Crowley and Puerto Rico House of Representatives Congratulate University of Puerto Rico Students for Their Success in the 2007 Solar Decathlon
Solar House Won National Award for its Water Heating System
(Jacksonville, Fla.; Nov. 29, 2007) – Executives from Crowley Maritime Corporations liner services group in Puerto Rico and the Honorable Jose Chico, president of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Commission for Socioeconomic Development and Planning, this week recognized University of Puerto Rico students and faculty for their success in the recent U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition in Washington, DC.
The ceremony, held at Crowley’s Isla Grande terminal in San Juan, featured the presentation of plaques by Crowley and congratulatory certificates of recognition from the House of Representatives to the student team, which won the top award at the decathlon for the solar water heating system they built into their solar house.
The house was transported from Puerto Rico to Washington and back by Crowley in conjunction with ICE International and DHL. Crowley was able to accommodate the shipment and its three-axle expandable double-drop trailer, which together measured 72 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide and 13 feet high. In addition, Crowley also provided two 53-foot trailers to transport parts and components for the house.
The Solar Decathlon, held Oct. 12 to 20 on the National Mall grounds, was a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students competed to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Educational institutions from the United States, Europe and Canada; including renowned universities such as Cornell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Madrid Polytechnic University, participated in the competition, which gave the public an opportunity to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.
Some 50 students and professors of the University of Puerto Rico collaborated in the creation of the solar house. Those students who attended the awards presentation at Crowley’s terminal this week included Jorge Mendez, Laura Gonzalez and Ariel Santiago. Also recognized were professors Jorge Ramirez, who was in charge of 2007 Solar House project; Sonia Miranda, who will be in charge of the 2009 Solar House project, and Javier Rodriguez, Dean of the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Architecture, Rio Piedras Campus.
“We are very proud of the students and faculty at the University of Puerto Rico for what they have accomplished and for the honor they have brought to our island,” said Roberto Lugo, Crowley’s vice president and general manager in Puerto Rico. “We at Crowley share their desire to preserve the environment and conserve energy. In fact, the tugs we used to transport the solar house via triple deck Ro/Ro barges are using less fuel and emitting 44 percent less particulate matter than they did just a couple of years ago thanks to technological improvements weve made in the vessels and the use of cleaner burning low-sulfur diesel fuel.”
Crowley and its predecessor company have been serving the Puerto Rico market since 1954, longer than any other carrier in the trade. The company, with more than 200 Puerto Rico employees, is also the No. 1 ocean carrier between the island commonwealth and the U.S. mainland with more weekly sailings and more cargo carried annually than any other shipping line.
Jacksonville-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, founded in San Francisco in 1892, is a privately held family and employee-owned company that provides diversified transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are the following services: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the Internet at www.crowley.com.
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