Cisco and Morgan Solar unlock clean energy adoption in office spaces

Innovation uses technology to advance sustainability goals for businesses

News Summary:

• Cisco and Morgan Solar are piloting a project that powers collaboration and meeting spaces with solar energy.
• The design leverages Morgan Solar’s Energy Blinds – photovoltaic, algorithmically controlled window shades that capture clean, solar energy – and Cisco’s Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switch, which helps distribute energy within the room, along with integrations into Webex.
• This solution offers opportunities for businesses to think differently about their path to net zero, unlocking innovative approaches that can be used in commercial office spaces to help advance sustainability goals through technology.
  

TORONTO, April 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Cisco and Morgan Solar, a Toronto-based company that specializes in solutions for integrating solar energy into urban environments, have announced a pilot project to power collaboration and meeting spaces with solar energy.

The first pilot project is currently deployed at Cisco’s Toronto Innovation Centre with plans to include two additional customer sites. The concept leverages Morgan Solar’s Energy Blinds, capturing clean, solar energy in a direct current (DC) microgrid, and Cisco’s Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switch, which helps to distribute energy within the room. Cisco’s Webex platform is also integrated and detects when the room is not in use to help maximize energy generation and minimize energy consumption.

“To take meaningful steps towards a sustainable future, businesses need to think creatively about how to get there,” said Wayne Cuervo, Director of Cisco Canada’s Digital Impact Office. “Collaborating with forward-thinking companies like Morgan Solar, we're driving the development of smart solutions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from traditional energy generation technologies and giving businesses new pathways towards sustainability.”

The initial results show production of up to 50W of renewable energy per window, enough to effectively run the pilot room’s required equipment and devices. When the room is not occupied, the system stores excess solar energy to use later when needed or for use during peak times when energy from the grid may be more expensive. If expanded across office spaces, the solution could enable greater energy efficiency and on-site energy generation than rooftop solar alone.