At Orange Habitat, we’re always looking for new ways to make our work more efficient and sustainable—and one of our regular volunteers recently helped us take a big step forward. Thanks to the creativity and generosity of Dmitry, we now have a solar-powered charging station right on our construction site. 

Mounted on top of a shipping container, the panels supply off-grid power that can charge up to six tool batteries and run two saws at the same time. This innovation not only keeps our workflow moving smoothly, but it also demonstrates how small-scale solar can have a big impact. The system is capable of producing over 1,000 kWh per year—enough to cover about 10% of a typical household’s annual electricity usage. 

Sustainability has long been at the heart of our mission—we build all of our homes to a green building standard and install solar panels on as many homes as possible. For Dmitry, the project was about problem-solving and testing ideas that could benefit Habitat and beyond. “I am an inventor at heart,” he said. “My goal is to bring things to fruition and potentially benefit as many people as possible.” 

This solar station is more than just an upgrade to our site—it’s an example of how volunteers’ skills, creativity, and willingness to try something new can fuel innovation across our organization.