For as long as anyone can remember, rumbling diesel generators have powered movie base camps; the “traveling back stage” of talent trailers, makeup, costume, production and catering that support a production as it moves from location to location.

Now, in the same way the Prius® has taken the automobile world by storm, Pure Power Distribution (Santa Monica, CA) has delivered the Solar Hybrid Base Camp Power System™ that can be scaled to power the base camp of any size production.

Solar First

The Pure Power Solar Hybrid Base Camp Power System automatically prioritizes solar power to reduce the use of fossil fuel and its effects, while ensuring consistent power. The System includes:

• Our most advanced Solar Hybrid Mobile Solar Power System™ – , which is Green Seal-certified by the Environmental Media Association, is an integrated solar/biodiesel power plant capable of producing 166 Amps (18,000 Watts STC) of consistent power and 327 Amps surge (36,000 Watts, STC). When configured with eco-fitted Solar Star Waggons, the Hybrid S10 can recharge from solar at up to 7200 Watts per hour (STC).
• Solar Star Waggons, eco-fitted with solar panels to produce an additional 2,400 watts of solar power per trailer
• Real-time reporting: clients receive real time online web-based reporting from Solar Hybrid Base Camp Power System tracking the solar power produced, the power used, CO2 and other environmental impacts via a custom web portal that is password-protected for the client if needed.

• $1.5 billion for U.S.-based manufacturers to produce batteries and components
• $500 million to help produce other electric vehicle (EV) components such as electric motors
• $400 million to demonstrate and evaluate plug-in hybrids and other electric infrastructure concepts which could include charging stations, electric rail and training for technicians to build and repair EVs

In terms of air pollution, electric cars are a brilliant alternative to diesel or gas motors. Which highlights the issue on any truly sustainable EV owner’s mind is: FUEL.

It may be very cool to drive an EV, but if your power source is electricity from coal-fired power plants, then you’re substituting one source of air pollution for another when you drive.

The sensible thing to consider is the greener alternative: SOLAR.

• “Diesel exhaust is the most potent carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) in air pollution. And because diesel engines are so often operated where people live, play, work or go to school, they pose particular dangers to human health.”           – Environmental Defense Fund
• “Diesel exhaust and many individual substances contained in it (including arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde and nickel) have the potential to contribute to mutations in cells that can lead to cancer. In fact, long-term exposure to diesel exhaust particles poses the highest cancer risk of any toxic air contaminant evaluated by OEHHA. ARB estimates that about 70 percent of the cancer risk that the average Californian faces from breathing toxic air pollutants stems from diesel exhaust particles.” – CA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

The most potent material in the diesel exhaust is particulate matter (soot), which is absorbed by lung tissue, and also falls to the ground, on leaves, and into waterways.

If you are using diesel on your vineyard, ranch or farm, consider that Mobile Solar Power Systems by Pure Power Distribution provide clean power with:

• No noise
• No fume
• No toxic air emissions of any kind
• … and at the same cost as a comparable diesel gen-set.

The production, made in conjunction with a nationwide campus competition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions called Chillout, had a wide variety of stars, producers, musicians, directors and producers involved.

Check the video on YouTube

Working with the Green Screen

Kudos to the ridiculously talented Melissa Balin, the diverse and dedicated stars, and her exceptional crew who brought together the National Wildlife Federation’s webcast for the “Chillout 2009.”

“The webcast is a low carbon footprint production, going well beyond the industry’s sustainable filmmaking guidelines, and has been recognized by the Environmental Media Association’s Green Seal Program for using the film industry’s best environmental practices. The production used the Red Camera–a 4K camera system that is filmless and tapeless, cabling directly into a hard drive, eliminating wasted film, tape, and chemicals. The lighting was Lite Panels’ LED system, and the lights and production were powered by solar energy thanks to a solar generator provided by Pure Power Distribution and a portable solar-capturing tent from FTL Solar. Even the teleprompters were made from recycled materials!”

Check out the Chillout webcast here:

http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/chillout/index.cfm

We set up a demo at the State Sheriff’s HQ with a 10kw Mobile Solar Power System, which was positioned in front of the building where we spoke to the group.

During dialogue with these State professionals, we heard need for our mobile solar solution ranging from disaster preparedness, remote communications, power to fire command centers, power to civic and traffic control events, as well as search and rescue operations.  We are responding to inquiries about power requirements relative to sustained output.   The overall response and assessment of the trailer very positive.

Mobile solar is a diesel alternative for off-grid power

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is constructing a new facility in Salinas, California. This new facility is specially designed to help treat and rehabilitate injured wild animals. With traditional animal trails bisected by freeways, power lines and housing, the opportunity for human/animal contact (with bad results to the animal) is constantly rising.

One might imagine an unpleasant aftertaste from sampling the finest wines and foods amidst the noise and smell of diesel generators. Now,

The story was well-captured here in this article in the local news.

But in thinking about going totally off-grid with no dependence on fossil fuels, it’s humbling to see that the small island nation of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, has all of us squarely in the rear-view mirror.

Check this: “By the end of 2009 44% of the island’s energy will be produced by wind turbines. The remaining 56% will be produced by bio-diesel fuel derived from algae, an organism that does not take food out of the supply chain, enabling the island to shift 100% sustainable energy supply within five years.”

Back to work!

The impact of the event was captured nicely on the local news.

This was the first time our new Super 10 was demonstrated, and it “barely broke a sweat” in providing an average of 30 amps of power to the kitchen. The Super 10, specially configured for the entertainment industry, is 3-phase and provides 26,000 watts of power at surge, and 13,500 watts continuous (72 amps per leg surge, and 37.5 amps per leg continuous), and 1,020 amp-hours of power. Cam locks, a spider box and other industry specific features are also included.