Connect with us

Published

on

The Footprint Project is here in Louisiana deploying solar and battery storage for some of the hardest-hit areas impacted by Hurricane Ida. I spoke with Will Heegaard, Founder, Operations Director, and CEO of Footprint Project on the phone this weekend. This interview is a followup to an article I wrote previously about the great work that the team of engineers is doing in my state.

Will gave me a recap of some of the work Footprint has been doing in New Orleans and the surrounding area.

“We’ve been deploying small to large mobile or portable solar generator systems to support Ida response and recovery.”

Originally, the team was going to be participating in a festival that got canceled, and Will explained that they were tracking the storm but didn’t know exactly where it would hit. He added that there’s at least one bad one each year and that Footprint is still small but has been hoping to help in these types of disasters.

“The more we can float these various types of mobile solar generator equipment in a fun and non-fun event, then the more we can try to grow the fleets or cache of regional equipment that’s available to be activated for power outage events.”

In other words, they are exposing the general public to an alternative power source that is renewable and using it in disaster to show that solar can save lives. This is a great way to spread awareness about renewables and show how these units can be deployed, especially in mobile situations such as festivals or, sadly, disasters.

Bringing Solar To A Fossil Fuel Dependent State During A Disaster That Sparked Fuel Shortages

With my state being a fossil fuel supporting state, I wanted to know what the core response was to the team as they educated those affected by the storm about solar. We all know about gas and diesel generators, but many people don’t even know about solar generators. I write for CleanTechnica and I didn’t even know about their existence until someone told me. Education and awareness are critical, and we need more of both.

I asked Will what the initial responses were to the solar generators. Will pointed out that free electrons are free electrons, and if people can plug in without the need for fuel, then this is a good thing. This is just the second week of recovery and we are still having fuel shortages. Also, there are still people without power, and they are using fuel for generators. Lines at gas stations have been long, with wait times of over an hour, and for those in the hardest-hit areas, they have to drive 2–3 hours to the nearest gas station, which then may or may not have fuel.

Captain Richard Birk, a retired firefighter and paramedic who served with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue for 30 years, is an advisor for the Footprint Project. He told me that he volunteers because he believed this is well worth his time. He wanted to add an answer to my question about how the people of Louisiana, an oil & gas state, were thinking when Footprint Project deployed the solar generators.

“When you put these electrons made from the sun, what are they thinking? That’s a great question. And from my experience of emergency management and serving communities in trouble on a daily basis for the 911 system, what I found is the visceral experience is the most game-changing experience you can have. …

“They’re used to being without power. They’re used to the power lines coming down. That’s not a surprise. Every one of the people we’ve talked to said ‘yeah, the power lines come down with every storm.’ … They’re used to being without power and the gasoline shortages and the diesel shortages. … They’re used to sitting in the dark with nothing.

“They’re used to being short of breath because all the thousands of people who live on little nebulizers and O2 machines sit in the dark. Somebody scrambles maybe a few generators together. They usually only last during the day or the night hours because they’ve gotta turn it off. They’re used to being uncomfortable.

“And what’s happening is that we can show them a different way. What we’re looking at is, when we put these systems in, is that they’re going to run 24 hours a day. You can plug your medical device in and you now have oxygen. You can plug your nebulizer in and now you don’t have to have an asthma attack. You can plug your C-Pap machine in and you can sleep at night. That is a visceral experience, and that’s how you’re going to change this.

“It’s a matter of life and death. What the Footprint Project is doing is not just putting in solar and batteries and a renewable energy source, but what they’re doing is they’re saving lives. Just like I was trained to do. But they’re using renewable energy to save those lives.”

With Solar, There Is No Risk Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Being able to plug your phone into a solar-powered generator without worrying about fuel, spending $200 or more on fuel, and without the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is definitely a bonus.

“There’s always going to be an awareness issue with adoption, or how to make sure people understand the capabilities of a solar generator versus a gas generator.”

He explained that for gas generators, everyone knows how to use them, but for solar, there’s a lot that most don’t know.

“The percentage of the general population that knows what a kilowatt-hour actually means based on their cell phone or their fridge or whatever is next to zero. Very few people have a true understanding of what a kilowatt-hour is for their practical life.

“And with a gas generator, they really don’t need to know what a kilowatt-hour is. They just need to know how to find the gas, when to fill the generator with gas, and hopefully how to not die while filling it with gas or not die from the carbon monoxide.”

Sadly, we do have deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning because people put the generators on inside their homes. This was an issue with Laura last year and has been an issue with Ida as well despite the constant reminders from our local and state leaders not to do so.

One of the team members, Jamie, pointed out that they were asked about carbon monoxide when they deployed the batteries. Furthermore, some don’t even have generators. Will added:

“We were dropping off these small little portable batteries to charge phones and little headlights at this home where there were 20–30 elderly folks. The home has been without power for a week and is still without power and mold is spreading through the building, which is unacceptable and tragic.

“We were passing out these battery packs to charge their lights and their phones so they were not just sitting in the dark after the sun goes down. Particularly for folks that can’t afford a generator — you would think people can afford it, right? There’s a huge segment of our population that can’t. When the lights go out, they’re just in the dark. It’s just the reality.”

No Communications; Devastation All Around

I shared my story of riding out Ida with Will. The team didn’t realize I was also in an impacted area, but that fortunately, Baton Rouge was spared the worst of the damage. We still lost power, and yes, I was fighting for my life and those of my pets in the extreme heat that invaded my home, but I still had a home, running clean water, and a way to stay cool.

I explained that there was no communication and most of my calls and texts weren’t going through after the storm hit. Will told me that it’s still like that in some of the hardest-hit areas.

“You go down there and there’s nothing.

“The first couple of days we got here, we helped Imagine Waterworks and set up that portable system and then by the morning or that night, the power came back on. It’s kind of a game where, particularly in the urban areas — I’m just blown away that this one elderly folks’ home is still without power, because the area around it has power. So, we’re trying to figure out why, but most of the city area has power.

“So, the real question is how far out can we get this equipment so it has the most benefit over the next two to four weeks — potentially six weeks in really hard-to-reach areas.”

He explained that the team was looking for public and community spaces that needed power. If you have any, chime in.

When looking for areas to help, the hardest-hit areas will be on the east side of the storm — which is always heavily damaged. Will shared with me that some of the areas he’d been in, such as Houma, were completely destroyed.

“Houma must have been near the eye because the place is devastated.

“New Orleans has gotten damaged but if you go south of 90 outside the city and places like Boutte, it just gets worse and worse the further southeast you go.

“For us, it’s about how to effectively dispatch the equipment and match-make between a site energy usage portfolio and the equipment that’s available to deploy. I wouldn’t say that we’re experts at it — we learned as we go — but we’re getting better. Every disaster we deploy to, we get better.”

How You Can Help Footprint Project

In the previous article, I included a link to the GoFundMe campaign that was set up, but for more info, Will has three categories that the team divided their needs into.

1. Cash. 

“I break down the types of support into three categories. We need cash from people that can get cash. Cash is the most effective way to respond to disasters. You can spend the money, locally and around the communities that have been hit and kickstart the economic recovery.

“All the data shows that cash is the most effective way to help the responders who are deploying and help the community at the same time.

“If you can give cash to the communities and the responders, it’s always the most efficient and most effective.”

2. Equipment. 

“We spend a lot of our cash on batteries. We can’t do our work without usually lithium-iron-phosphate batteries (LFP batteries). These are 90% of what we’re doing. You can’t build an off-grid solar or set up an off-grid solar generator without a battery, and some of these batteries are heavy and hard to transport.

“We’re trying to deploy these things in the safest way possible. We’ll deploy anything that’s not a gas or diesel generator, but we prefer if we can set up lithium or LFP-based solar panels and microgrids.”

Other types of equipment they also need are inverters, wiring, cabeling MC4s, crimpers, power tools, and all the things a typical installer would bring to a site.

3. Volunteers. 

“We always need people. We’re still trying to build up our training and our volunteer base. There’s just not a lot. We’re trying to partner with industry folks who have the human resources to deploy volunteers who already know how to MC4 crimp or already know how to assess a site for battery storage sizing.

“That is still a small industry and it’s hard to find electricians around here. You’re not going to find one around here for months now, much less one with knowledge of off-grid solar installations. We’re trying to build that volunteer base across the country so that we can deploy people closer to the storm that knows what a 40kWh solar system can do and what brand they are working with, such as Tesla. We need people who know how to do this work, and this is in very short supply.”

Final Thoughts From Will

This industry, he pointed out, is usually pretty technical, but Will wanted to emphasize the importance of looking beyond the technical details and helping one to understand that this technology is out here saving lives.

“The real story is about how these free electrons and the ripple effect they have throughout the community. When there’s a safe, quiet self-sustaining source of power deployed to a community that just got rocked — just lost everything — aside from the quantitative benefits of not having to get fuel or not being exposed to carbon monoxide that is important, I think the qualitative effects rolling in a vision of the future for people who just lost everything is so understated.

“I’m trying to communicate this with people because there’s just nothing more powerful than bringing a version of hope for that community and showing them that they can build back better, stronger, and greener. This is why we do the work.”

 

Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.

 

 


Advertisement



 


Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Continue Reading

Environment

This new wireless e-bike charger wants to be the future of electric bikes

Published

on

By

This new wireless e-bike charger wants to be the future of electric bikes

Forget fumbling with cables or hunting for batteries – TILER is making electric bike charging as seamless as parking your ride. The Dutch startup recently introduced its much-anticipated TILER Compact system, a plug-and-play wireless charger engineered to transform the user experience for e-bike riders.

At the heart of the new system is a clever combo: a charging kickstand that mounts directly to almost any e‑bike, and a thin charging mat that you simply park over. Once you drop the kickstand and it lands on the mat, the bike begins charging automatically via inductive transfer – no cable required. According to TILER, a 500 Wh battery will fully charge in about 3.5 hours, delivering comparable performance to traditional wired chargers.

It’s an elegantly simple concept (albeit a bit chunky) with a convenient upside: less clutter, fewer broken cables, and no more need to bend over while feeling around for a dark little hole.

TILER claims its system works with about 75% of existing e‑bike platforms, including those from Bosch, Yamaha, Bafang, and other big bames. The kit uses a modest 150 W wireless power output, which means charging speeds remain practical while keeping the system lightweight (the tile weighs just 2 kg, and it’s also stationary).

Advertisement – scroll for more content

TILER has already deployed over 200 charging points across Western Europe, primarily serving bike-share, delivery, hospitality, and hotel fleets. A recent case study in Munich showed how a cargo-bike operator saved approximately €1,250 per month in labor costs, avoided thousands in spare batteries, and cut battery damage by 20%. The takeaway? Less maintenance, more uptime.

Now shifting to prosumer markets, TILER says the Compact system will hit pre-orders soon, with a €250 price tag (roughly US $290) for the kickstand plus tile bundle. To get in line, a €29 refundable deposit is currently required, though they say it is refundable at any point until you receive your charger. Don’t get too excited just yet though, there’s a bit of a wait. Deliveries are expected in summer 2026, and for now are covering mostly European markets.

The concept isn’t entirely new. We’ve seen the idea pop up before, including in a patent from BMW for charging electric motorcycles. And the efficacy is there. Skeptics may wonder if wireless charging is slower or less efficient, but TILER says no. Its system retains over 85% efficiency, nearly matching wired charging speeds, and even pauses at 80% to protect battery health, then resumes as needed. The tile is even IP67-rated, safe for outdoor use, and about as bulky as a thick magazine.

Electrek’s Take

I love the concept. It makes perfect sense for shared e-bikes, especially since they’re often returning to a dock anyway. As long as people can be trained to park with the kickstand on the tile, it seems like a no-brainer.

And to be honest, I even like the idea for consumers. I know it sounds like a first-world problem, but bending over to plug something in at floor height is pretty annoying, not to mention a great way to throw out your back if you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore. Having your e-bike start charging simply by parking it in the right place is a really cool feature! I don’t know if it’s $300 cool, but it’s pretty cool!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla launches new software update with Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car

Published

on

By

Tesla launches new software update with Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car

Tesla has launched a new software update for its vehicles that includes the anticipated integration of Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car yet.

Earlier this week, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla would integrate Grok, the large language model developed by his private company, xAI, into its vehicles.

Today, Tesla started pushing the update to the fleet, but there’s a significant caveat.

The automaker wrote in the release notes (2025.26):

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Grok (Beta) (US, AMD)

Grok now available directly in your Tesla

Requires Premium Connectivity or a WiFi connection

Grok is currently in Beta & does not issue commands to your car – existing voice commands remain unchanged.

First off, it is only available in vehicles in the US equipped with the AMD infotainment computer, which means cars produced since mid-2021.

But more importantly, Tesla says that it doesn’t send commands to the car under the current version. Therefore, it is simply like having Grok on your phone, but on the onboard computer instead.

Tesla showed an example:

There are a few other features in the 2025.26 software update, but they are not major.

For Tesla vehicles equipped with ambient lighting strips inside the car, the light strip can now sync to music:

Accent lights now respond to music & you can also choose to match the lights to the album’s color for a more immersive effect

Toybox > Light Sync

Here’s the new setting:

The audio setting can now be saved under multiple presets to match listening preferences for different people or circumstances:

The software update also includes the capacity to zoom or adjust the playback speed of the Dashcam Viewer.

Cybertruck also gets the updated Dashcam Viewer app with a grid view for easier access and review of recordings:

Tesla also updated the charging info in its navigation system to be able to search which locations require valet service or pay-to-park access.

Upon arrival, drivers will receive a notification with access codes, parking restrictions, level or floor information, and restroom availability:

Finally, there’s a new onboarding guide directly on the center display to help people who are experiencing a Tesla vehicle for the first time.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla is really playing catch-up here. Right now, this update is essentially nothing. If you already have Grok, it’s no more different than having it on your phone or through the vehicle’s browser, since it has no capacity to interact with any function inside the vehicle.

Most other automakers are integrating LLMs inside vehicles with the capacity to interact with the vehicle. In China, this is becoming standard even in entry-level cars.

In the Xiaomi YU7, the vehicle’s AI can not only interact with the car, but it also sees what the car sees through its camera, and it can tell you about what it sees:

Tesla is clearly far behind on that front as many automakers are integrating with other LLMs like ChatGPT and in-house LLMs, like Xiaomi’s.

Continue Reading

Environment

Robinhood is up 160% this year, but several obstacles are ahead

Published

on

By

Robinhood is up 160% this year, but several obstacles are ahead

Florida AG opens probe into Robinhood. Here's the latest

Robinhood stock hit an all-time high Friday as the financial services platform continued to rip higher this year, along with bitcoin and other crypto stocks.

Robinhood, up more than 160% in 2025, hit an intraday high above $101 before pulling back and closing slightly lower.

The reversal came after a Bloomberg report that JPMorgan plans to start charging fintechs for access to customer bank data, a move that could raise costs across the industry.

For fintech firms that rely on thin margins to offer free or low-cost services to customers, even slight disruptions to their cost structure can have major ripple effects. PayPal and Affirm both ended the day nearly 6% lower following the report.

Despite its stellar year, the online broker is facing several headwinds, with a regulatory probe in Florida, pushback over new staking fees and growing friction with one of the world’s most high-profile artificial intelligence companies.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a formal investigation into Robinhood Crypto on Thursday, alleging the platform misled users by claiming to offer the lowest-cost crypto trading.

“Robinhood has long claimed to be the best bargain, but we believe those representations were deceptive,” Uthmeier said in a statement.

The probe centers on Robinhood’s use of payment for order flow — a common practice where market makers pay to execute trades — which the AG said can result in worse pricing for customers.

Robinhood Crypto General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz told CNBC its disclosures are “best-in-class” and that it delivers the lowest average cost.

“We disclose pricing information to customers during the lifecycle of a trade that clearly outlines the spread or the fees associated with the transaction, and the revenue Robinhood receives,” added Moskowitz.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev explains 'dual purpose' behind trading platform's new crypto offerings

Robinhood is also facing opposition to a new 25% cut of staking rewards for U.S. users, set to begin October 1. In Europe, the platform will take a smaller 15% cut.

Staking allows crypto holders to earn yield by locking up their tokens to help secure blockchain networks like ethereum, but platforms often take a percentage of those rewards as commission.

Robinhood’s 25% cut puts it in line with Coinbase, which charges between 25.25% and 35% depending on the token. The cut is notably higher than Gemini’s flat 15% fee.

It marks a shift for the company, which had previously steered clear of staking amid regulatory uncertainty.

Under President Joe Biden‘s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on U.S. platforms offering staking services, arguing they constituted unregistered securities.

With President Donald Trump in the White House, the agency has reversed course on several crypto enforcement actions, dropping cases against major players like Coinbase and Binance and signaling a more permissive stance.

Even as enforcement actions ease, Robinhood is under fresh scrutiny for its tokenized stock push, which is a growing part of its international strategy.

The company now offers blockchain-based assets in Europe that give users synthetic exposure to private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX through special purpose vehicles, or SPVs.

An SPV is a separate entity that acquires shares in a company. Users then buy tokens of the SPV and don’t have shareholder privileges or voting rights directly in the company.

OpenAI has publicly objected, warning the tokens do not represent real equity and were issued without its approval. In an interview with CNBC International, CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged the tokens aren’t technically equity shares, but said that misses the broader point.

JPMorgan announces plans to charge for access to customer bank data

“What’s important is that retail customers have an opportunity to get exposure to this asset,” he said, pointing to the disruptive nature of AI and the historically limited access to pre-IPO companies.

“It is true that these are not technically equity,” Tenev added, noting that institutional investors often gain similar exposure through structured financial instruments.

The Bank of Lithuania — Robinhood’s lead regulator in the EU — told CNBC on Monday that it is “awaiting clarifications” following OpenAI’s statement.

“Only after receiving and evaluating this information will we be able to assess the legality and compliance of these specific instruments,” a spokesperson said, adding that information for investors must be “clear, fair, and non-misleading.”

Tenev responded that Robinhood is “happy to continue to answer questions from our regulators,” and said the company built its tokenized stock program to withstand scrutiny.

“Since this is a new thing, regulators are going to want to look at it,” he said. “And we expect to be scrutinized as a large, innovative player in this space.”

SEC Chair Paul Atkins recently called the model “an innovation” on CNBC’s Squawk Box, offering some validation as Robinhood leans further into its synthetic equity strategy — even as legal clarity remains in flux across jurisdictions.

Despite the regulatory noise, many investors remain focused on Robinhood’s upside, and particularly the political tailwinds.

The company is positioning itself as a key beneficiary of Trump’s newly signed megabill, which includes $1,000 government-seeded investment accounts for newborns. Robinhood said it’s already prototyping an app for the ‘Trump Accounts‘ initiative.

WATCH: Watch CNBC’s full interview with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev

Watch CNBC's full interview with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev

Continue Reading

Trending