The firm, Geostellar, has developed a platform designed to pinpoint how much solar energy can be generated from anywhere on Earth, based on characteristics such as the sun’s movement over that location, average cloud cover and the terrain. Geostellar’s computer modeling could be useful to commercial and residential customers, says Levine, Geostellar’s CEO.
“If you’re a homeowner, you could tell how much solar power you can produce on your roof, accounting for the slope of the roof, accounting for the trees,” he says. “What we’re hearing is that a lot of different companies want to be power companies, and we’re showing them how to be power companies.”
Two of the companys seven employees work in Geostellar’s offices at the Ben Franklin TechVentures business incubator. The rest are spread out among West Virginia, California, Virginia and Washington, D.C., although they plan to move to Bethlehem.
Levine said several factors proved Bethlehem to be the right location: Closeness to key markets, proximity to engineering and economics programs at Lehigh University, and the presence of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which recently awarded it a $150,000 loan.
Geostellar is focusing on solar now but plans to develop a similar platform for water power next. After that it expects to develop software to pinpoint the potential of wind, biofuels, oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear and geothermal energy.
Source: David Levine, Geostellar
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen