CPI Technologies

Merritt Island, FL, USA

An Overview Of Our Solution

CPI Technologies is a Florida-based, veteran-owned small business that manufactures mobile solar-powered generators that provide green and safe off-grid islands of electrical power. These reusable generators are stored in a small space and are easily deployed in minutes on non-prepared sites with no expertise required – and are just as easily retracted and stored after the disaster is mitigated. These sources of electric power provide critical electricity to both novice and expert alike, and maintain the operation of life-critical machines and communication devices necessary to survive disasters of any type. A video showing the easy deployment of one of our small units may be seen at: http://youtu.be/FSMA4n-E6Bk

Who is this solution impacting?

Ecosystem

Urban/Built Environment

Community Type

Rural

Address

3710 N Courtenay Pkwy
Merritt Island, FL 32953
Estados Unidos

Email

daburton@cpitechnologies.com

Hazard

Storm Surge

Identify the likelihood and frequency of this hazard

Power black-outs are caused by all of the hazards named, and such black-outs cause critical medical machines, communication devices such as radios and cell phones, and food & medicine refrigeration to stop working. The likelihood that any area will lose power at least briefly in the next year is 75%. Longer outages are hard to quantify, but happen somewhere every week.

Explain how vulnerable the community is to this hazard

Every person, and community, that gets their electrical power exclusively from the power grid is vulnerable to losing that power during any of the hazards outlined. Consequently those people will lose the ability to sustain machinery operation that may be vital to their survival.

List the potential affects of this hazard

The effects from loss of electrical power include death as a result of loss of refrigerated medicines and non-operation of medical machines (e.g. dialysis), and food poisoning when eating spoiled food that should have been refrigerated. There is also the effect of communication loss if radios and cell phones cannot operate.

Identify how sensitive the community is to these affects

Every community that is accustomed to having electrical power, and which has come to need it to provide everyday necessities, is vulnerable.

Preparedness Goal

Supplying reliable, easy-to-use solar electrical generators that don’t require fossil fuels – meaning they are green, quiet, and efficient.

Implementation Actions

Our solution provides large, or small amounts, of clean and green standard electrical power to individuals and/or communities that suddenly find themselves “off the grid” because of some natural or man-made catastrophe. Our solutions also provide the same power to communities that are so far removed from a power grid that it is not feasible to get it.

Describe Your Solution

Weather-related disaster events almost always result in loss of electrical power, in addition to other hazards such as homes being made uninhabitable or being destroyed (e.g. Hurricane Sandy). In such situations the authorities may be too busy to solve your dilemma because of the magnitude of the event on many people. So, being prepared on a local (or personal) level to protect yourself is the only certain way to lessen your risk. We provide clean power “on your site” with no requirement of any “outside” help for the duration of the weather event. You don’t need to truck in additional fossil fuel, and as a result you will maintain energy independence when others cannot.

Economic?

Delivery of electrical power when none is available from the power grid can save expensive medicines and food that need refrigeration – or they must be disposed of. A partial list of 50 such drugs may be found at: http://www.cvs.com/help/help_subtopic_details.jsp?subtopicName=Refrigerated+medications&topicid=400035. There is also the economic impact of powering emergency communication gear that would otherwise require expensive (and dangerous) on-site visual inspection by emergency responders in order to verify the needs of people caught up by the hazard.

Environmental?

Our solutions are environmentally “green”, and do not require any fossil fuels (meaning no operational carbon footprint, no noise and no diesel smell from generators) for continuous short- or long-term use. You do not need to prepare a site nor have an expert to install the systems. You do not need fossil fuel to be delivered to your site. Our generators store easily when not in use into small spaces.

What were the negative or unintended impacts (if any) associated with implementing this solution?

No unintended impacts to our solution have come to light.

Return on Investment: How much did it cost to implement these activities? How do your results above compare to this investment?

Costs of our mobile solar generators depend on: ① the amount of power that you need to generate, and ② the amount of power that you want to store for use when the sun is not available (for example at night). A small unit (500 watts) with no battery storage is about $2,000. Large units deliver 50,000 watts with many hours of power storage, and may run $500K. ROI on the small unit is less than a week if you prevent spoilage of required medicines or food. ROI on the large units depends on the length of time they are run. If implemented in an off-grid hospital, for example, where no other electrical power other than diesel generators are available, ROI may be one year.

What are the main factors needed to successfully replicate this solution

This solution is simply and easily implemented anywhere in the world. The only things needed are: ① A small place to store the unit when not in use, and between uses, and ② An area to deploy the unit(s) when needed, and ③ An extension cord to plug into the unit. The need for emergency standard electrical power is universal. From cell phone charging to refrigeration for medicines and food it is needed everywhere to protect the lives and well being of people caught up in emergencies.