GivePower is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that develops clean water and energy systems in communities across the world.[1] GivePower has installed 2,650 solar power installations in villages across 17 different countries and in underdeveloped areas of the United States.[2][3]
 | |
| Predecessor | SolarCity (non-profit branch) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
Key people | Hayes Barnard (president) |
| Website | givepower |
History
editGivePower was co-founded in 2013 in California[4] by Hayes Barnard and Lyndon Rive as the non-profit branch of SolarCity, which was created in 2006 by Elon Musk. After SolarCity merged with Tesla in 2016, GivePower was spun off into an independent organization just before the merger was completed.[2][5] The president of GivePower is Hayes Barnard.[2]
In 2014, the organization's first focus was to provide one school with solar-powered lighting for every megawatt of solar system installed by SolarCity that year.[6]
In 2021, GivePower was listed as a finalist in Fast Company's 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.[7]
Projects
editIn 2016, GivePower began developing solar powered desalination technology that could be exported to developing regions.[3] The desalination systems are contained within 20-foot shipping containers and can desalinate up to 75,000 gallons of seawater and/or brackish water into potable water per day.[8]
In 2018, GivePower installed its first desalination plant in Kiunga, Kenya,[2] which is also solar powered.[9] The project cost $500,000 and took one month to construct.[10] As of 2019, the Kiunga plant could produce enough drinking water for up to 50,000 people per day and requires minimal maintenance.[3]
As of 2018, GivePower had installed 2650 solar power installations in villages through seventeen different countries for institutions like primary schools and medical clinics.[2] They have also developed solar installations in underdeveloped areas of the United States, including the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.[11] Once installations are completed, GivePower transfers the maintenance and running of them to local communities.[12]
In 2019, GivePower built a 300 kilowatt solar farm on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation which became the largest solar installation in North Dakota. The project was a partnership between Empowered by Light and GivePower, and the total cost was $470,000. The maintenance of the solar farm also created jobs for the Sioux Nation Tribe.[1] The same year, the organization partnered with World Hope International to build a solar-powered desalination center in Haiti. The water plant was fully operational and self-sufficient by 2020.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b Steve Hanley (July 20, 2019). "Solar Power Comes To Standing Rock Reservation". Clean Technica.
- ^ a b c d e Morgan McFall-Johnsen (August 1, 2019). "A solar-powered system can turn salt water into fresh drinking water for 25,000 people per day. It could help address the world's looming water crisis". Business Insider.
- ^ a b c Mike Brown (July 10, 2019). "Spaceship-Like Tesla Powerwall Setup Produces 50K Liters of Clean Water a Day". Inverse.
- ^ Ian Clover. "SolarCity launches Give Power Foundation". PV Magazine. December 18, 2013. Original url: www.pv-magazine.com/2013/12/18/solarcity-launches-give-power-foundation_100013758/
- ^ Rachel Nuwer (January 31, 2018). "Boosting Desalination with the Sun: Solar power could open the floodgates for desalination, giving people access to clean, cheap water". Nova.
- ^ "SolarCity To Provide Solar Lighting To Schools Without Electricity". CleanTechnica. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- ^ "World Changing Ideas Awards 2021: Developing-World Technology Finalists and Honorable Mentions". Fast Company. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ^ "In Kenya, the precious solar energy plant makes ocean water drinkable". Inceptive Mind. 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- ^ Jennifer Hermes (July 12, 2019). "Product Announcement: Solar Farms Help Solve Water Crisis, Says GivePower". Environmental+Energy Leader.
- ^ "Solar-power desalination produces 20,000 gallons of fresh water each day". Earth.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
- ^ James Ellsmoor (July 27, 2019). "Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Fights Back With Clean Energy". Forbes.
- ^ Matthew DeBord (July 22, 2019). "This former SolarCity exec is trying to reinvent 2 parts of the solar business". Business Insider.
- ^ "Haiti: World Hope International and GivePower's Solar Desalination Center Provides Clean Water Sustainably". WASH in Health Care Facilities. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
