Just the beginning.
Solutions for our changing world.
As I watch the news today and see the devastating impact of Hurricane Laura, I can’t help but remind myself that this is just the beginning.
Study over study shows volatile weather is our future. Sadly, it’s the consequence of not heeding the warnings of climate change and as a result, we’re seeing unprecedented summer heat, extreme winters, devastating droughts and wildfires, and increasingly powerful weather events like Hurricane Laura that hit the Gulf Coast today.
While the ideal fix is halting climate change that doesn’t help those in the immediate wake of these wild weather-related disasters. Nor does it help those in California and other states facing power outages resulting from damaged infrastructure or rolling brownouts because of the increasing demand to cool or heat our homes and businesses in the midst of these weather extremes.
Stopping climate change at this point is the long game. In the near term, it’s critical to dual path and find solutions to help us bridge the gap as we work towards the bigger goal of saving our planet.
So how do we make that happen? Today, nearly 700,000 homes and businesses are without power along the Gulf Coast. For some who’ve lost their homes, there is no immediate gap-filler, and my heart breaks for them as they ride out this storm and face the agony of rebuilding, but as they do, it’s evident that backup power is an essential 'must have' as we move forward. There is no perfect solution, but just imagine how many of those on the periphery could be up and running today with solar power charged battery systems not to mention, the life saving benefits this solution could bring to essential businesses, emergency services, nursing homes and hospitals.
At Nikola Power, we've been working hard this year to find solutions to meet this new reality. Home Intellect, our latest software product, is just one example. It’s an artificial intelligence-driven solution that synthesizes hundreds of data points to power homes intelligently. How? It works collaboratively with residential solar and battery storage systems to optimize and forecast energy needs and economics, all while seamlessly allowing homeowners to shift to back-up power mode. This allows homeowners to save money and improve their home’s energy in real time. And it’s so intuitive, that it also learns and adapts to how homeowners use power and adjusts the system as needed, like now with so many officing from home – during peak energy hours – in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And for those facing devastation like we’re watching on the news today; it could be a game changer. With the ability to automatically shift from the grid to battery mode – we could keep homes running, support families as they evacuate and/or prepare for these events, and most importantly, power lifesaving resources for those at home with assistive technology and medical devices – all without having to risk storing or managing dirty diesel or gasoline to power generators which are also damaging the planet.
I am so proud of my team at Nikola Power and all their efforts. While we are all working to stop climate change in the long-run, Nikola Power’s Home Intellect product and our commercial applications, can help us bridge the gap – saving money, providing emergency power and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
And today, I encourage everyone to do two things: donate blood and support disaster relief organizations like the American Red Cross who are on the ground helping those in Laura’s path.
About Jonathan W. Postal (J.W.). J.W. is the founder and CEO of Nikola Power a Colorado clean technology company, backed by Techstars. In his prior roles, he was responsible for the origination, development, financing of 200+ MW of solar energy projects nationwide. He also co-founded Main Street Power, a distributed solar development firm which was acquired by AES Corp. J.W. is also actively involved in Colorado and national solar and storage policy and was twice elected to the COSSA board. J.W. is Executive Chairman of BecauseSolar a local solar & storage integrator. He and his family reside in Colorado where they enjoy the outdoors and maintain an environmentally responsible lifestyle.
About Nikola Power. Nikola Power is a Denver-based Colorado energy, technology and innovation company specializing in building a suite of software tools for the expanding energy storage industry. Nikola Power is building solutions, bringing to live their vision of a 100% renewable energy-powered world.