Malls envision Solar Grove

Envision Solar International Inc., a San Diego, Calif.-based global developer of solar integrated building systems, is planting its first Solar Trees in parking lots across the country.

The two-year-old company sees owners of large parking lots such as shopping malls, amusement parks, hospitals and schools, as prime candidates for its 12-foot-tall, 10-kilowatt Solar Trees. “Parking lots are the awful forgotten wasteland of every project,” says Bob Noble, a LEED-accredited architect. “We do ‘solar you can see.’ It’s the most public presentation of a company or agency’s commitment to sustainability.”

Providing both shade and solar-powered energy, Solar Trees cost about $8 to $10 per watt installed, or $100,000 per tress. Former CEO of Tucker Sadler Architects, Noble designed the first Solar Trees installation (dubbed a Solar Grove) for solar module manufacturer Kyocera Solar. The 25 Solar Trees deployed in Kyocera's employee parking lot generate 421,000 kilowatt hours annually.

Noble says Envision has nearly 100 projects in the pipeline and 10 currently under contract. About five clients purchased the Solar Trees outright and the other five entered power purchase agreements, in which third-party financers maintain ownership of the panels and the hosts of the panels are guaranteed a specific electricity rate over time.

In January, Envision Solar provided the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with a Solar Tree that incorporates one 120-volt outlet per parking space at a demonstration site in Golden, Colo., meant to accommodate plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Noble says he encourages all clients to incorporate PHEV outlets in their Solar Trees. “We are at the convergence of the solar, building infrastructure and transportation industries,” Noble says. When it designs a Solar Grove, Envision Solar incorporates stormwater management features such as bioswales and permeable paving. “Good design used to start in the lobbies of our most important buildings. It should start at the curb-cut,” he says.

A privately-held company, Envision’s leadership team includes Bill Adelson, a former senior associate at Tucker Sadler Architects, Pam Stevens, former president of national operations at Westfield, LLC, the world’s largest shopping center REIT, and Karen Morgan, president and founder of Generating Assets, an integrated solar finance and developer. The company’s advisory panel includes David Gottfried, CEO and Founder of Regenerative Ventures and the founder of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, and John Waters, Rocky Mountain Institute’s PHEV vice president.