Green.org sat down with Anthony Pereira, Owner, altPOWER, Inc. to learn how he has built his company, altPOWER, into an international leading energy firm. altPOWER leads the way in the field of renewable energy system development, design, and installation for over 10 years, and has headquarters in New York City and a UK presence in London. They have earned their reputation as the go-to designer, installer and integrator of choice for solar projects where quality, competence and getting the job done right are the number one priorities.
Anthony, thank you for being here. Tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I am 54, a father of two, live in Manhattan, a graduate of Fordham University (Economics BA 1990), I am Presdient and CEO of altPOWER. I founded altPOWER, Inc. in NYC in 1998 and founded altPOWER Ltd in London England in 2010. altPOWER is a renewable energy Developer and EPC with a focus on Building Integrated Photovoltaic technology where we replace traditional building materials used for facades, canopies or skylights with clean energy producing glass with imbedded solar cells.
What is a fun fact about you?
I am just a funny person overall (at least I think so) but I am stumped by the question; I am an avid traveler and have visited 28 countries, love dogs, worked for Greenpeace right out of university. I was on my university football team, was an extra in a movie once and did a few modelling shoots when I was much younger, appearing in Esquire and American Photography
Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today?
All known life on Earth that have contributed to human evolution depends on maintaining the Earth as we know it. Our evolution as the dominate species is dependent on an Earth that is safe for human life. Earth evolved over eons into the place we know by burying and encapsulating immense amounts of carbon underground, but a couple of hundred years ago we began to remove it from the ground and place it in our atmosphere with tragic consequence. This is proving to be the single biggest mistake humans have made and we have made many.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
Solar energy electric generation will be the dominate form of energy in our future. Our sun is the provider of all life on Earth, and we are now just beginning to grasp its abundance and power. Solar energy is the lowest cost option of electricity generation on earth today, solar electric generation will become ubiquitous. Solar energy producing materials will be imbedded in cars, clothes and roads, beyond homes and buildings.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Use less of everything. We need to begin to understand the difference between wants and needs.