itself. Ngonyama Okpanum Hewitt-Coleman Architects, a local, Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) registered firm, oversaw the building’s construction.

Along with passive cooling and heating design, the building’s thermal mass reduces its reliance on mechanical systems. Thick concrete walls radiate heat back into the building, while large spaces outside maximize solar penetration for additional heat gain. Also included are photovoltaic panels that collect and convert solar energy into electricity.

For cooling, carefully placed windows create a convection effect. Low, ventilated windows circulate cool air, while hotter air is released through higher, stacked windows.

The large windows not only let in plenty of natural lighting, but also create a convection effect that regulates the building’s temperature.
Irrigated with grey water, the rooftop garden further insulates the building. It also encourages once disenfranchised people to reconnect in a healthy, positive way. The Center opened in September, 2010, and includes a pediatric HIV clinic, a community theatre, an education wing, and office space.

Ubuntu center feeds 2,000 children each day, provides holistic support to 3,500 clients and their families, delivers after-school education to 250 students, and issues HIV counseling and testing to 6,000

Sources: Southafrica.info; Inhabitat; Field Architecture;

In a world where resources are finite, and as there can be no development without architecture, this means that architecture must identify renewable resources and develop suitable methods to be environmentally sustainable. Environmentally sustainable architecture focuses on the user and the spirit of place to ensure that the people receive the best, most sustainable creation for each individual location.

One way to create comfort in the past was to design artificially air-conditioned buildings, which is still the unfortunate standard practice in international architecture.

The buildings thus become sophisticated mechanisms that act automatically, but this are extremely costly for developing countries and require huge amounts of energy. The interior microclimate is controlled mechanically, without direct participation by the users and often achieve the opposite of the intent: too cold, too hot and ultimately unhealthy as pathogens get recycled form vent to vent.

Recently living building technologies are making headway into the architectural vernacular, not only for positive PR repercussions but because the Return on Investment (ROI) is palatable.

Manitoba Hydro is the major energy utility in the Province of Manitoba, the fourth largest energy utility in Canada and offers some of the lowest electricity rates in the world. Owned by the provincial government, nearly all of its electricity comes from self-renewing water power. Its new headquarters tower, Manitoba Hydro Place, is the first of the next generation of sustainable buildings integrating time-tested environmental concepts in conjunction with advanced technologies to achieve a “living building” that dynamically responds to the local climate.

Located in downtown Winnipeg, the city is known for its extreme climate, with temperatures that fluctuate from -35ºC (-31 ºF) to +34ºC (95 ºF) over the year. The 64,500 m² (695,000 ft²) tower is targeting less than 100 kWh/m²/a compared to 400 kWh/m²/a for a typical large scale North American office tower located in a more temperate climate. The architectural solution clearly relies on passive free energy without compromise to design quality and, most importantly, human comfort.

A 115 metre (377 foot) tall solar chimney marks the north elevation and main entrance on Portage Avenue, and establishes an iconic presence for Manitoba Hydro on the skyline. The solar chimney is a key element in the passive ventilation system which relies on the natural stack effect. The chimney draws used air out of the building during the shoulder seasons and summer months. In winter, exhaust air is drawn to the bottom of the solar chimney by fans, and heat recovered from this exhaust air is used to warm the parkade and to preheat the incoming cold air in the south atria.

In contrast to conventional North American office buildings which use recirculated air, Manitoba Hydro Place is filled with 100% fresh air, 24 hours a day, year round, regardless of outside temperatures. Within the splay of the two towers, a series of three, six-storey south atria, or winter gardens, form the lungs of the building, drawing in outside air and pre-conditioning it before it enters the workspaces through adjustable vents in the raised floor. Depending on the season, a 24 metre tall waterfall feature in each of the atria humidifies or dehumidifies the incoming air.

During colder temperatures, recovered heat from exhaust air, and passive solar radiant energy are used to warm the fresh air. The conditioned air is drawn through the raised floors into the office spaces through under floor fan units. Building occupants, computers and other sources of heat cause the air to rise, which is then drawn north and exhausted by the solar chimney. In the shoulder seasons, the building relies solely on outdoor fresh air through the use of automatic and manually operated windows.

Ultimately, Manitoba Hydro Place sets a precedent for the seamless integration of architectural excellence and climate responsive, energy efficient and sustainable design while enhancing and improving the quality and comfort of the human experience and the civility of urban life.

Credits: abc creativity – KPBM Architects – Green Source 2010

I recently heard from a novel idea from Richard Moreta before he flew to Haiti.  I thought his rebuilding efforts were well worth reporting.

The need for speedy provision of housing in case of emergencies was reiterated after the disastrous earthquake in Haiti. To address this issue, an international team of designers, headed by Richard Moreta, proposed recycling and adapting shipping containers for temporary living needs by following a simple, inexpensive, and easy to implement design and assembly process.

Richard Moreta is an american architect and his firm called “Richard´s Architecture Design” has offices in Berlin, Mexico City, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Santo Domingo. The firm builds on prior extensive experience in using shipping containers for similar purposes in Bosnia (former Yugoslavia) in 2001, as well as Milan and Portenonne (Italy) in 2002 while Mr. Moreta collaborated with the U.S Corps of Engineers, thus making Mr. Moreta a pioneer in this creative use.

Mr. Moreta’s current proposal is based on a new concept of using a steel frame in which containers are inserted through rubber rollers also used for acoustic insulation. This was identified as an important need in this type of construction. This system is easily scalable in response to evolving needs, without interrupting the life of the inhabitants that are already living in the complex. Using such a system will facilitate the management process of the living complex.  The vertical arrangement of containers mimics the vertical nature of the cities.  Mr. Moreta’s unique system makes it ideal for earthquake zones given that it is light weight and structurally sound. Mr. Moreta’s latest modifications to the system make it meet international standards of sustainable design. As a result of the EU government’s initiative to lower the building industry carbon footprint, as well as of international regulations introduced in April 2006, all new commercial buildings must reduce their carbon footprint by 27%. While many projects will strive to meet these criteria, the “Container City” system lends itself perfectly as a cheap way to recycle industrial products and contribute to achieving the carbon footprint goal.

How can “Container Cities” meet these new requirements?

Mr. Moreta proposes the following:

• Foundations-specific resistance (existing structure strong yet light)
• Noise reduction (construction and rapid site installation)
• Natural ventilation (no need for air conditioning)
• Photoelectric light-sensitive cells (sensitive to external lighting changes)
• Thermal efficiency (use external walkways and lift towers, double thickness insulation and sealed south facing glass units)
• Maximize the use of daylight and minimize use of artificial lighting (fully glazed facades). Separate light and heat controls for each unit. Use modular system with a less open plan.

Potential Environmental Features:

• Destination of rainwater for reuse in the supply of potable and gray water for later use for irrigation and sanitary.
• Wind turbines
• Green Roofs
• Solar Panels
• Bio-climatic technology solutions to make this project zero energy.

Given the current global economic conditions, a significant number of shipping containers are idle. Located in many ports around the globe, including the Caribbean, shipping containers can become a speedy solution to providing emergency shelters and storing international aid.

“Container Cities” offer an alternative solution to traditional living/storage space paradigm. “Container Cities” have significant advantages in short and medium term projects. Sites where such projects are developed in the short term can have Container Cities that can be “unbolted” when their use expires and relatively easily and inexpensively moved or stored to a new location for reuse. So far this alternative method of construction was successfully used to create health and youth centers, classrooms, office spaces, artist studios, living quarters, nurseries and retail spaces.

Containers can be transformed into modern houses that are extensible, modular and comparable in terms of comfort to more expensive traditional developments.  Recycling old shipping containers is both a sustainable and economical solution to the growing worldwide need for additional housing.

Operation Haiti:

Originally inspired to meet the emergency housing needs after a major hurricane in southeastern North America and southeastern Caribbean, Mr. Moreta sees the “Container Cities” concept strongly matching the current needs of earthquake struck Haiti. Mr Moreta recently described his concept in the Dominican Republic media:

“Because shipping containers are in essence a structural shell, they prove to be an excellent solution in seismic areas while satisfying the American and international structural code provisions,” says architect Moreta. “They have already been used as emergency shelters in some earthquake struck zones”. As the current international effort to help and rebuild Haiti continues, the ”Container Cities” concept offers a speedy and cost effective solution. With a few simple modifications performed in the port of arrival, a storage container can become a temporary housing unit.

Beyond its technical and cost merits, the “Container Cities” system provides an invaluable contribution to a disaster struck community. Using such a system will allow avoiding the displacement of large numbers of disaster affected people – normally a costly and potentially dangerous operation. “People are the backbone of communities, and communities give strength to people” said Mr. Moreta. “To displace people means to dismantle a community, which can lead to negative socio-economic repercussions”.

Operation HAITI was inspired by a combination of compassion and intelligence. Human needs are at the heart of the creative process, when often simple but effective solutions are discovered. Mr. Moreta believes this is the case with Operation Haiti.

For more information please visit:

www.gmz-design.com

www.richard-architecture-design.com

The eight-story, 33,000 square foot facility will offer spaces for exhibitions, performances, lectures, and administration. Korea House will be located on East 32nd Street, extending the vibrancy of Manhattan’s Korea Town to the Murray Hill neighborhood.

“Korea Center will provide an international gateway to Korean culture, travel, and events,” said Mr. Myung Gi Sohn, President and CEO of SAMOO Architects and Engineers “It is a great honor to participate in a project of this significance”

Truly, a modern translation of harmony and tradition, the multi-layered glass façade creates a screen wall that illuminates three sculptural figures within—composed of polished ceramic, rough terracotta, and milled wood—representing Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The iconic figures embrace the building’s three distinct zones: soaring public spaces, semi-public lecture rooms, and private administrative offices and artist studio.

Layered behind the glass façade, an open frame will provide a canvas for display panels that convey a changing visual message to the passers-by. This dynamic architectural composition creates a welcoming space for the community.  The street level of Korea Center, for example, will focus on exhibits related to current popular trends in Korean culture, including music, movies, food, technology and TV dramas – a phenomenon known as the “Korean Wave.”  Visitors can also enjoy a library, café, and gardens, as well as performances in a 240-seat theater.

“The transparency of the façade opens the buildings activities to street life and energizes the surrounding area,” said Mr. Soon Woo Kwon Principal at SAMOO Architecture PC.

The site occupies 6,400 square feet on 32nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of the year. LEED accreditation will be pursued in this project.

Images: SAMOO Architecture PC

Credits: bustler, SAMOO Architecture

Solar One, the little environmental awareness center on the edge of the East River, is about to begin construction on a much bigger facility called Solar 2. The new building will be ten times larger than the current facility, and will let them expand their public programs around energy efficiency, renewable energy, green building, and urban ecology.

Featuring an array of green features (solar production, water conservation) the building aims to educate and portray possibilities.  Construction starts next month.

What struck me immediately as the images were unveiling, is the uncanny resemblance to a medieval tower feel, complete with an sense of familiarity and intimacy, as the deliciously surprising angles and textures merged into one another.  A welcome departure from predictable boxy geometries that too often plagues our sustainable ventures, the eco-city aims to recreate a sense of community and might just achieve it.

ECO CITY‘s organic energy concept aims for self‑sufficiency, creating the smallest possible ecological footprint. It is a self‑sustaining place that does not exploit, or pollute the environment but aims to co‑exists in harmony with its surroundings. This is guaranteed by the implementation of 21st century technologies.

WIND TURBINES

Iconic wind turbines tower over the site, generating the bulk of ECO CITY‘s electricity. Smaller vertical wind turbines are distributed across the site, further providing emission free renewable energy.

SOLAR ENERGY

Solar water heating will be used to offset the use of natural gas. Site lighting will be powered by solar technology.

GREEN ROOFS

The majority of all visible roofs will be green and planted with ample trees and flower beds, providing areas for walking, relaxation, cafe spaces etc. They will help slow down the run off of storm water from the site and will avoid overburdening the municipal storm water system as well as significantly reduce the heat island effect of ECO CITY.

MATERIALS

The project will utilize environmentally friendly materials which will help promote a healthy indoor building atmosphere. Passive design techniques and efficient facade and building design will reduce energy consumption by 30%.

Tec Principal Sebastian Knorr explains: “ECO CITY represents a synergistic approach to urban development. By working in close cooperation with all the stakeholders and taking into consideration the immediate environmental context of the project, we’ve created a different type of sustainable, creative-industrial complex. We hope that iconic ECO CITY project becomes a model for sustainable urban development.”

Credits: Arup, Eco-City, Inhabitat, Serengreenity

Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and president of USGBC, is offering up his expertise to help the White House achieve certification. “LEED certification of the White House is absolutely possible and viable,” Fedrizzi says. Although such an important structure will definitely make a historic renovation more challenging than any other building. “A normal building is already a challenging assignment, and this is something that’s a historic structure, one of [the] nation’s most historic structures,” he says. Windowpanes, which are typically replaced to improve the efficiency of the building’s envelope, will not be able to be replaced at the White House because of their historic glazing. Instead alternatives like window films will have to be explored for higher efficiency. Also the heightened security of the compound will add complexity to the certification process.

Otherwise the staff is looking into making improvements into the procurement policies, aiming to consider toxicity and life cycles when making purchases. They’ll buy biodegradable cleaners, recycled content products, and low VOC paints. The Council on Environmental Quality is looking into ways to reduce energy use through energy management, more efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and automatic light sensors. They will also upgrade to low flow water fixtures and get rid of cooling equipment that contains ozone damaging chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Additionally, staff will be educated and trained to use recycled content whenever possible as well as to reduce the waste stream.

Green endeavors have been undertaken in the past, some by none-the-less John Picard, credited to have been the first to green the White House.  This time, though, the spirit is behind the effort and while the WASPI intelligentia is attempting to demonize the efforts of our President to bring this country to the brink of humanity, quietly, in the background, progress is unstoppable.  ”We didn’t come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it”, says Obama in his recent address to Congress. And by all means, shaping is happening right now.

Credits: Inhabitat, National Geographic, CNN

]]> http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/the-white-house-green-greener-greenest/feed/ 0 serengreenity LEEDforWhiteHouse-2b LEEDforWhiteHouse-1 http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/2009/08/08/fly-over-in-singapore/ http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/2009/08/08/fly-over-in-singapore/#comments Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:54:55 +0000 serengreenity http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/?p=533 ]]>

Aptly named, the Garden City, Singapore has redefined  the concept of nature and culture with an elegant and  breath-taking collection of suspended bridges and nature mazes.

Singapore’s Telok Blangah Hill Park is an amazing park structure consisting of different landscape types connected through a fly-over-like infrastructure. Within the context of the Weak Signals, Wild Cards exhibition, curated by art gallery De Appel in Amsterdam, a little green book with images of the park has been published.

Telok Blangah is not only breathtaking and has the right kind of attitude when it comes to respecting nature.  The layout chose to preserve the natural landscape and build around it, respecting the natural habitats of wildlife.  The web-like paths consist of open structures which allow light and air to pass through. Some of the most awe-inspiring connection points are the undulating Henderson Waves (Singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge) and Alexandra Arch, which sparkles every night with a dazzling colour-changing LED lightshow.

Another amazing feature of this leafy treetop paradise is the fact that we come face to face with some of the rich wildlife that lives there such as squirrels, sunbirds, doves, lizards and white-crested laughing thrushes. In fact, researchers frequent the nearby HSBC Treetop Walk to study the rain forest canopy which, if not for the unique aerial structures, would not be an easy place to access at all.

Credits: Pop-up city, inhabitat, serengrenity, Singapore Garden City

Although this construction dates back to 2007, a Mexico City couple daringly did what some would have thought about, but never carried through, with the help of the astonishing imagination of those wild and wooly architects at Senosiain Arquitectos. This abalone replica is already lived in, with the couple and their two small children.

It’s more of a sculpture than a dwelling. Taking cues from a Nautilus shell, the house is put together using ferrocement construction, a technique involving a frame of steel-reinforced chicken wire with a special two-inch-thick composite of concrete spread over it, resulting in a structure that’s earthquake-proof and maintenance-free.

The open concept inside the house is dominated by smooth surfaces, spiral stairs and natural plantings that makes the inhabitants feel like they’re living inside a snail who swallowed the entire contents of somebody’s back yard. While the house is surrounded on three sides by the bustling Mexico City, its West side (where most of its portal-style windows are located) has a breathtaking view of the mountains.

The feel is completely whimsical, magical and evocative of what life with elemental curvature could be like.

“The metaphor was to feel like an internal inhabitant of a snail, like a mollusk moving from one chamber to another, like a symbiotic dweller of a huge fossil maternal cloister. This home social life flows inside the Nautilus without any division, a harmonic area in three dimensions where you can notice the continuous dynamic of the fourth dimension when moving in spiral over the stairs with a feeling of floating over the vegetation.” (World Architecture News).

Quite a poetic visionary statement.  We loved it!

Credits: Serengreenity, architectectura organica, inhabitat, WAN

]]> http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/shell-shaped-and-lived-in/feed/ 0 serengreenity nautilus1_front.jpg nautilus7 nautilus5 nautilus3 nautilus4 http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/los-angeles-metro-solar-ambitions/ http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/los-angeles-metro-solar-ambitions/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:19:37 +0000 serengreenity http://serengreenity.wordpress.com/?p=517 ]]> Ask and you shall receive!  

Here in our own backyard, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, may have just activated a 1.2-MW (DC)/1-MW (AC) solar power system–said to be the largest PV installation of any U.S. transit facility and the biggest array to date within the City of Angels’ limits.

The public agency known as Metro has even grander solar ambitions. After providing more details about Metro’s earlier solar installations and the new multirooftop PV system designed and built by Chevron Energy Solutions (CES) near downtown L.A., Tim Lindholm, the agency’s director of capital projects,  hopes to put out a request for proposal in a few months to find a design/integration/construction private partner to start building out yet another 2.3 MW or so of PV power at various Metro locations next year.

Although the ribbon cutting on the new PV installation took place in May, Lindholm said the arrays were actually turned on in early April.

Deployed on several hundred thousand square feet across most of the Metro Support Services Center’s rooftops, the fixed, free-standing, nonpenetrating system consists of 6720SolarWorld SW 175 monocrystalline-silicon modules (which were manufactured at the company’s Camarillo, CA, panel factory, something that makes Lindholm “really happy”), four Satcon inverters (one 500 KW, two 225 KW, and one 100 KW), and SunLink racking (except for one roof), according to details provided by Chevron’s Ram Ambatipudi via email.

The system, which is expected to generate 1,450,000 KW-hr of solar-spawned electricity, is monitored by CES’s own proprietary Utility Vision system.

Lindholm said it took about a year from issuing the “notice to proceed” to completing the project, with panels beginning to go up on the rooftops by May 2008. Most of the roof surfaces were fairly routine to prep for the installation, with the exception of one of the oldest (and biggest) structures, which was substandard (“ramshackle” was Lindholm’s term) and had to be completely reroofed before any solar could be put on it.

Although the solar arrays are certainly “the cherry on top,” the Metro director notes that even more substantial energy efficiencies were achieved by redesigning the air compression loop, replacing old lightbulbs, and generally putting the buildings through total retrofits.

“The solar panels are the piece of the project that gets people talking, that gets you the PR, that’s the visual, compelling, sustainable thing that people see,” he said. “But the background details, such as taking care of the basics in your shop environment, changing out the lightbulbs, that’s the kind of stuff that pays back as well. We kind of missed the boat on that on our first few projects, and now with every single solar project that we do we’re going to bundle them together.”

The combination of the energy efficiency moves and the PV power pop should cut the facility’s power bill in half–from about $1.1 million to $550,000–with some three-quarters of those savings attributable to the efficiency efforts, according to Lindholm.

The new PV systems bring the total amount of solar power deployed by Metro since 2006 to more than 2 MW. A pair of  213-KW systems have been supplying renewable juice to a couple of bus divisions in the San Fernando Valley for a few years, while a 417-KW array resides mostly atop carport shade structures in Carson, Lindholm explained. All three of the existing installations employ Schott Solar panels.

After going through a learning period where he admits “we weren’t Johnny on the spot as a new solar panel owner,” he hired a dedicated employee–who Lindholm has nicknamed “Solar Man”–to be in charge of the quarterly module cleaning, inverter maintenance, and daily systems monitoring.

Lindholm just raves about the advantages of the public-private partnership approach taken by Metro and its solar partner, CES. “I will never do another solar project without it,” he said. In addition to overseeing the system for the long term, CES guarantees the energy savings and the amount of energy generated by the PV system for 10 years, and “if they don’t, they’re gonna pay me.”

“We were able to negotiate that with Chevron, and they’re comfortable with it,” he continued. “We need to comply with their strict maintenance plan in order to stay in the guarantee. We think that’s a good thing too since it pretty much took most of our risk off the table and guarantees our returns.”

Metro’s latest PV project also benefited from a healthy dollop of incentives, mostly from the L.A. Department of Water and Power–something that was also part of Chevron’s guarantee. In fact, the CES folks “chased down” the rebates, “shaking trees” to get an extra $1 million above and beyond the contracted $5.3 million–an cash windfall split 50:50 by the two partners, according to Lindholm. As a result of the money-tree shaking, the $16.5 million project–which was financed by Bank of America–came in at closer to $10 million.

So what’s next for Metro’s photovoltaic expansion? A project featuring some 2.3 MW of PV installations that will be “designed to show the different applications that you can do in a transit environment,” Lindholm explained.

The six sites he envisions include carport shade structures on top of a parking garage next to the Gold Line train station in Pasadena; a quarter-mile of solar-integrated soundwalls as part of the expansion of the 405 Freeway; sizeable arrays at the Red Line subway maintenance yard in downtown L.A. (the biggest single system of the six planned) and Metro’s light-rail maintenance yard in Hawthorne; a system at a bus division in Cypress Park; and a different kind of installation as part of a new bus division downtown, which will use “PV as part of the architecture, on kind of a louvered screen on one edge of the project.”

Lindholm “would like to get a request for proposal out and ready for competition by late summer,” then pick a partner and start negotiation. That partner must be “willing to do these six sites at the same time, and go and get us some incentives and rebates, build the projects, and guarantee the savings and power generated, just like we did on the Chevron deal.”

He estimates that from the time he puts out the RFP to the time that he’s “awarding the contract and getting ready to go” should be about five months, or roughly late 2009 or early 2010. Lindholm expects to capitalize on the federal stimulus package offerings for such projects. He believes they can “wrangle up about 37% of the cost in rebates and incentives” locally, so Metro would end up asking the Feds to “pitch in 67%, which is pretty attractive to them.”

Just in case those recovery act funds don’t flow as expected for the new project, the Metro director also wants to require whichever solar integrator signs up with the agency to bring along “a strong financial partner” as well.

“We’re going bigger,” Lindholm beamed. “We’ve got a bit of a pattern already where we like to double what we’ve done every project. We’d like to keep that going.”

Credits: PV-Tech.org, Tom Cheney