"Currently, we are working with the Community Home Energy Retrofit Project (CHERP) on a campus-to-community initiative entitled Claremont Locally Grown Power, or CLGP....Through this collaboration, CHERP and idealPV are partnering with the Hixon Center and Harvey Mudd College to teach students how to construct, test, and ultimately distribute prototype solar panels. This partnership will not only enable CHERP to document best practices as the CLGP project moves forward, but it will also offer students career starts in the energy industry. As of October 2016, students can engage with the project through paid internships via the Energize Colleges or through a myriad of unpaid internships and volunteer opportunities...."

"In the face of overwhelming needs, understanding where to begin can be a challenge. The task of mitigating climate change presents itself in the same way. What are the best ways to reduce energy consumption and limit greenhouse gases? What projects are already underway to boost sustainability in local communities? To answer some of these questions and continue our work collaborating toward a better future, EcoCiv led an event titled Claremont Energy Vision on April 13, 2017. The convening was co-sponsored with partners Claremont Home Energy Retrofit Project, Inc. (CHERP), the Hixon Center for Sustainable Design at Harvey Mudd College, and the Environmental Analysis program at Pomona College....."

"CLGP is made possible by idealPV technology which, among other advances, eliminates reverse conduction in solar cells. Reverse conduction is a major problem in solar panels, causing extreme heat as cells are forced into reverse bias. This leads to reduced efficiency and early failure. Eliminating reverse conduction removes over 50% of the rejection specifications for solar cells: CLGP can use solar cells that traditional manufacturers cannot, simply because the cells (otherwise perfectly good) cannot withstand reverse bias. Elimination of reverse conduction also eliminates costly and unreliable bypass diodes and their complex electrical connections. These advances simplify solar panel assembly, while adding durability, performance, longevity, and enhanced safety features...."