The mission of Sol Design Lab is to create interactive and inspiring solutions for urban sustainability. Our services offered include ecological design, fabrication and consulting, ecological public art installations, Green Mapping, carbon foot printing and educational workshops. Members of Sol Design Lab have received international commissions, awards, and press and give regular lectures and workshops.
Our Goal
To provide innovative solutions to climate change to create healthy & fossil fuel
free communities.
About the SolarPump
The SolarPump re-purposes vintage technology to demonstrate the possibility of transforming unsustainable products into part of a green future. The nozzle on a reclaimed vintage gas pump has been replaced by a standard electrical outlet, and the underground gas tanks have been replaced by a solar panel roof. Other gasoline-era automobilia have been bent and welded into furniture. Our charging stations have been successful conversation-starters by inspiring dialogue about the shift of oil dependency towards renewable energy and by demonstrating sustainable transportation options.
The SolarPump logo is a flying electric scooter, inspired by the Mobil Gasoline Pegasus that first appeared in1934 at the Magnolia Petroleum Company building headquarters in Dallas, Texas.
Highlights:
• Created from reclaimed gas pumps and other recycled scrap metal
• Uses four 195W Sanyo Bifacial PV Panels to generate 870 Watts of power (on the dual station)
• Contains a 1100 Watt ExcelTech Inverter, made in Ft Worth, TX
• Outputs 110 V to a standard outlet
• Digital read out panel shows: 1) Solar energy stored in the batteries and 2) Amount used by a recharge
History
The first SolarPump prototype debuted in April 2009 at the Terrain exhibition at the University of Texas, as a indoor gallery sculpture. This led to a second prototype used for charging staff electric bicycles at the Roskilde Musical Festival in Denmark. While the artist team has enjoyed seeing people marvel at the paradox of clean energy from a vintage gas pump outside the gallery, they are now are proposing new features for more public interaction. The third prototype design replaces the original gas pump’s “$/gallon” readout with an LED display showing how much energy is being produced and used, as well as gallons of gasoline saved. |
People
 Beth Ferguson,
Founding director, designer, educator
 Sachi Ariel Decou, Design consultant/Fabricator
Our crew setting up our first charging station at SXSW 2010. From left to right: Dallas, Beth, Rick, Maverick, Dann, Sachi & Christie.
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