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RALEIGH, N.C., July 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) at North Carolina State University has signed a Five Year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Koolbridge Solar, Inc., a North Carolina based company, in support of Koolbridge’s advanced smart solar and smart energy management technology. Koolbridge Solar’s Smart Load Center is a smart circuit breaker panel for integrating a photovoltaic and energy storage system with a home’s or commercial building’s loads and the electric grid. It smartly transfers loads from the grid supply to the off-grid solar and battery system when the sun is shining. It manages both solar and utility-based energy in a complementary fashion.

The NCCETC is an established leader in understanding solar policy, markets, and technology as well as related codes and standards. The Center has conducted demonstrations and field tests of various solar technologies. In recent years, the Center has successfully won competitive grant funding from two large U.S. Department of Energy SunShot programs.

The Agreement between the Center and Koolbridge Solar is broadly to support each other’s efforts. The Center will provide high-level policy, market, and technical guidance to Koolbridge on their products and strategies. The Center will also support Koolbridge’s pursuit of federal and state grants and other funding opportunities wherever possible and appropriate. Koolbridge Solar values the support of the NCCETC and will actively seek funding to allow for more significant input from the Center.

“Koolbridge Solar, Inc. has a new advanced inverter, Smart Load Center, and other patented and patent-pending energy management technology designed to lower the costs of distributed photovoltaic systems and increase value by allowing for easy integration of energy storage and by allowing continued operation in case of electrical outage with the local power company.” stated Stephen Burnett, Chairman CEO of Koolbridge Solar.

Tommy Cleveland, a Professional Engineer and Renewable Energy Program Coordinator of the NCCETC, stated, “The Center is pleased to have entered into the first MOA with Koolbridge Solar in accordance with its mission to improve North Carolina and citizens’ access to affordable and reliable solar energy”.

About the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center

The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center, as part of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, advances a sustainable energy economy by educating, demonstrating and providing support for clean energy technologies, practices and policies. It serves as a resource for innovative, green energy technologies through technology demonstration, technical assistance, outreach and training. For more information about the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center, visit: http://www.nccleantech.ncsu.edu. Twitter: @NCCleanTech

About Koolbridge Solar
The principle business of Koolbridge Solar, Inc. is to design, develop and sell innovative electrical products that allow solar energy to be integrated into homes more efficiently and economically, to reduce energy bills, and to provide greater supply reliability by:

• Providing solutions to increase in-home solar efficiencies.
• Providing solutions to decrease homeowners’ energy costs.
• Providing solutions that increase the homeowner’s ROI.
• Providing solutions that complete the communications chain from utility to “smart grid” to “smart home” to “smart appliance”.

Web — www.koolbridgesolar.com  

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SOURCE Koolbridge Solar, Inc.

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In the aftermath of the troubling shark attacks that have plagued North Carolina beaches this summer, there’s been a natural tendency to worry about the economic impact — both short and long-term — on the beach tourism economy. Bloody, weekly attacks by wild animals are not exactly what you call good publicity.

As Ned Barnett of Raleigh’s News Observer explained over the weekend in an essay reviewing coastal expert Orrin Pilkey’s new book, “The Last Beach,” however, there’s a much bigger threat looming to the beach economy. It’s called humans.

Here’s Barnett:

“Beaches move, and with rising sea levels they are moving faster. People try to slow or halt the process by dredging up sand or erecting imposing seawalls, but those are destructive and doomed efforts. To save the beaches, we must let beaches go where and how they want.

That humans should harmonize with beaches rather than try to control them is the theme ‘The Last Beach,’ a new book by Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper. The book looks at the embattled state of beaches around the world where foolish beachfront construction, Sisyphean beach re-nourishment efforts and pollution from sewage, garbage and oil are ruining one of the world’s idyllic wonders, the broad stretches of sand where the land meets the sea.

‘Can we imagine a world without beaches?’ the authors ask. ‘As inconceivable as it might seem, such a loss is a distinct possibility, thanks to the way we abuse the shoreline at this time of rising sea level.’”

The bottom line: It’s understandable that beachfront property owners love their little pieces of paradise and want to freeze them in time time, but such acts are not only futile; they’re helping to assure that future generations will be denied the joys of beach/ocean tourism. And that’s one very extreme and costly way to cut down on the number of shark attacks.

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Former Congressman Mike McIntyre left office six months ago, but he’s still meeting with local officials and special interest groups. The only difference is, this time he’s coming at issues from the perspective of a lobbyist.

McIntyre is now senior adviser and director of government relations for the PoynerSpruill law firm in Raleigh, which among other things lobbies for legislation and government policy on behalf of clients. The longtime 7th Congressional District representative was known for his steadfast support of beach renourishment, deepening the Wilmington harbor to allow larger ships into the port and support of the military.

He says he’s still passionate about those issues, and Wednesday he was trying to drum up business as well. He spent much of the day meeting with officials in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Wilmington, and he attended a meeting of the Wilmington-New Hanover Port, Waterway and Beach Commission.

During his tenure McIntyre, a conservative Democrat, put a high priority on constituent service, to include the coastal communities in the district he represented for 18 years. His remarks to the waterway and beach commission frequently alluded to his assistance with the issues he was discussing, such as sand replenishment projects for the beaches and shallow-draft inlet dredging.

He reminded members of “the history and passion I still have” for coastal issues.

“And I am working from the standpoint that our beaches are indeed an economic engine and an environmental treasure,” he told the commission, which includes elected officials from New Hanover County and its four municipalities, as well as appointed members.

He rattled of a few achievements such as persuading his fellow members of Congress to extend Carolina Beach’s dredging program for 15 years as it was about to expire. Keeping sand on the beaches is one of the top priorities of local officials because tourism plays such an important role in the economy.

Dennis Barbour, chairman of the waterway and beach commission and a former Carolina Beach mayor, said McIntyre also called one Election Day informing him that he had secured $500,000 to maintain Carolina Beach Inlet. “That was a good call, especially on Election Day,” he said.

McIntyre is banking on his reputation as a congressman to help him in his new career.

Among other things, McIntyre said he believes it is important that coastal communities be represented on the issue of oil and gas exploration offshore.

The American Petroleum Institute has estimated that jobs and annual revenues from oil and gas drilling would be significant, but no profit-sharing agreement is in place. Gov. Pat McCrory and Republican lawmakers have eyed that possible windfall as a way to balance the state budget, but critics of drilling take issue with the optimistic estimates and point to the environmental risks.

“If it were to come to pass, there is no doubt those communities would want to be part of” a revenue sharing program, McIntyre said. But under current federal law, neither North Carolina nor the beach communities would share in the profits.

If that were to change, N.C. General Statute 113B-20 outlines how the state’s share would be allocated. Seventy-five percent would go to the general fund. None would come directly to the towns, although the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would get 5 percent to use for such purposes as beach and inlet projects.

During his brief talk, McIntyre did not directly solicit business but merely shared his credentials and let officials know he’s available should they desire his services. The New Hanover County Commissioners already have a lobbyist who focuses on beach issues, former state Republican Chairman Tom Fetzer, who also has joined the lobbying world.

But there are a lot of small beach towns out there, and McIntyre is visiting them all. So far he has talked with officials of 10 coastal communities in Southeastern North Carolina, including the three he visited Wednesday, and he said he was heading up the coast toward Dare County for another series of meetings.

Because he left office less than a year ago, McIntyre may not lobby Congress yet. But hard-fought rules to address the so-called “revolving door” between Congress and the lobbying industry do not prohibit him from lobbying state lawmakers or even federal agencies.

For now, he is making the rounds, passing out business cards, shaking hands and visiting many of the same places he saw while he was still in office.

email Tricia Vance at tricia@luminanews.com