Note: The Green Institute is the organization responsible for the "solarization" of the building that houses Peace Coffee. They make our work environment greener and because of the extreme temps the past month we've been supplying them with hot coffee every morning.

The Green Institute is an entrepreneurial environmental non-profit organization that is currently in the process of installing the largest photovoltaic solar panel (PV) system in the state of Minnesota. The installation is scheduled to be completed by March 1^st. The majority of the labor is being done by volunteers from all around the Twin Cities metro area. After three weeks of work, a total of 322 volunteer hours have been logged. We expect to log another 300 before the completion of the installation. On behalf of the Green Institute and its board of directors, we are extremely grateful for all of the volunteers who, despite sub zero temperatures, are giving us their time and energy to make this exciting project happen.

Innovative Power Systems has been contracted to install the 36.5 kW PV system on the roof of the Phillips Eco Enterprise Center — or "PEEC" for short. The building is located at 2801 21^st Avenue South in the Phillips community of Minneapolis. The system will produce enough electricity to power 5 homes and will be comprised of 800 — 43 watt solar panels. The panels are thin-film membrane encased in tempered glass.

The electricity that is generated by the system will flow directly into Xcel Energy’s grid system. We are currently exploring technologies that will allow us to divert the flow of electricity back into the building in the event of a localized power outage. This electricity would most likely be used to power our ground-source heat pump, building security and lighting systems.

At this point in the installation process, we are putting together our PR strategy. We understand the importance of communicating the correct message to the appropriate audience to make the biggest impact. This project is without a doubt one of the most exciting renewable energy projects the state of Minnesota has ever seen, especially for solar enthusiasts!

The overall message that we want to convey to anyone who is skeptical about the reliability of solar technology is this — solar is here and now! If you use a cell phone, you rely on solar technology to power the satellite that transmits the signal from your phone. Multi-million dollar space stations that take pictures and collect samples in orbit rely on solar technology to relay messages back to NASA.

The untapped solar energy here on earth that could be used to produce electricity is astounding. We at the Green Institute hope that people will see this installation on our building and begin to ask more questions about solar technology. If we can dispel the myths that surround solar technology and highlight the fact that we all rely on solar every day, maybe the skeptics will see the light!

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