Envision Solar has completed the design, engineering and fabrication of the first commercial offering of its Socket™ design, a mini Solar Tree® canopy. The structure is being shipped to a site in northern California for installation in July.

The Socket™ is designed to provide shade for one vehicle, includes Envision's proprietary EnvisionTrak® tracking technology, and one vehicle charging hookup. The design generates enough clean solar energy each day for approximately a full charge for an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid. The first prototype Socket was announced and demonstrated in San Diego at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, in October of 2010.

The Socket™ includes Envision's patent pending multi-axis EnvisionTrak™ solar tracking system, which is designed to increase energy output by approximately 20% over a standard fixed PV array.

"With this development and our other offerings we believe we have established new archetypes for the renewable energy and building industries," said Envision Solar CEO Robert Noble.

Envision President Desmond Wheatley noted that the mini Solar Tree will allow car dealerships, public agencies, utility companies, shopping centers, individual homeowners and many others to generate clean energy virtually anywhere the sun shines and shade is needed.

"We see an enormous market for our new Socket: Utilities, corporations, military, municipalities, departments of transportation, cities, electric vehicle manufacturers and dealers, and manys," said Wheatley. "Its bite-sized scale opens up opportunities for clean energy generation and EV charging in virtually every market."

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