History major/budding entrepreneur lauded for work with solar power

Andrew Epting, a history major at the University of South Carolina, received honorable mention in the Environmental Sustainability category of the 2008 New Carolinas Business Idea Contest, part of the ninth annual ThinkTEC Summit at Trident Technical College in North Charleston, held June 4 - 5.

Epting, a rising senior from Columbia, earned the award for his start-up company, which designs and installs solar arrays that convert sunlight directly into electricity and can be used in manufacturing, government, education, warehousing and retail industries, as well as in small business and residential settings. Epting’s company, Palmetto Solar, is based at the university’s Technology Incubator and will be working closely with the university’s department of electrical engineering to develop new solar technology.

Of nearly 100 entries from 22 counties across the state, five were selected as winners and four given honorable mention. The five categories were as follows: Biotech, Engineering, Environmental Sustainability, Software/IT and Wildcard.