Innovate: Sun shines on this idea
Some people modify cars to run on alternative fuels.
Fred Edman, president of Wright Construction Group, wanted to use an alternative energy source another way.
So he took an 8 by 40 foot shipping container, remodeled the inside and put 12 solar panels on the roof to create a construction office powered by the sun. His last power bill was under $9.
He loaded it up on a flatbed trailer, dropped it off on a scrubby six-acre site off Alico Road and proceeded to manage the construction of a $12.5 million, alternative energy research institute for Florida Gulf Coast University.
FPL tells him it’s the first solar powered mobile office connected to its power grid, Edman said.
“It just made sense. It just seemed like a natural,” Edman said.
The appeal was so apparent to Edman that he included the solar office in Wright’s proposal to FGCU to manage the project, which is on scheduled for completion by December.
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When Shell Point Retirement Community wanted to put a half-ton sculpture of a Florida panther on the sign at its Estuary housing area Wright had to figure out how to lower the cat into place and still get the straps out from under it without causing any damage, said Bob Southern, project development director for Shell Point.
They came up with an idea where they bought a bunch of sheet cake pans, filled them with water and froze them,” Southern recalled. They laid the blocks out so the straps ran between them and could be removed before the ice melted and the statue settled into place.
“It was genius,” Southern said. “We started with Wright Construction in the mid-80s with the first renovation of the skilled nursing facility. They’ve done the majority of renovations here since then.
What I most appreciate about them is how they work hard to be as close to perfect as they can.”
The idea for the solar office flared in 2007 when Wright Construction teamed with Habitat for Humanity for a builders blitz, Edman said.
“That’s when it debuted. We put five or six solar panels on it and batteries. We built the house in five days using solar power,” Edman said. “We built the entire house in five days without any power from FPL.”
The idea faded though in 2008 with the arrival of the Great Recession and stayed on the back burner until the FGCU Innovation Institute project came along. Wright wanted to revive the solar powered office and include it as part its proposal to manage the project. A three dimensional model was created and included in the presentation.
Shipping containers more commonly are used to store tools, equipment and materials. They are made of corrugated steel. When packed with goods and products they are stacked on freighters for shipment between ports.
Wright converted their container into a long, narrow office with a rest room, conference area, desk, LED lighting and office machines. There is space to store batteries if so desired someday. A thin wall was created inside and filled with R11 insulation. The ceiling is rated R20. A thermostat and air conditioner keep the inside comfortable even in the heat of summer, Edman said. Windows and a door were added.
“It’s a little tight,” Edman conceded. “I’ve always been fascinated by solar power.”
But fascination is tempered by the economics of creating the office. Wright is unlikely to convert more containers until the cost of the solar panels comes down, Edman said. The 21 panels on the roof of the construction office cost $12,000. At one time he considered applying for money from a state solar energy incentive program so he could build a system able to produce 20 kilowatts of power. The state ran out of money.
The solar construction office produces six kilovolts.
“This is using about two KW. We’re putting two thirds of the power generated back into the grid,” Edman said. The last power bill for the construction was $8.57 to cover administrative costs.
That production has allowed Wright to build up a reserve of 903 KW. At some point Wright will either asked to be paid the value of the reserve or use the reserve as a credit toward its other power bills.
While Edman doesn’t plan to make any more shipping containers into portable construction site offices, the existing one will be used again. The next most likely stop will be at Southwest Florida International Airport, where Wright Construction is scheduled to work on the terminal access road.
“It’s just cool,” Edman said.
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Wright Construction Group
Location: 5811 Youngquist Road, Fort Myers
Phone: (239)-481-5000
Email: info@wrightg.com
Web: wright.com
Also located at 1105-L Taylor Road, Punta Gorda; Phone: 941-637-4728