Tag: 3BL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., August 14, 2023 /3BL/ – Thanks to efforts by prominent Black social impact developers Pastor Clinton Bush and his brother, Anthony B. Miles, the Preventative Health Hub® concept is coming to Jacksonville’s downtown and urban core. The longtime Jacksonville residents are co-architects of this innovative compact master plan development approach to community health, which they have recently pioneered in Philadelphia. Healthy and sustainable workforce multifamily housing units for service workers and independent 55+ fully furnished senior residences will anchor the Jacksonville hub.

“The Preventative Health Hub® introduces new workforce and senior housing options into downtown and the urban core, providing healthcare workers, first responders, police officers, fire department employees and teachers affordable places to live that provide them an opportunity to be more fully integrated into the communities they serve,” said Pastor Bush, whose long service to the Jacksonville community has given him a unique perspective on just how much return on impact this approach can have on a community’s overall health and its sense of purpose and pride.

“I saw the importance of this kind of community investment when, 18 years ago, Anthony and I founded then ran City Kidz Ice Cream Cafe, which incorporated a food science education laboratory that has been held up as a national model,” he continued. “Now we want to put this kind of social impact investment to work at a much larger scale.”

Healthy, sustainable development 

“Can you imagine the behemoth benefits for our workforce, our healthcare systems, our business sector, our residents and our communities if we expand the city’s affordable housing infrastructure in a way that is healthier for both the people and the planet?” said Pastor Bush. “Building healthy, sustainable communities from the ground up and from the inside out is an investment that will have an outsized social impact that will directly benefit our city’s residents, large and small businesses, and the public sector. But it will also add to Jacksonville’s growing reputation as a healthcare hub, increase its contributions as an economic development engine for the state, and serve as a national model for how to approach community development going forward.”

Pastor Bush noted that the new construction will use the latest innovations in sustainable building materials, including Thermasteel panels and CLT or hybrid mass timber products. The goal is to substantially minimize the use of steel and concrete for the buildings, because those materials significantly increase the embodied carbon of a project — by up to 75% in some cases, according to a recent article in Architects Journal.

Using far less concrete than is typical in projects of this type helps balance the environmental impact when concrete is the only option, such as roads, tunnels and storm water drainage, and building that infrastructure is equally important to Jacksonville’s growth agenda.

“Building more sustainably is a critical part of how we address climate change,” said Pastor Bush, “and striving for decarbonization through our building practices is where developers can make a significant contribution. But prioritizing the health of the planet is only part of the equation. We also must prioritize the health of the people who will live in the Preventative Health Hub®, because the places and spaces where we live our lives are fundamental parts of the public health toolkit that keep us healthy, happy and productive.”

Pastor Bush said that the importance of quality indoor air was one of the great lessons of the pandemic, and leading-edge air filtration and circulation systems will be at the core of the new residences, with an inline air purification in the HVAC system from Delos, which has pioneered a suite of other science-backed innovative healthcare technologies, such as circadian lighting and enhanced water filtration options.

“We’re also designing the buildings to achieve WELL Certification from the International WELL Building Institute, using its evidence-based strategies to deliver cleaner air and water, better lighting and enhanced thermal comfort in every building,” he said. “We’re excited to get started.”

“We’re strongly encouraged by the interest in our two hubs that are underway in Philadelphia,” said Miles, who formerly served in the U.S. Navy, and whose own experience dealing with a service-related disability opened his eyes to the profound need for bringing the pieces of community health and wellness together. Like Jacksonville, the hubs are anchored by mixed income apartments and condos, with lottery set-asides for healthcare workers, police officers, teachers, firefighters and city workers, with special accommodations for seniors. Miles noted that a 18,629-square-foot dress and safety eyewear ophthalmic manufacturing facility and a 142,000-square-foot state of the art health services facility are also part of the Philadelphia hub, which is in the Tioga neighborhood adjacent to Temple University Health Sciences Campus. All buildings will seek WELL Certification and the entire footprint plans to pursue certification as a WELL Community.

“Locating in federally funded Opportunity Zones helps boost investment and equitable development outcomes, including job creation and business growth,” Miles continued. He noted the Tioga project had also received a $750,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant from State of Pennsylvania and a $500,000 Neighborhood Economic Development (NED) grant from City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce.

“We believe the way to address large-scale social and economic challenges is to lead by example and make sure our investments drive positive social performance across health, sustainability and equity,” Pastor Bush continued. “Now that we’ve worked out the details so we can rapidly scale this unique urban real estate approach, we’re excited to bring our Preventative Health Hub® to Jacksonville and be part of the effort solve some of the city’s workforce and affordable housing needs. We look forward to opportunities to work with the city and other Jacksonville civic and business leaders and any of the health systems that are interested in our Preventative Health Hub® concept.”

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For more information:
Matt Serra
mserra@mulberrymc.com
(773) 817-3106

The forest management cycle combines decades of biological knowledge with technical advances in forest management. Our Forest Stewardship Policy reflects our commitment to sustainable forest management.

STANDING MERCHANTABLE INVENTORY

Long-term strategic harvest scheduling starts with the detailed inventory of our timberlands. The forest planning and inventory team oversees independent and audited annual timber cruising of tracts to measure timber growth, which is used to update standing timber inventory volumes. Standing inventory measurements are completed over an approximately five-year cycle in the South and a ten-year cycle in Idaho.

The estimated total volume of standing merchantable timber inventory is updated annually. Standing merchantable inventory means that the tree being measured has met the size, quality, and other characteristics of the regional market. The annual update reflects additions of young timber that has met minimum diameter requirements, growth of existing merchantable timber inventory, decreases of timber due to harvests, wildfire, or insects and disease, and the impact of acquisitions and divestitures.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLANS 

Timberlands are managed using 50-year strategic management plans based on harvest schedule models. Timber inventory data are utilized in growth-and-yield models, which optimize long-term harvesting and forest management operations and project sustainable harvest volumes over the 50-year time horizon. The harvest schedule is performed every two years, alternating between the southern regions and Idaho each year.

Within the strategic harvest schedule model, timberlands are organized into stands by common characteristics such as age and forest management prescriptions. Each stand carries a specific soil productivity designation called site index, which is based on the height of the dominant trees at a specific age. The higher the height of the dominant tree, the higher the site index on that stand. Site index also enables the inventory model to capture the expected impact of silvicultural improvements such as advanced genetics or fertilization.

The long-term strategic harvest schedule uses the starting forest inventory of each timber stand and then incorporates forest management activities such as site preparation, planting, thinning, fertilization, and harvest. Areas that have harvest restrictions are identified, such as streamside management zones, so that the model does not include them for harvest actions. Using all this information and a yield table – a table of tree heights, diameters, and volumes for each stand over the next 50 years – the model creates an optimization matrix that “grows” and “harvests” each stand of timber over time.

The strategic harvest schedule model builds an optimization matrix that contains all the possible choices for each stand over 50 years according to defined management constraints, including not harvesting restricted areas and replanting or regenerating every acre harvested. The harvest model checks every possible stand activity and combination over the planning horizon and produces a detailed stand-by-stand harvest schedule that maximizes Net Present Value (NPV) based on starting stand structure, yields, product prices, management choices, and harvest constraints.

ANNUAL MANAGEMENT PLANS

Foresters prepare five-year tactical plans of tracts for silviculture work and harvest based on the results of the harvest schedule. Foresters select the timing of treatments and harvest based on timber type, growth stage, markets, road access, weather conditions, and operability of the site. Tracts are then moved into annual operating plans and site-specific prescriptions are developed for each forest management operation.

Harvest operations are conducted in accordance with Company best practices, regulatory, and certification requirements that protect water quality, wildlife habitat, and worker safety. Logging contractors must be on an approved contractor list and receive annual training. Foresters monitor logging activity to ensure environmental protections are implemented and specific prescriptions for the tract being harvested are followed.

Following harvest, the remaining residuals, or slash, are treated as appropriate for the geographic region. In Idaho, slash is managed to minimize fire risk through installation of fire breaks, mechanical piling, and pile burning. Southern harvesting operations result in less slash at final harvest due to stand thinning techniques to promote timber yield, allowing slash to be mechanically spread back into the tract and returning nutrients to the soil. Following slash management and prior to planting, sites are typically treated with herbicides to control competing vegetation in order to promote growth of seedlings.

During planting season in late fall or spring, contractors plant seedlings on tracts that were harvested 12 – 18 months earlier. Third-party nurseries grow Idaho seedlings with 70% of the seeds being sourced from our Cherrylane Seed Orchard. The species that is best suited to the site-specific location and elevation is selected for replanting. In the U.S. South, seedlings are purchased from third-party nurseries and benefit from generations of selective breeding to promote favorable growth and yield characteristics as well as resistance to disease and insects.

Foresters monitor the growth of the timber stands by conducting physical stand exams, as well as by using modern tools such as drones, satellite imagery and GIS13 technology. New inventory data is synthesized along with information about operational activities into the long-term harvest scheduling model.

Commercial thinning is typically required on stands in the South and on occasion in Idaho to reduce stocking density to improve stand growth and development. Pre-commercial thinning is utilized when the number of stems is high enough that diameter growth will be reduced to a level where it is financially advantageous to bear the cost to reduce the density of trees, increase diameter growth and reduce the risk of insect or disease entering an overstocked stand.

After harvest, the forest management growth cycle begins anew. Our foresters pride themselves on the tracts they grow over their careers.

“Our advanced harvest scheduling models are calibrated to the timber growing regions and markets where we operate. We are continuously improving our harvest outlooks and incorporating environmental protections into our models to ensure that our long-term harvest plans provide economically sound, long-term sustainable wood flows, and meet our commitments to protect sensitive sites, rare species, and streams.” 

– Tim Sydor 
Manager, Forest Planning and Inventory, PotlatchDeltic

Energized by Edison

We’ve all felt the heat. From Lancaster to Palm Springs and Tulare to Irvine, the past few weeks have brought scorching temperatures. July was Earth’s hottest month on record.

So, if you’re planning to buy an air conditioner or replace your natural gas-powered furnace or water heater, electric heat pumps and heat pump water heaters offer energy-efficient alternatives that are good for your wallet — and the planet.

Like a modified refrigerator, heat pumps move heat from one place to another, providing cooling and heating (depending on seasonal temperatures) with a single appliance — already a money-saver. Since heat pumps transfer heat rather than generate it, they’re up to four times more efficient than gas systems, further reducing energy use and cost.

Ducted and Ductless Heat Pumps

Some heat pumps use ducts connected to a traditional forced air system; ductless, “mini-split” versions are available too and can be wall-mounted or purchased as a window unit.These highly versatile appliances can also work in a hybrid system, with ducted and ductless units and a smart thermostat.

Instead of replacing one inefficient, carbon-emitting appliance with another (and potentially being stuck with it for years), consider this: electric heat pumps can save you up to $400 annually.

Heat pumps are also available at no cost for qualified, low-income customers through SCE’s Energy Savings Assistance program.

New, expanded incentives offered in California, along with the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year, make heat pumps and other energy-efficient appliances more affordable than ever.

The statewide TECH Clean California program has more than 1,000 enrolled contractors who can help you claim up to $3,100 in incentives when replacing a gas appliance with a heat pump or heat pump water heater through The Switch Is On campaign.

TECH Clean California incentives can be layered with IRA tax credits and rebates for even more savings.

To find a TECH Clean California-approved contractor, explore heat pump incentives and learn more about making the switch to electric, go to The Switch Is On.

To learn more about cost-effective, energy-efficient appliances for your home or business, visit sce.com/classes and take a free online or in-person class at SCE’s Energy Education Centers.

For more information on rebates and incentives, visit sce.com/rebates.

Originally published in Owens Corning’s 2022 Sustainability Report

Even at a young age, Ismo Kuokkanen was interested in sustainability issues. Now, as a sustainability program lead in Europe, Ismo is able to put his mechanical engineering background to work helping Owens Corning reduce our environmental impacts, especially those related to waste. In 2019, “ Ismo began running a program called Closing the Loop, which is working to identify waste streams and eliminate waste to landfill by 2030. Through his work, Ismo has come to understand the many benefits of maintaining a focus on sustainability, and he shares those insights here.

On what drives Owens Corning to focus on waste management

Firstly, of course, we want to be a good citizen. Secondly, our shareholders want to see that we are a sustainable company, and there is a growing market demand for increased recycled content in our products. There are, for instance, some building companies in Scandinavia that demand that we have, say, 15% of recycled content in our products. There are other aspects to consider as well — productivity gains and gross margin gains not being the smallest ones. When we started stepping up our sustainability journey more than ten years ago, we thought we have to do this, but it’s going to cost a lot. And quite soon after I started this project, I realized that we had the potential to also achieve savings. It’s a win-win — we can reduce waste remarkably, and we can gain some productivity savings and gross margin benefits.

On the Closing the Loop program in Europe

In the program we focus on increasing waste recycling at our factories. We define the needs and the technological solutions. We identify first what waste streams we have at the factories, and we focus firstly on the bigger ones. Secondly, we work with the different factories to identify additional waste streams. I’m currently working with our stone wool factories in Finland, Poland, and Sweden to create technical solutions that will further increase our waste recycling and then put them into place. This is very high on Owens Corning’s agenda, and I feel I get all the support I need.

On the steps needed to effectively manage waste

Recycling is very important. Within our stone wool business in the EU, we have challenged ourselves to ensure that no production waste leaves our plants by 2030. Beyond that, we also focus on a step- by-step expansion of our opportunities to receive customer waste, as well as waste materials from other industries. Since stone wool can be remelted repeatedly, we are also thinking about how to close the loop and recycle our products at the end of their life. I feel privileged that I can work on this kind of an engineering issue. This is very close to my heart.

Read more

Originally published on GoDaddy Life

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what led you to join GoDaddy.

I’m Sadbhavana and I work as a Software Engineer on the UIP team. I originally applied for GoDaddy through social media, as I knew that it was a well-established and globally recognised company in web hosting. I went through three rounds of interviews and really liked my interaction with the interviewers. They provided information about the culture and the kind of work the company was doing.

What makes GoDaddy different from any other company in India?

The tech work stack at GoDaddy is really good. As part of the UIP team, we work on the latest technology and tools, which allows us to pick up new skills. The Tech leads are highly talented, and working with them gives broad exposure to different technologies and systems. Our manager is very encouraging and provides us plenty of time to deliver tasks to the best of our abilities.

What does work-life balance mean for you?

To me, work-life balance means that I have flexible working hours that support my mental health, all while allowing time for my loved ones.
Being an individual in the early phase of my career, I want to work for an organisation that helps me learn and grow in my career, while still allowing time to spend on personal activities. GoDaddy gives just that! On my team, we have a hybrid work model that allows for flexible working hours. Other teams are fully remote. Our managers are very understanding and co-operative of work-life balance.

What’s your motto or personal mantra?

My personal mantra is — “Nobody can defeat you until you defeat yourself.”
Another one that I always keep in mind — “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.”

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I love watching anime and k-drama!

Are you enjoying this series and want to know more about life at GoDaddy? Check out our GoDaddy Life social pages! Follow us to meet our team, learn more about our culture (Teams, ERGs, Locations), careers, and so much more. You’re more than just your day job, so come propel your career with us.

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/GoDaddyLifeInstagram — https://www.instagram.com/godaddylife/LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/godaddylifeTwitter — https://twitter.com/GoDaddyLifeTikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@godaddylife?Career Page — https://careers.godaddy.com

By Kiesha King

Originally published by the Solutions Studio team on edsurge.com

The pandemic highlighted the disparities in internet access among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds and the urgent need to address these inequalities. It also sparked a broader conversation about the importance of digital equity and the need for universal access to technology and the internet. These two realities increased momentum and focus on initiatives to bridge the digital divide — initiatives like Project 10Million.

In 2020, T-Mobile launched Project 10Million, a $10.7 billion commitment to bridge the digital divide by providing free internet and Wi-Fi hotspots for five years to disadvantaged K-12 students.

Continue reading here

by Ron Pernick of Clean Edge 

As someone who has been researching clean-tech sectors for more than two decades and conducting stock index research since 2006, I find it exciting to be tracking the mass adoption and scale-up progress of a range of clean technologies, from solar power and energy storage to electric vehicles and transmission infrastructure.

Numerous factors are driving the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy, but two stand out: low-cost renewables (utility-scale solar and onshore wind are now the most price-competitive forms of new electricity capacity additions in most regions) and supportive energy and climate policies (with China’s Five-Year Plans, the U.S.’s Inflation Reduction Act, and Europe’s REPowerEU initiative leading the way). Clean energy has been scaling significantly for the past decade, but recent developments are driving a new wave of investments and deployment.

Some Key Facts and Figures:

Energy transition investments globally hit $1.1 trillion in 2022, breaking the $1 trillion mark for the first time, according to BloombergNEF. And a projected $1.7 trillion will be investing globally in clean energy in 2023, significantly more than the approximately $1 trillion expected to flow into fossil fuels, according to International Energy Agency.Onshore wind and solar are not only the cheapest forms of new power capacity additions globally, but the fastest to deploy. New nuclear, on the other hand, is currently both the most expensive and slowest to deploy.Power markets are reaching a tipping point, with most new additions globally coming from solar and wind. A record 83 percent of all new electricity capacity additions came from renewables last year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).All these new installations are having a significant impact. By 2025, more than a third of all global electricity production will come from renewables, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), surpassing all generation from coal. Globally, solar and wind already outpace generation from nuclear power.Eleven states now garner at least 30 percent of their in-state generation from solar and wind. Iowa and South Dakota, the two leaders, generated more than half their electricity from renewables, mainly wind power, in 2022. Iowa surpassed 60 percent for the first time, a new record in the U.S. In California, solar (utility-scale and distributed) contributed 27.3 percent of the state’s total in-state generation; solar now competes with wind as a major generation source in an increasing number of regions.Electric vehicle sales worldwide are projected to increase 35 percent this year, up from approximately 10 million sold in 2022 to 14 million in 2023, according to the IEA. If these projections hold, EV sales will equal approximately 18 percent of total car sales this year, up from just 4 percent three years ago.

There are many other examples of the shift to clean tech – all shining a light on the massive transition that is underway. 

Read Ron’s full article including his 7-Point Energy Transition Action Plan, all here – https://greenmoney.com/clean-energy-investment-and-innovation-trends-navigating-the-road-ahead/

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NEW YORK, August 14, 2023 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the world’s leading organization advancing healthy buildings, organizations and communities, announced today that Oklahoma City has become the first city in Oklahoma, and third in the country, to earn the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management across a portfolio of five municipal buildings, including City Hall. Through this achievement, Oklahoma City is showing its strong commitment to promoting a safer and healthier environment for its employees, residents and all those who visit.

“Providing a safer and healthier environment is a priority for OKC,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. “We were happy to work with the International WELL Building Institute and I am pleased we could be on the vanguard of this movement. OKC is proud to receive the WELL Health-Safety Rating for our municipal buildings. It means that our employees will enjoy a safer and healthier working environment, and so will the residents who visit these public buildings.”

Focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols and emergency plans, the WELL Health-Safety Rating includes 23 strategies to help organizations keep spaces clean and sanitized; provide essential health benefits and services; communicate health and safety efforts; help everyone prepare for an emergency; and assess air and water quality.

Oklahoma City was awarded the WELL Health-Safety Rating following the successful completion of third-party documentation review to confirm it has met the feature-specific intents and requirements for supporting the long-term health and safety needs of all those inside the buildings. The city is implementing features such as improved airflow, hygienic hand washing practices, reduction in hand contact of high-touch surfaces, effective cleaning protocols, a robust emergency preparedness and response plan, advanced stakeholder engagement and more.

“Congratulations to Mayor Holt and Oklahoma City for being the first city in the state to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating across a portfolio of municipal buildings,” said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO, IWBI. “Because of Mayor Holt’s vision and commitment, the city is now part of an exemplary group that has stepped up to demonstrate health leadership through its public buildings. We hope Oklahoma City’s WELL achievements today will reverberate across the country and inspire other cities to do the same, helping grow the movement for people-first places.”

In the past three years, mayors have shown strong, consistent leadership to support and advance the role of healthy buildings. In 2020, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) passed a healthy building policy resolution focused on prioritizing indoor health and taking action to deploy a “people-first” approach to city buildings, encouraging cities to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic by advancing integrated healthy building solutions, such as the WELL Health-Safety Rating. In 2021, USCM passed another resolution focused on ramping up healthy building efforts to help strengthen and fortify cities in the face of COVID-19 and future public health threats. Last year, Miami, Fla., became the first city in the nation to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating across a large part of its municipal building portfolio. Earlier this year, Jersey City, N.J., became the second city to do so.

“By achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating across these buildings, including City Hall, Oklahoma City is not only helping to safeguard these buildings against future health threats, but making important progress advancing its longstanding plans to invest in the health and safety of workers and residents alike,” said Paul Scialla, Founder of IWBI.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types, advancing human health and well-being through science-backed policies and procedures. From Yankee Stadium and the Empire State Building to JPMorgan Chase & Co. global retail locations to the entire portfolios of companies like T-Mobile and Planet Fitness, facilities around the world are prioritizing the health and safety of their staff, visitors, and stakeholders with the help of the WELL Health-Safety Rating. Today, WELL offerings, including the WELL Health-Safety Rating, are being used across 4.7 billion square feet of space in 125 countries, and by 25% of the Fortune 500.

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About the International WELL Building Institute 
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people-first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and WELL ratings and certifications, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Performance Rating, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media Contact: 
media@wellcertified.com

View original content here.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

ATLANTA, August 14, 2023 /3BL/ – The Home Depot Foundation is committing up to $500,000 to support immediate wildfire relief and long-term recovery efforts in Maui. This new disaster response grant takes the Foundation’s disaster commitment to more than $5.6 million this year.

The Home Depot Foundation’s national nonprofit partners responded immediately, providing emergency relief supplies, shelter, meals and more to the island. Over the past several days, World Central Kitchen has served more than 15,000 meals with the help of funding from the Foundation and supplies from a local Home Depot store. American Red Cross teams are providing evacuees with a safe place to stay, food to eat and emotional support. Convoy of Hope has shipped essential supplies, including food, hygiene materials and baby care items, that will arrive in the coming days.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of life and extreme devastation caused by wildfires on the island of Maui,” said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. “As our experienced nonprofit partners assess the full extent of the destruction, we are standing ready to support the immediate needs of the community however possible.”

In partnership with Team Depot, The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, the Foundation has donated more than $15,000 in essential supplies to local nonprofit organizations and government agencies on the island. The Home Depot’s three locations on Oahu have transferred the bulk of their emergency supplies, including generators, gas cans and more, to the Maui store, and Oahu-based associates filled a shipping container with their own donations, including clothing, food, cleaning supplies and more, that was delivered to Maui over the weekend.

“As a community, we are strong and will lend all of the kokua and aloha we have to help Lahaina and its people rebuild,” said Amare Belay, store manager and Team Depot district captain. “We know it will take years, but this is what we do in Hawai’i — we help our ‘ohana, which includes not just family but neighbors, schools, churches, businesses, and community in rebuilding. As a member of The Home Depot ‘ohana, I am grateful to work for a company that has stepped up to support our community during this unimaginable situation. “

About The Home Depot Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters and train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $475 million in veteran causes and improved more than 55,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.

For more information, contact:

Financial Community
Isabel Janci
Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasurer 
isabel_janci@homedepot.com

News Media
Hope Jensen
The Home Depot Foundation Communications 
hope_jensen@homedepot.com

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

At the Intersolar Exhibition in Munich this year, it was unsurprising that besides the latest solar power innovations, the event saw a confluence of technologies from both the electric vehicle (EV) and grid-edge industries.

Hwee Yng Yeo caught up with Julian Tomczyk, Keysight’s electric vehicle charging test solution manager, to find out more.

Hwee Yng: Julian, I understand Intersolar Europe was one of the four conferences of The Smarter E Europe to create a new energy world. What struck you as the hottest topic surfacing from participants?

Julian: We were smack in the middle of solar energy product manufacturers, but more of that later. It was really exciting to see many people asking us about vehicle-to-grid (V2G) testing. In particular, bi-directional charging was in many of our conversations as V2G evolves from an emerging technology to real-life applications. There was also much interest in how to test DC fast charging.

Hwee Yng: What are some of the more immediate challenges?

Julian: The biggest challenge for manufacturers – whether they are making EVs, wall boxes, or charging stations, is that the industry standards are still evolving. And previously, if you were designing an EV or EV supply equipment (EVSE), you just needed to make sure your products were “interoperable” – meaning they could function seamlessly regardless of the car model or charging station.

Besides charging and communication standards, manufacturers must increasingly understand the interconnection standards and how to integrate their products with the grid. For instance, CharIN’s Combined Charging System (CCS) with ISO 15118-20 was a hot topic. This standard aims to enable bidirectional charging. The challenge is how to test your products to ensure they conform to the required market standards for safety and performance.

Hwee Yng: Let’s zoom in on the interest you saw around DC fast charging. What are some of the current challenges and solutions?

Julian: EVSE manufacturers are trying to bring down cost of test, besides ensuring their test development is future-proof with all the development going on in the V2G space. Here you are dealing with high power and high voltage, so many people are interested in using regenerative power supplies and getting access to test case libraries to help them test against the various charging, communication, and interconnection standards. Interestingly, power emulators received much attention at the tradeshow, not just for charging tests but also for photovoltaic applications.

It’s also worth noting that equipment vendors at Intersolar are using new technology, such as wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor power devices, to enable more efficient power conversion across this energy ecosystem. Then again, WBG applications in this field are relatively new, so understanding how these devices behave in different operating environments is vital.

Hwee Yng: Indeed, safety and reliability are critical to sustainable technology adoption. Could you summarize any other highlights for solar energy applications?

Julian: It’s a global showcase of innovations in solar energy, from solar cells to PV inverters, and energy storage systems, including of course, the EV battery which will have a significant energy storage role to help balance the grid as more distributed energy resources are connected to our smart grid. These are exciting times, and I am glad we are already supporting customers from different parts of this energy ecosystem in testing their products and working together to make this sustainable energy system a reality.