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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2011)
Machinist Tom Ullmann helps power public events using solar Tom Ullmann, a 29-year member of Machinists Lodge 1005 and a lead gen- eral mechanic for the City of Portland, powered last month’s Portland River- Fest and Portland Triathlon at Water- front Park with 100 percent solar power. His company, Solar REgards, set up three mobile solar generators that sup- plied electricity to the official race tim- ing system, RiverFest stage, a medical tent, the race awards presentation stage, vendor booths, computers, printers, and a power strip for recharging cell phones and cameras. “This is the first time that I know of that one company has powered two events simultaneously using solar,” Ull- mann said. A self-described renewable energy application designer, Ullmann has worked for the City of Portland’s Of- fice of Transportation since 1982. In 1995, through his job with the city, he collaborated with PGE to de- sign the nation’s first mobile solar gen- erators for a municipality. Portland op- erates two mobile solar generated vehicles — an environmental emer- gency investigation van and a traffic meter installation and repair van. Ullmann has been providing renew- able energy power for community events through his own business for equipment mounted on his off-the-util- ity grid house in Mosier, Oregon, near Hood River. “So now I can power larger events and am still able to take clean/quiet power back to my vacation home, too,” he said. He came up with a name for his company last summer while providing renewable energy power for Metro’s booth at Sunday Parkways. “I came up with the name of Solar REgards, as I used it to sign-off on with my e-mails,” he said. “Now I have four mobile solar generator systems and a 100 station charging trailer for cell phones, laptops, Garmin GPS, and cameras.” Now Ullmann is designing new re- Fact: Tom Ullmann, a member of Machinists Lodge 1005 and a lead general mechanic for the City of Portland, applauds triathletes as they cross the finish line in the Portland Triathlon, held Aug. 21 at Waterfront Park. Ullmann supplied three mobile solar generators that he designed that generated all the power for the triathlon, as well as the Portland RiverFest, which was held simultaneously at the park. about five years. “It started with 300 watts of union made photovoltaic panels mounted in the back of my union-made Toyota Tacoma pickup,” he said. newable energy equipment for emer- gency management communications and outdoor lighting systems. “So when the grid goes down, my RE systems will be up,” he said. Ullmann plans to retire from the city in December. As soon as he does, he will begin applying for grants from the Oregon Lottery or possibly the Port- land Development Commission to start his own manufacturing business using Northwest-made products and labor. “I’ll be marketing this technology to businesses and states, like Hawaii, who have interest to compete with the high cost of power there and other power- challenged areas past our borders.” For more information, Ullmann can be reached at 503-522-7728. The labor movement is essential for creating a strong middle class. Thank you, organized labor. He said his business has grown as the city moved to reduce the usage of its vans for public events. He designed a hybrid (wind and so- lar) renewable energy trailer using the www.ocpp.org HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL from IRON WORKERS LOCAL 29 110 PROUD YEARS OF SERVING THE WORKING MEN AND WOMEN OF OREGON Local Union Officers: Kevin Jensen - Financial S-T/Business Manager Joe Bowers - President/Business Agent Robert Camarillo - Dispatcher/Organizer Kevin Soto - Recording Secretary E-Board Members Rion Barrett, Kevin Crocker, Shane Nehls, Michael Newton, Neal Ryan Office Staff Aimee Parmeter - Administrative Assistant 11620 NE Ainsworth Circle, Suite 200, Portland, OR SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS 503-774-0777 PAGE 13
