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In late June 2021, EBSCO Information Services will announce the winners of their fifth annual EBSCO Solar Grant program. The 2021 program, a part of the EBSCO Solar initiative, accepted applications until May, granting a total of $200,000 in solar installation grants for libraries worldwide.

These grants will assist the winning institutions to cut their energy costs through the installation of solar arrays. Since 2016, when EBSCO initiated the EBSCO Solar grant program, more than one million dollars have been given in grants.

Last year over 90 applications from 18 countries were received. The 2020 grant winners were: H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, Learning Resource Centre (Tortola, British Virgin Islands); Independence Public Library (Independence, Belize); Pacific Theological College (Suva, Fiji Islands); Petersborough Town Library (Petersborough, New Hampshire, USA); and The Valley Library at Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon, USA).

According to Tim Collins, EBSCO Information Services President, these institutions set an example for their communities by reducing their carbon footprint. Solar power is an excellent way to demonstrate the importance of green technology. Through these solar grants, EBSCO is investing in worldwide communities that seek alternative energy and ways to provide education on solar benefits to their communities.

For more information on this program, visit the EBSCO Solar webpage at www.ebsco.com/solar.

The city of Gainesville has partnered with Pure Energy Solar to provide solar charging stations.

These will allow citizens and visitors to charge their phones, laptops, and other electronic devices, as well as battery powered wheelchairs.

They are completely solar powered and will continue to work as a source of power during outages.

The solar stations are set up at popular locations throughout the city like cone and depot parks.

For more information on these solar charging stations visit: www.solarchargingstation.net.

The stations will be available for at least six months

When Davonta Jordan used to leave his shift at Steak ‘n Shake, his phone was always low on power.

About a month ago, Jordan, 21, started using a solar charging station at the Butler Plaza bus stop during his commute. The station is one of 10 installed by the city as part of a six-month pilot program with solar panel design company Pure Energy Solar, wrote Lynn Janoski, the  marketing director, in an email.

The smart charger stations, which are standing tables with outlets and USB charging ports underneath a solar panel, were added within the past two months to Depot Park, Possum Creek Park, Fred Cone Park, Westside Recreation Center, Butler Plaza, Rosa Parks Regional Transit System  downtown station, the Helyx Bridge, Gainesville City Hall and the Dwight H. Hunter Pool, Janoski said.

The Sixth Street bus stop has a solar bench, she said.

“When (the stations) were being installed people came up to us to let us know how excited they were to have them to charge cellphones,” Janoski said.

The smart charger stations start at $3,895, and the solar bench costs $10,000, according to Pure Energy’s website.

Chip Skinner, a city spokesperson, said after the trial ends, the city may buy the stations for a discounted price.

“I’m sure that (the stations are) very popular among residents and visitors and those that use public transportation because I see people using them all the time,” Skinner said.

Free access is part of pilot program that could be expanded.

How’s your cellphone charge holding up? Maybe you need to swing by Depot Park, Butler Plaza or the Helyx Bridge over SW 13th Street for a boost.

Solar-powered charging stations scattered across Gainesville are available for free use — day or night.

The city of Gainesville and Pure Energy Solar are partnering for a six-month pilot program to bring solar charging stations to at least 10 locations. They are up and running now.

“We’re very excited about it,” city spokesman Bob Woods said.

The stations allow residents to charge their phones, tablets and other mobile devices for free while on the go.

The nine “smart charger” stations are at Depot Park, City Hall, Fred Cone Park, Butler Plaza, Possum Creek Park, Westside Park, Helyx Bridge, the Rosa Parks RTS Downtown Station and the Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool. A 10th station, a charging bench, will be at the Sixth Street rail trail.

The stations are powered by solar energy with battery storage, allowing use at night or on a cloudy day.

The test run is funded by Pure Energy Solar, a Gainesville-based company, at no cost to taxpayers.

When the test is over, the city may buy some of the stations or extend the pilot program. The smaller charging stations cost $3,900 each and the larger benches are $10,000.

In September, more than 50,000 Gainesville utility customers lost power to their homes for several days, many unable to charge devices to contact friends and family. Woods said the stations would be helpful during such events.

“I think the idea was having those charging stations around the community to provide folks some options to charge up their devices … if power went out,” he said.

City officials and Pure Energy are looking for suggestions and comments about the stations during the trial run. For more information, visit www.solarchargingstation.net.

The city of Gainesville has partnered with Pure Energy Solar to provide solar-powered charging stations in areas frequented by pedestrians, bicyclists and those waiting on buses.

The stations — installed as a six-month trial — store energy from the sun, and they can be utilized any time: at night, on a cloudy day and during an electrical outage. Users can charge their phones, laptops and battery-powered wheelchairs for free.

The 10 stations are located throughout the city: at parks, a bus stop, City Hall, the Helyx Bridge over Southwest 13th Street and Butler Plaza. The city is monitoring the usage to help determine if the stations will become permanent fixtures.

“You could be out of lights or something, all you can do is just come downtown … and charge your stuff,” Gainesville resident Brenda Smith said. “So it’s a really good thing,”

Pure Energy Solar, a business on Northwest 23rd Avenue, allowed Gainesville to use the charging stations for the trial, which is set to go through March 2018.

“This is a way Pure Solar could come in and demonstrate their product and then offer it if the city chooses after six months to purchase these stations around the city,” Gainesville spokesperson Chip Skinner said.

The units typically cost between $3,000 and $10,000, depending on the size.

The Lincoln Electric System introduced its first solar-powered charging bench in Holmes Park on Tuesday afternoon.

The utility purchased the bench, along with four solar-powered mobile charging stations, using the savings realized by customers switching to paperless billing, said LES spokeswoman Kelley Porter.

LES promised customers it would set aside its first year of savings to purchase the solar-powered charging equipment and also donate trees to Lincoln parks, CEO Kevin Wailes said.

“We had to think of ways to get people to subscribe to paperless billing,” he said.

The paperless billing campaign was introduced last July. The company saves money by not printing bills, printing and purchasing envelopes and the cost of postage, Porter said.

The solar-powered charging bench sits on the playground on the north side of Holmes Lake and has four AC outlets and 24 USB ports. People can bring their own charging cords and charge cellphones, laptops, tablets or even electric wheelchairs.

LES has installed one of the four mobile charging stations at Haymarket Park, down the left-field line, Porter said. The stations can charge both Apple and Android phones and have about a four-hour charge time.

LES will maintain the benches and stands, she said. The company is also scouting out a location to put a second bench.

LES has saved $100,000 from the paperless billing campaign, and the solar-powered equipment cost $34,000.

The company will also donate $7,500 to the Lincoln Parks and Recreation’s Two for Trees program, which allows customers of the Lincoln Water System to add $2 to their bill to help plant trees.

The trees will be planted across the city, Parks and Recreation Director Lynn Johnson said, with the first tree planted at Holmes Park.

The remainder of the $100,000 LES savings will be reinvested into the city-owned utility, Porter said.