Necessity Gives Rise to a New Company
In 2006, a solar developer had a problem. It wanted to win the bid to cover the roof of the Staples Center in Los Angeles with PV panels. But like many arenas, the roof wouldn’t bear much weight and more importantly, the owner wanted to be sure the installation wouldn’t cause any leaks. Looking at all the conventional ways to secure PV panels to the roofs of commercial buildings, the developer could not find anything suitable. Conventional systems are designed for only flat roofs and the Staples Center roof was gently curved. More importantly, typical systems used ballasting to hold down the racks of panels to avoid making holes in the roof. But then the racks can move or the ballast (usually concrete blocks) can deteriorate. With no other option, the developer turned to its own engineers to design a new lightweight installation system appropriate for the curved roof. And it worked. They won the bid. They installed the panels. And after a decade, still no leaks.
In fact, the system worked so well, they decided to make a business around it. That was the origin of Sustainable Technologies in North Natomas and its flagship product, the patented Facet Roof Mount. It looks like a small flying saucer with a threaded center section for a bolt to hold the PV racks. It’s so simple that PV installation times are slashed and costs reduced as well. It is used in conjunction with various flashing and sealing methods to ensure that it is water-tight.
It works so well, sales are zooming, with over 85,000 likely to be sold this year, up from 30,000 last year. The units themselves are outsourced to China, with sales done directly or through US distributors. No significant sales have been made outside the US, but a move into European markets is on the horizon. In our judgment, the big milestone for this company is probably getting unit sales over the 10 million mark. The 120,000+ mounts sold to date support about 10 MW of solar installations. When 1000 MW worth of mounts have been sold, the technology will be on lots of developers’ radar screens and sales should zoom.
According to Erica Lindstrom, Sales and Operations Manager, the key to getting sales is receiving approvals from the roofing manufacturers and most importantly from building standards agencies. They have certifications from most manufacturers that the use of their system does not void warranties, and are working on getting it for the most popular roofing material—EPDM or polymerized Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer, commonly called a “rubber roof”. Building department approvals are a longer game. Every locality and state has its own rules. Erica says they just got approval from the LA city building department to unlock one of the biggest markets in the country. Awesome!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.
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College of Engineering & Computer Science at Sacramento State
Companies Get Excellent Advice from Top Start-Up Lawyer
Last Tuesday CleanStart held its second legal roundtable with Michelle Hallsten at GT law to support early stage startups in the Sacramento region. Companies who just started a few weeks ago, like EV Life, to ones growing in popularity like RePurpose Energy came to find answers supporting their growth. It was entirely a Q&A format with Michelle willing to offer advice on any topic the companies wanted to raise.
Popular questions centered around a few areas:
- What is the first thing a company should do when fundraising?
- What type of investors are out there and what are a company’s responsibilities to them?
- When do I need to protect my IP?
- How do I have a conversation with current equity holders, other founders, and friends and family?
- What about crowdfunded equity?
The Roundtable started at 4 pm but went past the 5:30 end time to beyond 7 as Michelle discussed all the different options startups need to consider when fundraising, growing and protecting themselves. It is important to remember that while each startup is different, needing individualized support, building a competent team with quality legal counsel pays increasing dividends over time, putting a company in an increasingly strong position. This was such a successful event, we are planning to do another session later in the year.
Make sure to follow CleanStart by signing up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out on these events.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.
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Highlands Power Making Waves in Clean Mobility
What is the most delicious electric motor in the world? It could be the “pancake”. Also known as the Axial Flux Motor, it is considered the most efficient and powerful types of electric motor, but also one of the hardest to successfully build. Building an axial flux motor that is incredibly powerful as well as easily manufactured is a tall order, but Highlands Power is looking to develop just such a motor here in Sacramento.
The Axial Flux Motor Highlands is looking to produce is different from the traditional Radial flux motor in that the Magnetic Flux travels parallel to the axis of rotation as opposed to out from the center. What does that mean for the the measurables of the motor? It means much less weight and a more compact motor (“flat as a pancake”) compared to the much heavier conventional motor. It also means more efficiency and in electric transportation, efficiency is king.
There is nothing particularly new about the idea of an axial flux, pancake motor. What Highlands has done is to make one out of lightweight materials that can deliver surprisingly high torque, eliminating the need for a gearbox. Called the S-ONE, Highlands’ motor delivers a much better torque-to-weight ratio than current production motors. In addition, the motor is stackable, meaning if more power is needed units can be ganged together to generate as much power and torque as the vehicle needs. It is designed to be relatively low cost as well. This versatility is the cornerstone of Highlands’ plan and believes it is the key to developing more affordable electric vehicles.
The S-ONE uses an entirely new new motor layout, cooling system and manufacturing process to produce 3-4x the torque of current drivetrain motors without increasing size, weight or cost. All this performance is held in an all-composite, shock resistant housing that helps the S-ONE withstand the toughest environments on and off road. These advancements in motor technology can significantly reduce the cost of an electric vehicle and make EVs more accessible to mass market consumers.
Conner Whaley, CTO of Highlands has been aggressively pursuing building this motor for the past several years. Now, Highlands is refining the S-ONE to be ready for production and scale in the near future. At this point, more than ten automotive suppliers and OEMs are awaiting one of the 25 third-generation prototype motors to be built by Highlands for benchtop and in-vehicle testing. We look forward to hearing more as they grow and push the electiric transportation revolution forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.
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Cool Cruising In Sacramento
Recently, we got to reconnect with a local CleanTech company Glide Cruisers, USA. Glide makes “adult sized” electric scooters or as they refer to them “electric stand-up” cycles that are an excellent short-range transportation solution and are super fun to ride! The company was founded by Christopher Wiggins who envisioned a personal transit option that combined performance with fun and excitement. Having competed in downhill skiing and waterskiing, Chris wanted to build a machine that mimicked the G-forces you feel while going fast in a standing position! While visiting his plant in Rancho Cordova, I got to test one of the FAT tire cruisers and can say with authority, THEY ARE EXCITING! It would have been great for me at Burning Man, where I did actually see a number of Glides transversing the Playa.
Recently he has connected with new partners who have helped him simplify manufacturing and supported his ability to expand production. He has also added additional sales support to expand his customer base especially in the Police / Public Safety Markets. Glide Patrol (division of Glide Cruisers) is working to provide police departments with Electric Patrol Cruisers and has recruited a team to help PD departments fund them through private and government grants. We could be seeing local officers riding around on locally built Glide transportation! Glide is an example of a local company growing smart and manufacturing quality products right here in our region.
Chris wants to grow the company and is looking to bring Glide products to more exciting sport markets including off-road single track for those of you who are downhill mountain bikers. While they are keeping their actual development goals underwraps it closely connected with Chis’s need for speed and downhill skiing background!
Glide keeps it exciting by participating in local events like Bike Party with LED illuminated bikes and works closely with the art community with his personal art project Circle of Friends. If you want to learn more about Glide check them out here! We are hoping to bring them out to a Cleantech meetup this Spring / Summer. Demo rides then or feel free to reach out to Chris to schedule one. www.glidecruisers.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.
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