REC Solar employee Les Kangas leaning on his solar-charged Nissan LEAF with a REC Solar Prius in the background. [Photo Credit: REC Solar]

The following interview, conducted by Scott McGaw, was originally published in the REC Solar November 2011 Online Newsletter. SolarChargedDriving.Com wishes to thank REC Solar for permission to re-publish it on our web pages.

REC Solar’s Les Kangas, has been a long-time advocate of the green movement and a champion of solar electricity.

Four years ago, he had a 3.5 kW solar system installed on his home, oversizing the system with the intent of buying an electric vehicle (EV). And that is exactly what he did.

Tim Adams in front of his 6.8 kW solar system which has drawn the ire of his Omaha, Neb. HOA. [Photo Courtesy of Adams Family]

In this exclusive interview with SolarChargedDriving.Com, Tim Adams, an Omaha, Neb., homeowner and orthodontist whose HOA is suing him for installing a solar system on his home talks about his commitment to solar, a better world, and the challenges he’s faced in this showdown, which, among other things, has seen Adams pay thousands of dollars to advertise his case on a giant billboard off of Interstate 80.

For background information, check out two previous articles by SolarChargedDriving.Com on this showdown: ‘Nebraska man battles HOA for right to solar’ and ‘Activists send message in HOA battle’.

Below is our interview with Adams.

Alan Weeks, pictured with his brand new Nissan LEAF, is one of the first people in the UK to solar-charge an EV. [Photo Courtesy of Alan Weeks]

SolarChargedDriving.Com caught up with one of the very first Nissan LEAF owners in the UK and one of the first UK LEAF owners to partially power a LEAF with home solar, Alan Weeks.

Weeks, who lives on the South Coast with his family, purchased his LEAF outright and he’s driven it more than 600 miles so far. He’s a part-time consultant in the optoelectronics industry (fiber optics, lasers, telecommunications, etc.). He also serves as a Town, District & County Councilor and as a member of both the Hampshire Fire & Rescue Authority and the New Forest National Park Authority. In addition to politics, the UK solar-charged driving pioneer enjoys gardening and “attempting to grow tropical looking plants such as palms, bananas and bamboos in a temperate climate.”

Below is our interview with one of the UK’s first-ever solar-charged drivers.

The Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the U.S. with 1.4 million members, is now an official supporter of electric vehicles. [Photo Credit: The Sierra Club]

Sierra Club's new Senior Campaign Representative for Electric Vehicles Gina Coplon-Newfield.

The Sierra Club, America’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization, recently threw its support behind electric vehicles. SolarChargedDriving.Com caught up with the Sierra Club’s new Senior Campaign Representative for Electric Vehicles, Gina Coplon-Newfield. We spoke with her about the Sierra Club’s reasons for creating its brand new “Go Electric" campaign, what the campaign’s aims are, how Sierra Club members have responded to the campaign, and a number of additional topics.

Below is our interview with the Sierra Club's Coplon-Newfield.