September 19, 2011

Seattle firms collaborate on net zero emergency shelter

Images courtesy of Solar Secure [enlarge]

Solar Secure is a subsidiary of Seattle-based Cochran. The emergency stations were designed by Mithun and are being manufactured by Sellen.

Solar Secure, a subsidiary of Seattle-based Cochran, recently launched a solar-powered emergency assistance station that will allow people on remote trails or large campuses to call for help.

The stations were designed by Mithun and are being manufactured by Sellen.

Cochran is a security, communications and energy services provider. Ryan Foucault is the product manager who came up with the concept for Solar Secure. He said the company noticed large universities and businesses were having difficulty installing security technology in remote areas of their campuses.

Putting assistance stations in remote places generally requires trenching, sometimes through parking lots, roads or near trees. Getting to distant locations can be a daunting task, but those areas are often need security the most.

Foucault began thinking about options. He immediately considered solar but there isn't as much sun here as there is in California. Solar stations like those found on roadsides are not “robust,” Foucault said, meaning they often have a single panel and single battery that can easily fail.

Ensuring enough power required large panels, so Foucault said the team developed three structures to support them. The team did a lot of testing over the past year and a half, looking at different technologies. The result is redundant technology with backup systems that can work with only 1.2 hours of sunlight a day.

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The system offers a way to get emergency services to remote locations.

If Solar Secure loses a power link, it has backup links and five days of backup battery energy. Hydride fuel cells come online if other power systems fail.

Should anything go wrong with a structure, Foucault said the technology will immediately alert the owner.

The stations can be set up anywhere. They are net zero energy and operate via wireless communications, so installation does not require trenching or extensive site prep.

They can be customized to provide power and communications, video surveillance, LED lighting and alerts for a tsunami, earthquake or disaster. They come in three different models.

Foucault said the cost is marginally higher than being able to trench fiber and connectivity to a site, depending on how far away the location is. He said the value of the system is its minimal site impact. To install a station, a team places a few precast pillars into the ground for support. The station provides its own energy.

Foucault sees the main users being schools or businesses with large campuses, especially campuses with trails or large open spaces.

Solar Secure could be used in national parks or remote areas without cell coverage. Foucault said the product would make sense in remote parking areas and could help prevent break ins.

Foucault said the aluminum and steel for the structures is 99 percent recycled, and one of the two battery options has such low toxicity it could be planted in a garden without having a negative effect on other living things.

“Every component has really been thought of in a way to be conscious.”

Foucault said Mithun played a big part in the environmentally friendly design, and Sellen also has a strong commitment.

Scott Redman, president of Sellen, said the project was appealing because of the long relationship between his firm and Cochran and the potential to provide a sustainable solution for emergency services.

Redman said the team used an integrated design approach to develop the stations, getting everyone who was involved together in one room. Team members worked together daily to make everything fit into a small space.

Redman said for now Sellen will manufacture the shelters at its equipment yard and workshop in Mountlake Terrace. He said manufacturing is not a new strategic direction for the company.

A station takes between eight and 12 days to build. Owners can hire their own general contractor for installation.

Foucault would not quote a price for the product because he said it varies based on how a client chooses to customize. Solar Secure has sold some units and is talking with potential customers.