New York City's Food Carts Go Solar

New York, yellow taxis, subway stations, that east coast charm, and now food carts with solar energy. Current food carts run off of diesel generators, which produce high levels of green house gas emissions. Diesel generators are made to run no longer than four hours, however vendors will often run them for fourteen hours or more on any given day. This produces huge levels of green house gases. In fact, research firm “Energy Vision” conducted a study that confirmed that food carts produce the same level of nitrous oxide as 186 cars. Major cities such as New York have come to realize that their green house gases and overwhelming pollution comes from numerous sources, and that something must be done to ensure a bright future. While the food carts only account for a fraction of the pollution in New York, it is a great place to start. But how can it be done?

Queens based company “MOVE Systems” found the answer, solar power. Combining key off-grid components such as solar panels and battery banks combined with condensed natural gas, MOVE is working on producing energy efficient and environmentally safe food carts. How many solar panels does a food cart need to generate enough power to run fourteen hours or more? The answer may surprise you, one solar panel will often do the trick. Combining solar power and batteries, vendors will not have to worry about generating enough electricity to get them through a rainy day. Furthermore, the condensed natural gas will last longer than the outdated diesel generators, and will not produce the level of green house gases that the current models do. While this is only one way that companies can work together to breathe easier, it is a fantastic start to a greener future.

MOVE is determined to cut down cart pollution by 60% with their new cart the MRV100. The MRV100 is the first cart of its kind and has been developed with cutting edge technologies. Their goal is 500 new carts by the end of the 2016 year. The first hundred of these carts have already hit the streets, and we are excited to read the data on their performance early next year. After looking at the forty plus year old carts, MOVE decided to make the new carts entirely from scratch. The old carts were so outdated that there was no cost efficient way to bring them up to code. Not only do these new carts boast green capabilities, they are safer, and easier to handle than their predecessors.

The first hundred carts are reserved for disabled veterans, and the remaining four hundred will be made available to vendors who sign up for no cost to them! With savings of up to $5,200 annually in energy charges, vendors have a lot to gain with the solar upgrade. Hopefully, the next time you are going to grab a famous New York hot-dog you will be getting it from a green, solar powered cart. Your stomach and the environment will thank you!