I admit it. I’m a little nutty, not just for solar, but also for Big Ten sports, and in particular for the Ohio State Buckeyes. For those non-sports fans not as familiar with Big Ten teams, my Inovateus Solar Poster was specifically inspired by the loveable and very nutty “Brutus the Buckeye,” Ohio State’s mascot. Brutus is literally a nut—or …
Locally grown power: Inovateus plants solar in Kokomo brownfield
While the Inovateus team loves to develop, build and supply solar projects throughout several regions of the U.S. and the world, we are especially excited when we have a chance to be a part of a solar farm in our own back forty. The recent news about the close of financing for the project under way in Kokomo, Indiana, highlights …
Inovateus solar posters: Lindsey Foley says ‘Boiler Up!’
There are a lot of sports enthusiasts at Inovateus, both as spectators and participants, and I count myself among them. I’d say solar, sports and music may be the three most popular passions and pastimes at the company. (OK, and food too.) The choices for our solar posters reflect those interests, including mine. Since we’re based in South Bend, many …
Solar posters worth 1,000 words… and inspiration
If you’ve ever visited Inovateus’ South Bend, Indiana headquarters (and we hope you will!), you’ll notice there are many solar-themed posters on the wall. These aren’t your typical commercial or utility-scale solar project posters, although we have those too. These are different. As you can see, all of these examples are bright, fun and often “punny” illustrations that solarize some …
Inovateus Partner Spotlight: Jefferson Electric spreads solar across the Hoosier State
Welcome to a new blog series, the Inovateus Solar Partner Spotlight, where we celebrate our solar installer partners who transform empty roofs and fields into reliable solar installations throughout the U.S. and abroad. For our first post, we are excited to introduce Joel Walsman from Indianapolis-based Jefferson Electric LLC. When Joel decided to turn the company from a full-service electrical …
TJ speaks to Solar Wakeup, Part 2: Midwest businesses and universities are coming around to solar
Solar in the Midwest is on the cusp of a major boom. In the first post of this two-part blog, I talked about the evolution of utilities’ attitudes about solar in the Midwest and how the solar industry can encourage utilities to accelerate solar deployment. My comments were based on the discussion I had with native Midwesterner Frank Andorka, a …
TJ speaks to Solar Wakeup, Part 1: Midwest utilities are starting to embrace solar
I sat down recently with native Ohioan Frank Andorka, a well-known journalist who covers solar and clean energy, to discuss the progress and possibilities of Midwest solar. The topic: How can we help utilities, businesses and universities develop more solar? While the Midwest has often been an overlooked region for solar, the times they are a-changin’. The list of our …
Solar Power International 2016 recap: SPI through a buyer’s eyes
As a buyer in the solar industry, the Solar Power International (SPI) show typically held in late summer/early fall continues be one of my favorite events of the year. Each year, thousands of manufacturers, distributors, developers, installers, and other prominent market figures gather in one central location to discuss new products, market trends, pricing, projects, and other hot industry topics. …
Motown goes solar: O’Shea solar project to transform abandoned urban park
DETROIT—Inovateus sees community relationships as an essential part of its strategy to accelerate the deployment of solar and build a brilliant tomorrow in the Midwest and beyond. But few projects have joined together the solar revolution and community redevelopment as profoundly as the O’Shea solar project now under way in west Detroit. By the end of this year, what has …
Solar Power International 2016: Four reasons why we’re stoked to be at the big show this week
Inovateus Solar may not be exhibiting at Solar Power International this year, but we’re still coming to Las Vegas with a strong contingent. There’s so much going on, we’ll be keeping busy, regardless of the lack of our own booth. As we look forward to the week ahead, here are four reasons why we’re stoked to be at the U.S. solar industry’s …
New Dawn 2016: Inovateus and Rev. Ray return to California for Powerhouse party
If you were in Oakland, Calif., on August 26, you may have caught an encore performance by the award-winning Rev. Ray and the Everlasting Incentives, the Inovateus band made up of the people (like me, the keyboard player) whose day job is to “build a brilliant tomorrow” through developing, deploying and supplying solar—but also through music and service. By playing at the …
From blight to light: Giving back through solar to Life Remodeled’s Skinner Park project
Life Remodeled is a Detroit nonprofit group that organizes thousands of volunteers to revitalize blighted Motown neighborhoods each year. During the first week of August, 10,700 volunteers tackled blight within more than 300 blocks of the Denby neighborhood in northeast Detroit by boarding up 300 vacant houses and outlining safe and marked pathways to area schools. The centerpiece of this year’s …