Author: Charlie Johnson

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Wipomo’s Mobile Energy Ecosystem

Off-grid Plug-In Vehicle & small electronic charging station
Off-grid Plug-In Vehicle & small electronic charging station
Representatives from the CCSE, Wipomo, Dave Roberts (County Supervisor, 3rd District), SDRES, ESW, and Butler Sun Solutions celebrate Wipomo’s Mobile Energy Ecosystem during the residential 13th San Diego Sustainability Tour.

Our off-grid, Plug-In Vehicle & personal electronics charging station delivers “Power when you want it, where you want it, day or night, even during a utility blackout”.

The Wipomo Mobile Energy Ecosystem at the home showcase during SDRES Sustainability Tour 2013. People from left to right: Skip Fralick- California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), Juergen Zierler- Architect Wipomo, Hubbell and Hubbell, Jorge Perez- Landscape Designer, Charlie Johnson- Wipomo, CCSE, SDRES, Dave Roberts- County Supervisor of District 3, Stephen Johnston- Chair SDRES, Guest, Chad Castler- Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), Roger Davenport- Co-Owner Butler Sun Solutions, Cindy Davenport- Co-Owner Butler Sun Solutions, Glenn Siman-Engineers for a Sustainable World, Barry Butler- Co-Owner Butler Sun Solutions, Derek Chung- Engineers for a Sustainable World

You can save with Wipomo’s Energy Ecosystem, and now we’re bringing it to you so you can see for yourself. The Wipomo Mobile Energy Ecosystem is an on-grid and off-grid charging station that demonstrates the versatility of Wipomo’s Ecosystem. Wipomo saw the potential for a mobile demonstration unit in the first iteration of the then called Solar Slider. Two versions later, the Mobile Energy Ecosystem now has an advanced energy management system that accepts energy from solar photovoltaic modules, batteries, grid connection via a standard 120V outlet and input from an electric vehicle. The electricity flows through the whole system, recharging the batteries, powering loads and sending excess energy back to the utility, if available.

Upgrading the unit started and ended in August and Setember of 2013. Wipomo supplied the electronics that make the Energy Ecosystem possible while Roger Davenport, an advisor, designed and installed the system. The Wipomo team took the Mobile Energy Ecosystem to the Sustainability Tour at UC San Diego for the commercial tour and then to Wipomo’s Home Showcase for the residential tour (pictured above). After another round of improvements for safety and display, the Mobile Energy Ecosystem is ready for more events.

The Wipomo Mobile Energy Ecosystem
The Wipomo Mobile Energy Ecosystem

Basic (Entry Level) system:
8 x 240w PhonoSolar PV Modules = 1.92kW DC (nominal)
4 x 105Ah Trojan 27TMX 12v Batteries @ 48v = 5.04kWh capacity (nominal)
1 x SunnyBoy 2500 watt inverter at 220v
1 x SunnyIsland 4500 watt inverter / charger
1 x Wipomo EV Export Power 1kW = 2 x 500 watt power supplies @ 210-375VDC input voltage (nominal)

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LEDs save 7:1 Avoided Cost

If you are looking to eliminate your electric bill with a solar photovoltaic system, the first step is energy efficiency, to reduce the up front acquisition costs.   For every $1 spent on LEDs to replace incandescent lamps, the installed cost of the solar system is reduced by approximately $7, and for Fluorescent replacements it’s about $2.

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V-2-V Charging from the Energy Ecosystem

first ever Prius to Prius high voltage power transfer
first ever Prius to Prius high voltage power transfer
Chad Castler (ESW, UCSD), Charlie Johnson (Wipomo), Joseph Ocampo (Wipomo, ESW, UCSD).

As a tour stop at UC San Diego for the 2013 Sustainability Tour, we demonstrated vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) charging using Wipomo’s energy solution. The 2013 Sustainability Tour was organized by the San Diego Renewable Energy Society (local chapter of American Solar Energy Society). 

It was an honor to be a stop at UC San Diego in the same arena as prototype concentrating solar arrays and the UCSD fuel cell. Of course, that’s why we had to demonstrate the full capability of the Solar Slider.  -Joseph Ocampo, Wipomo Research Intern

See blog post: “Wipomo’s Energy Ecosystem – UCSD debut”

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Solar Installation Exclusive Green Energy EPC

Muqheet(Sam) Syed, President and founder of Green Energy EPC
Muqheet(Sam) Syed, President and founder of Green Energy EPC
Muqheet (Sam) Syed, President and founder of Green Energy EPC.

Sam Syed, owner of Green Energy EPC, has started and trained a community of over 200 photovoltaic systems installers and project developers in San Diego. Many of his students earn NABCEP accreditation, the highest standard of certification in the solar industry for photovoltaic systems installation. The values that Sam teaches in the classroom are the same values that Green Energy upholds outside of the classroom; “Ethical Sales, Quality Installation, and Integrity”. That’s why we are pleased to announce our partnership with Green Energy EPC for San Diego residential solar photovoltaic systems installations.

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Wipomo’s Mobile Energy Ecosystem – UCSD debut

Mobile Energy Ecosystem by Wipomo and Butler Sun Solutions
Mobile Energy Ecosystem by Wipomo and Butler Sun Solutions
The Mobile Energy Ecosystem by Wipomo and Butler Sun Solutions Inc.

Wipomo unveiled the Mobile Energy Ecosystem at UCSD, during the 13th annual San Diego Sustainability Tour, an event organized by the San Diego Renewable Energy Society.

The Mobile Energy Ecosystem is second generation off-grid electric vehicle and personal electronics charging station, designed by Wipomo and Butler Sun Solutions, Inc.

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Wipomo’s design made it possible to power a house or business from an electric vehicle. 

During the event, Wipomo demonstrated vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) high voltage power transfer, through the Mobile Energy Ecosystem.  Our design shows that electric vehicles and distributed power generation can provide wide ranging possibilities, from EV rescue, to ancillary services for the utility.
The first generation system, called the “Solar Slider“, powered up students between classes at UCSD for more than a year, and served as a renewable energy educational tool. 

The Solar Slider is the result of a SunEdison grant awarded to Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), to build a “Green Island” utility vehicle and electronics solar charging station for UCSD campus. 

ESW@UCSD students designed and built the solar PV deployment cage and hydraulic lift, attached to a single axle trailer.

Charlie Johnson, Wipomo, CEO, participated in the ESW Solar Slider project as grant writer for the SunEdison “Green Island” national contest, and as a community leader in assisting in organizing a student ASES chapter at UCSD, fulfilling his pledges as an elected board member of the San Diego Renewable Energy Society.

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Kelly Alder – Pop Idiot

Wipomo, Wall Street Journal artist Kelly Alder, Pop Idiot
Wipomo, Wall Street Journal artist Kelly Alder, Pop Idiot
Wipomo, Wall Street Journal artist / designer / illustrator Kelly Alder, Pop Idiot

Wipomo has hired Wall Street Journal artist / designer / illustrator, Kelly Alder to bring instantly recognizable emotion and insight to the world of wireless power in motion and energy efficiency.  Kelly will work with the marketing team to communicate the core message and provide support with content for a generation that loves to share.

Pop Idiot T-shirt
Pop Idiot T-shirt

You can find more stunning works by Kelly
at his websites
Pop Idiot
http://www.kellyalder.com/
http://popidiocy.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Popidiotees/134192849955203

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Solar Slider debut at UCSD

Wipomo and ESW at the debut of the Solar Slider at UCSD
Wipomo and ESW at the debut of the Solar Slider at UCSD
Charlie Johnson & Joseph Ocampo (Wipomo), Chad Castler & Ben Pollay (ESW), with Kristen Hansen & Dave Weil (UCSD).

Wipomo sponsored the unveiling of ESW’s “Solar Slider” electric vehicle and charging station at UCSD.

The “Solar Slider” popped pop-corn and cotton candy for students between classes, to demonstrate solar power generation and energy storage, in a park setting.

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Eco Orb Driver Behavior Coach

Ron Gremban and Charlie Johnson developed the Eco Orb
Ron Gremban and Charlie Johnson developed the Eco Orb
What is so special about the Eco Orb? There are dozens of well established competitors.

One way to get better fuel economy is to optimize driver performance with a OBD-II dashboard mounted driver behavior coach, code named, the “Eco Orb”.

Ron Gremban and Charlie Johnson quietly prepared their electronic control system for a crowdfunding campaign that could be a “first of it’s kind”, to be used in tandem with their Plug-In Hybrid Prius Upgrade, to improve fuel economy safely.

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How Do You Run Out of Fuel in a PHEV?

Running Out of Fuel in a Plug-In Hybrid is hard

Because there are dual fuel sources in a Plug-In Hybrid vehicle, you wouldn’t expect it’s possible to run out of both, but it’s easier than you think.  Results can vary drastically based on your personal driving habits and how often you plug-in. 

Running Out of Fuel in a Plug-In Hybrid is hard
Running Out of Fuel in a Plug-In Hybrid is harder than you think.

For example, my Toyota Prius Plug-In gets anywhere from 500 – 1000 miles per gas tank.  If most of my driving is short local trips, it’s closer to 1,000 miles.  After the gas light starts blinking, it might be 3 or 4 weeks of daily commute driving before the car actually runs out of gas. 

Under those conditions recently, the “Add Fuel” message on start up and the blinking dashboard light no longer registered a conscious warning.  I started out on a road trip and ran out of gas in the worst of all places, between towns in the California desert near Arizona and Nevada.

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21 Gun Salute: EMF

Microwave beams converge on a target.
Microwave beams converge on a target.
Microwave beams converge on a target.

Given that the near and long term trends favor rapid adoption of wireless power in transportation and charging personal electronics, what do we know about EMF as it relates to health and safety?

(See our Grants section for  Wireless Power applications in San Diego.)

At low energy wavelength, microwaves can pass right through a human body to charge personal electronics using non-ionizing radiation, without damaging human tissue.  As scary as that sounds, there is an ionizing EMF field present in cars that is much stronger.  What’s the biggest EMF source in a car?

Surprisingly, steel belted radial tires is the biggest source of EMF in a non-hybrid vehicle.  In a hybrid vehicle, if there is an AC motor, then there may be a larger EMF field. 

DC fields, like those in batteries, are similar to the Earth’s magnetic field, which is so strong it extends far into space.  Large DC fields are omnipresent and pose no danger. 

Tightly coupled magnetic induction holds the most promise for electric power transfer for transportation purposes.

A meta study of reputable medical journals found that some types of EMF have a strong correlation to childhood Leukemia.  The greatest difficulty in studying EMF is in isolating a person from the numerous and various sources.

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ESW on CarTalk for “Green Island” at UCSD

Green Island project radio on CarTalk

Joseph Ocampo takes the Green Island project to radio on CarTalk, to promote sustainability education for renewable energy and electric vehicles at UCSD. With help from Kurt Lund (SDRES, UCSD PE) and Charlie Johnson (SDRES, Wipomo), the Engineer’s for a Sustainable World take a victory lap for their grant awarded project for on-campus off-grid, solar powered, electric vehicle charging station on a mobile trailer.

Green Island project radio on CarTalk
From left to right, Kelsey Ellis (ESW), Kurt Lund (UCSD, SDRES), Lauren Rueda (ESW), Joseph Ocampo (ESW, Wipomo), Eric Tran (ESW), Hien Nguyen (ESW)
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ESW / UCSD awarded a SunEdison grant

The Engineer’s for a Sustainable World (ESW) chapter at UCSD was awarded a grant by SunEdison to build a “Green Island” off-grid electric vehicle and personal electronics charging station, to be used to by the students and staff, as part of a renewable energy education campaign to support UCSD’s campus green initiative.Charlie Johnson, on behalf of Wipomo, and as elected Board Member the San Diego Renewable Energy Society, was a grant writer for the awarded project.

Joseph Ocampo, the ESW student group project leader and Wipomo intern, worked as a liason between UCSD and for-profit corporations, to solicit additional contributions, in funding or in-kind expertise.

ESW UCSD SDRES Green Island Vehicle Charging

 

Charlie Johnson letter of support Green Island

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