Molloy College is helping to test high-quality mobile solar technology built by Biacomm on its Rockville Central campus, which could eventually replace noisy and dirty diesel-powered equipment along national highways.  

Apollo Lighting Tower is a recognizable trailer-mounted device with a retractable 20-foot-high mast. LED lights are suspended from the mast and can illuminate an area of ​​approximately 100 square feet.

The tower will be used to provide lighting for night road construction on highways, parking lots and other applications. 

The device is powered by four 320-watt solar panels, replacing the noisy diesel engines that usually appear on this type of device. The solar panels charge the on-board battery system, which provides up to 90,000 lumens of energy for the lights and makes the device almost silent.

Molloy College is helping BIACOMM, headquartered in Amityville, New York, test the unit to help develop innovative solar technology. The unit will run on campus until the end of September.  

"We are very pleased to work with BIACOMM through our Institute for Sustainable Development to advance environmentally responsible technologies such as Apollo," said Neil Lewis, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Development at Molloy College. "Over the summer, we will help BIACOMM generate data about the performance of the device for future deployment and use it to provide flexible lighting solutions in the campus where we may need it." 

 Ming Chiang, CEO and founder of BIACOMM, said: "Our Apollo Tower-for lighting, security, wifi, etc.-can provide flexibility and environmental protection for highway departments, universities, stadiums and arenas, and outdoor festivals across the country. s Choice."

"Our tower is designed to replace the noisy, polluting, and high-maintenance diesel-powered unit, from manually starting the unit to the time required to refill the tank. Our equipment can be started individually or as a group remotely, and can even be programmed as Open and close at designated times of the day."  

This is the first deployment of the BIACOMM Apollo Tower on Long Island. Other units are currently conducting tests on the West Coast and other parts of the country. BIACOMM is still in the development stage of a study that focuses on reusing retired electric vehicle batteries and inserting the batteries into its solar tower installations.

 "A lighthouse on a highway, burning diesel for eight hours will emit nearly 90 pounds of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to a passenger car traveling about 100 miles," Lewis said. "Multiply that by the thousands of units used in New York State's night-time construction projects, and you can see the impact that these solar units will have when they are fully deployed."