Beckett Solar Energy to offer Terra Pave high-albedo soil binding solution for Solar Industry that reduces dust-control costs in solar farms and produces albedo of snow

LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Beckett Solar Energy (http://www.beckettsolar.com) is pleased to present a remarkable new product patented by the University of Texas, Austin, in association with Ecological Estates Inc.

Beckett Solar Energy has just signed on to be the official marketer of Terra Pave products in the solar industry. Terra Pave Top-Seal White Albedo (TSW) is an eco-friendly permanent soil binder that transforms the ground into a concrete-like structure and provides a permanent white-as-snow color.

A common problem in solar installations is that solar panels become soiled by dust from exposed ground soil surfaces around the installation. Soiled solar panels decrease revenue (5%-50% reduced output of the system) and increase O&M costs. In addition, vegetation such as tall weeds can create shading and reduce system production; they can also cause hot spots that destroy panels. The efficiency of bifacial solar panels is highly dependent on the albedo* or reflective quality of the ground; natural ground has low albedo. Because of that, it is hard for developers to create accurate revenue models. Typically used asphalt roads are not eco-friendly and their construction comes with the generation of toxic fumes and high costs.

Terra Pave Top-Seal White Albedo solves these problems by creating a water-impenetrable barrier that holds the soil and dust in place and prevents vegetation from growing through the binder. Terra Pave Top-Seal White Albedo can significantly reduce the costs for existing solar farms in Dust/Vegetation control and reduce O&M costs. Because of its high-albedo properties, Terra Pave TSW Albedo can greatly increase efficiency of bifacial solar farms by creating a surface that is consistently and highly reflective albedo 365 days per year equal to albedo of snow.

Environmentally Friendly

Unlike asphalt or concrete, Terra Pave products are eco-friendly because - as tested by San Antonio Testing labs - they have no detectable concentrations of volatile, semi-volatile, heavy metals or petroleum hydrocarbons. This is clearly advantageous for human health and the environment.

Product testing also indicated that Terra Pave is:

    --  Non-Hazardous
    --  Non-Petroleum based
    --  Non-Toxic
    --  Non-Corrosive
    --  Waterproof
    --  Erosion Resistant

Additional benefits:

Terra Pave can also shorten the depth of pile-driving for the mounting structure of the solar modules and lessen the use of steel - about or around a 20% decrease in mounting structure installation cost.

Terra Pave enables easier financial modeling, accurate engineering design and accurate prediction for bifacial panels

Terra Pave enables the creation of cost-effective eco-friendly access roads

Sharon Bailey Beckett, managing partner of Beckett Solar Energy notes that, "I am inspired to be working with visionaries such as David Pham, co-developer of Terra Pave products, and Dr. Yetkin Yildirim, president and CEO of Terra Pave International to promote these sustainable products that have the potential to transform bi-facial solar farm potential and help mitigate the effects of climate change."

*Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface. The albedo effect when applied to the Earth is a measure of how much of the Sun's energy is reflected back into space. Overall, the Earth's albedo has a cooling effect. (The term 'albedo' is derived from the Latin for 'whiteness'.)

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About Terra Pave

Terra Pave Products were invented at the University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA and are manufactured at the University of Texas Technology Commercialized Company Terra Pave International (TPI) http://terrapaveinternational.com/. Terra Pave is the WINNER of the AMERICAN-MADE SOLAR PRIZE ROUND 2 SEMIFINALIST from NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Energy USA).

Terra Pave products got their start when David Pham, developer of net zero homes in Texas desired a ecologically sensitive method of provide driveways and homes for his ecologically-sensitive net-zero homes. He brought the idea to Yetkin Yildirim (President/CTO of Terra Pave International) who said, "we've got something like you're describing"!

The University of Texas in Austin has a track-record of developing new technologies--most famous to-date as been the Ion battery.

Terra Pave International, Inc is committed to providing its customers around the world with cost-effective, eco-friendly materials for improving roadways, parking lots, airfields, and all other traffic-bearing surfaces. Through its superior products, TPI is promoting sustainability and revolutionizing the field of asphalt pavement preservation.

David Pham is co-founder of Texas-based Ecological Estates Inc (EEI). Prior to joining EEI as the current President and Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Mr. David Pham was a co-founder of Next Level Group Consulting, worked as the Global Solar Products Applications Specialist for Sun Chemical a division of Di-Nippon Chemical Corporation, Solar Product Director for Surfect Technologies, and has also held senior management roles in the semiconductor sector with Rudolph Technologies, Hitachi Semiconductor, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Motorola Semiconductor Product Sector.

Ecological Estates http://ecoestates.us/ operates a full service EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) company and a O&M practice (operation and maintenance) in the solar industry as well as a full service design, project management and construction company that creates innovative, net-zero energy eco-friendly homes. Their EPC company is currently leading a 600 MW project in Vietnam.

Dr. Yetkin Yildirim https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yetkin_Yildirim

Dr. Yetkin Yildirim is the President and CTO at Terra Pave International. Dr. Yildirim received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering in 2000 from the University of Texas at Austin and is registered by the State of Texas as a professional engineer. Dr. Yildirim's areas of expertise include pavement preservation, pavement maintenance, and pavement materials. He served as the director of the Texas Pavement Preservation Center (TPPC) at the University of Texas at Austin and for ten years and served as a faculty member in the civil engineering department at UT Austin for fifteen years.

Dr. Yildirim has also served as the Director of the Engineering Education Research Center (EERC), where he has been conducting research regarding new developments in model-based learning activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.

Sharon Bailey Beckett is Managing Partner of Beckett Solar Energy, a six-year-old manufacturers' representative firm, marketing such brands as Mission Solar, RenewSys India and Terra Pave. Beckett Solar Energy staff are active in Europe, Canada, USA, Mexico, South America and China. She is also a founding partner, and Managing Director of the North American business strategy and market research group known as Beckett Advisors. A member of the Pasadena Angels, one of the most respected angel investment groups in the United States, she has served on its Board of Directors, and has worked as an Advisory Board member for California's largest business incubator-the Los Angeles Business Technology Center in Altadena, California.

SOURCE Beckett Solar Energy