Energy Innovations is still figuring out where high-concentration photovoltaics can work effectively in a world where the price of crystalline silicon modules continues to plunge.

I passed by their booth today and spent a few minutes speaking to the firm's CEO, Joseph Budano. The firm still has Idealab and MDV as investors, as well as a strong board — and a lot of tenacity as they soldier on and search for the right applications for CPV.

The firm provides options including a ground mount, a roof mount, and a carport assembly for their 2-axis CPV assemblies.

Ground mount is traditional:

Roof mount is not so traditional, but a bit reminiscent of the sad saga of Soliant:

And a carport is pretty imaginative:

This particular carport is in Palm Desert, California and is 300 kilowatts peak of CPV. Each unit is a compact 300 watts and, like all triple-junction cell-based systems, performs better than silicon in high heat.

We've long maintained that CPV is a niche product, albeit with some potentially large niches. And carports in high DNI areas is not a bad niche.

Go Green

A: Everyday, I am in contact with people who want to live green…they really want to do the right thing. In talking with them, I realized that most people don’t know the basics of green. The most common question I am asked is “How do I know if this product is really green?”

My book, Really Green, is the answer to this question. It covers all the basics anyone needs to know to tell the difference between products with real environmental and health benefits and those with misleading green hype. It covers everything from defining biodegradable to how to identify greenwashing. But most importantly, it outlines the basic principles that define green products, so anyone can have confidence they can recognize a green product when they see one.

Q: So, tell the world what “green” really means?

A: In the broadest sense, green includes any product, service, or activity that is supportive of life, both human and otherwise. So this would include everything from helping the environment to human health and social issues. “Green” is the umbrella that encompasses everything in these fields, including organic, recycled, biodegradable, fair trade, and other life-supporting practices.

Q: Is there a standard by which we measure what is really green?

Yes, and it is not based on opinion. All we need to do is look at nature to see that a green product would be made from resources that are rapidly renewable, taken sustainably, made with efficient use of resources, and other practical guidelines. There can be no more solid and true foundation for what constitutes a green product.

Q: What excited me the most about your book was to learn that I am not this thing called a “consumer.” How can we become more human in living and less the consumer we’ve been taught to be?

A: Our whole consumer identity of having our lives revolve around the buying of things is simply not our natural state. We don’t have to buy our lives, we can live our lives. Consumers rely on others to provide for them, but as humans we can think for ourselves, feel for ourselves, create for ourselves, and act from caring about the well-being of all life.

Q: And, with all the years you’ve been in the business, why did you choose to write this book now?

A: Quite suddenly I felt a new urgency…we all need to go green right now! This past winter I spent some time in San Francisco. Amazingly, in December, the camellias were blooming, the fruit trees blossoming, and the fields were yellow with mustard flowers. I was shocked! None of these things are supposed to happen until February. I lived in Northern California for 47 years and I know when the flowers bloom. The earth is changing.

This is more than a book to me, it’s a mission. I feel called to do this at the deepest level of my being. The Earth is calling all of us.

Really Green by Debra Lynn Dadd can be ordered online at http://www.dld123.com/reallygreen