GFES has invested a lot of time in its R&D division. It’s their hope that efforts in R&D will provide the industry with a stable platform for industry creativity, and innovation, and will provide future profitability through creating solutions and sustainability in green energy and the sustainability industry. GFES is actively developing innovative product patent designs that will significantly lower the costs of solar energy through streamlined design, assembly, versatility, installation, and longevity of PV systems. GFES hopes to achieve this through its new designs and use of high tech. New light weight high strength assemblies and cost-saving materials. These low-cost innovations will lend unparalleled universality in their application, installation, and use, potentially leading to the lowest cost per kWh in the industry.
In addition to the above patent design work and material studies, we are continuing the process to develop solutions for sustainable commercial, industrial and residential master plan developments, which includes the combination of several systems and technologies in an effort to create sustainable communities that takes care of the needs of families and the industrial and commercial aspects needed in these growing communities. Instead of just building a traditional commercial, industrial and/or a residential structure that requires ongoing expense in maintenance and utilities, it would instead be tied into a fully self-sustaining system of utilities and building types that require very little maintenance or O&M costs that would traditionally be associated in Master Planned Developments. This research and development process is providing valuable insights into how to heat and cool living and working spaces at the lowest possible energy cost by using stable earth temperature and earth tube geothermal. By identifying building systems that are low-cost in construction, energy-efficient, and built with sustainable and recycled construction materials. These processes will likely result in multiple areas of patentable designs, but more importantly, it will likely lead to a more sustainable approach to how we live.
Some of the construction systems we are exploring are natural earth systems, such as rammed earth, Super-Adobe continuous bagged systems, WASP printing systems, and modified Earth-Ship design principles.
Along with this goal, we are pursuing the potential application of Micro-aquaponics systems within these residential communities, in an effort to provide the majority of households needs, in fresh fruits and vegetables. These products would be grown and utilized individually and as part of sustainable communities and incorporated into individual homes. We are additionally looking at parks and other green areas that could be built as a dual purpose with orchards and other commercial farming products being modified to provide parks and recreation space and other green space that can be used for recreation and also harvested and used within the sustainable community.
Ultimately, we want to be able to deliver a master-planned community that will include commercial, industrial, and durable energy efficient sustainable residences that will provide their own energy, their own food for the household and would use as little as 10% of the water a typical home would use. This could be done by naturally cleaning the gray water and using it to water non-edible green spaces, or being further filtered for safe use in gardens or reused in black water systems.
We are working towards a model that will cost less per square foot than a traditional home and will provide higher quality and longer-lasting homes. Solutions like these are not just a good idea, it is essential. Society’s future depends on innovations like these, as our resources are diminished, the environment is being polluted, weather systems are out of control and create unreliable growing seasons, and as food and water scarcities increase exponentially across the globe. It is not enough to say we are a sustainable company. We have to find the solutions and make them accessible, affordable, and desirable while providing profitability and growth opportunities for GFES.
With such lofty goals in mind, we are constantly looking at new materials, combining different techniques and technologies, and using recycled materials and products, to prevent adding to current industry and societal problems but still making these developments desirable and profitable. To do this we are designing affordable solar tracking systems, exploring new uses for geothermal and stable earth temperature systems, examining new materials and new ways to use old materials, and implementing recycled and sustainable materials into these plans.
- GFES has invested in R&D
- Multiple patent pending designs
- Investing today for tomorrow’s future