Solar energy is not a new technology. Scientists, engineers, and businesses have been toying with it for some time now. The only problem was storing the energy as electrical storage technology did not keep pace with the ability to collect the sun’s energy. Electrical storage systems were too costly, inefficient, environmentally unsafe, or a combination of all three.

Thermal storage systems, on the other hand, are sophisticated, mature, and inexpensive technologies. (Because people want to stay warm during winter months and because they want to drink hot/warm liquids on cold days, much thought has been put into storing heat.) A few businesses are leveraging these thermal storage technologies to deliver electricity. Instead of storing electrical current from solar energy, they are storing the heat for later use. Using Sodium Sulfate, a salt, solar power companies are storing heat from the sun’s rays to generate electricity as needed (on demand). A great graphic from the New York Times illustrates how this process works after the jump.

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Although I’m not really a big proponent of the health benefits of deep fried potato chips, I think PepsiCo is taking a step in right direction in retrofitting their factories to use less energy. I would agree with anyone who argues that PepsiCo is only doing this to save themselves money in the long run, but I would counter by saying that what is good for the environment is also good for business. I’m curious to hear what other people think about large multinational companies who try to label their cost cutting as “eco-friendly”. Please share your thoughts in the comments area!

We all know that non-profits usually ask for donations and spend the money raised to further their mission. The end result is that non-profits have to fundraise each year. However, there is a new trend of non-profits that run for profit businesses to help sustain the organization. (John wrote about this topic in an earlier post.) I would like to expand upon John’s post by examining two specific organizations; the Delancey Street Foundation (DSF) and the Mozilla Foundation.

The Delancey Street Foundation’s mission is to rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-convicts into society. (This is not their official mission statement as I was unable to find it on their website.) What makes the DSF so unique is that they accomplish their mission purely on profit and donations to the organization are a bonus. The DSF has businesses in catering, moving, food services, landscaping, and others. When customers purchase a product or a service from the DSF, they are actually making a donation to the foundation. (As one reviewer on Yelp put it, “I still can’t get over the fact that for 350 bucks I didn’t have to rent a U-Haul, figure out how the hell to get my couch out of the door and down the stairs, and get a tax write-off”.) The foundation then uses the money to rehabilitate ex-convicts. And, the beauty of the model is that the entire organization is run by former criminals who want to be a part of society. Each DSF resident is responsible for their neighbor and teaching them what they need to know in order to be a productive member of society. The DSF has been so successful that Tony Blair visited the San Francisco facility in 2007, which prompted calls for the concept to be introduced in the UK. Read more about Mozilla after the jump.

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A company called Covanta is generating electricity and disposing of people’s waste in an environmentally friendly way. I think this is a great example of a company that is tackling two problems and solving each of them well. Covanta takes trash from communities and burns the trash in incinerators which create steam that turns turbines that generate electricity. The electricity created is renewable and the garbage after it is burned is more easily disposed.

You might think that air pollution is created when the garbage is burned, but that is not the case. Covanta manages all of its emissions and ensures that their environmental output is minimal. Their emissions are so clean that they even have a plant in Honolulu, Hawaii where people really care about protecting the environment. If you are interested in finding out more about Covanta, you can watch a CNNMoney video about it.

Covanta is a publicly traded company and they have a solid valuation. They are listed on the NYSE under the ticker CVA.

We are all excited about ethanol, fuel cell, solar and wind technology, but here is an example of a technology that is making an impact today. This brings new meaning to the phrase, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”!

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned.
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About the Author

Jonathan Chang is interested in new technologies which help individuals and organizations make a positive impact on society and the environment. He is also a proponent of long term thinking, supports the creation of renewable resources, and is an ardent advocate of social entrepreneurship. He is involved with and a member of Net Impact and the Commonwealth Club. (Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world. The Commonwealth Club is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum which organizes events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy.) Jon received his MBA from Babson College and his BA from Columbia University.