“Photo catalyst TiO2”: Oxidizing dirt and promoting air purification at the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District Solar Farm. Email to Willi Paul from Lana Donahue, Green EnviroTek, Inc.

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“Photo catalyst TiO2”: Oxidizing dirt and promoting air purification at the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District Solar Farm. Email to Willi Paul from Lana Donahue, Green EnviroTek, Inc.

Willi,

We have a variety of services, but I will take this opportunity to tell you about an amazing self-cleaning coating. We have an ongoing test for SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utilities District) on a west facing array of solar panels at solar farm site. The coating was applied to the panel’s approx 16 months ago, and since it is a permanent coating, will remain indefinitely for future monitoring. The scope of the test, was to document the difference in efficiency between the east & west arrays, which were both cleaned at the start of the test. Then only the west facing arrays were treated with a self cleaning coating called Photocatalyst TiO2 . The production of both arrays was then monitored for the next 14 months.

What was not known at the start of the test was the fact that there was scheduled construction along the west side of the yard not long after the test began. When this was discovered, a “visual” observation of the west array revealed they were completely covered in dirt & dust. (Not so with the east facing arrays)

This led our contact at SMUD to believe the test results would be quite slanted to the untreated side, due to the much lesser amount of dust and dirt on those panels. The results at 14 months showed that indeed the west side (in spite of the additional dirt) still had a slightly greater production than the cleaner non-treated east side . Not the dramatic difference we would normally anticipate, but under the circumstances it still shows its ability to create a self cleaning surface using only the sun and rain.

We do have a rainy month with a recorded difference of 12% more production than the non-treated array. What we can gain from this ongoing test is the ability to apply a self cleaning permanent treatment to the panels and increase their productivity, not to mention their longevity, as they will be constantly maintained with Mother Nature. As time goes on, the treated panels will continue to show greater productivity than the untreated panels, as the cleaning we gave them both at the start of the test will begin to fade on the untreated panel, making it less productive with each passing year.

While all of this is rather exciting in itself, the rest of the story comes in the form of another method of carbon sequestration . TiO2 was actually discovered in the late 1960’s in Japan, but has taken a very slow boat to the United States. The way the product works, is that when a treated surface is hit with light, it creates a photcatalytic process that allows it to literally oxidize any dirt, mold, mildew or other organic matter that comes I contact with it. The “by-product” of this constant activity is literally air purification. Every 1,000 sq ft of treated surface area has the same ability to break down carbon emissions as 30-35 full grown poplar trees purifying the air. With this in mind, treating exterior building surfaces, walkways, solar panels, skylights, and even difficult to reach windows, will put us well ahead on the path of reducing GhG emissions.

In summary, this product will:

• Create self cleaning surfaces using sunlight & natural rain
  
• Reduce labor & maintenance costs of treated skylights, windows, building exterior & solar panels
  
• Reduce water consumption to clean surfaces
  
• Increase the longevity of finished building exteriors by keeping them clean, and reducing or eliminating mold/mildew.
  
• Maintain optimum performance of solar panels to assist in goals of achieving Net Zero energy site
  
• Provide an ongoing major reduction of GhG emissions, while purifying the air.
  
• Provide for some interesting marketing spins allowing commercial users to conserve water, maintenance costs, and reduces
  
• GhG emissions on an ongoing basis.
  
• Eliminates “gassing out” issues for indoor air quality as it eliminates formaldehyde and other V.O.C.’s working with interior light (also creates optimum healthy indoor air quality)
  
• Addresses a multitude of categories in the LEED point system.

Regards, Lana
2/14/01

Lana Donahue, Sales Manager
Green EnviroTek, Inc.
Lanadonahue at greenenvirotek dot com
2701 Del Paso Rd Ste 130 #375
Sacramento, CA 95835
Cell 916-346-6910