Storms - Schools - Solar - Solution

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"beauty" adaptation of solar project in P.R.


Time and time again, disaster after disaster, renewable energy has been a lifesaver.  The following articles talk about how a school in Puerto Rico has moved away from non-reliable utilities (which have been down since Hurricane Maria):

Puerto Rico School Ditches Grid for Solar-plus-Storage (REW)

The school's system is one of many newly created microgrids installed by sonnen Inc.

One comment that caught my attention was:

“The solar microgrid has had a very important impact on the community,” the school’s director, Alberto Melendez Castillo, said in an interview. “It has been very moving to see the students drinking cold water, eating fresh food and being able to work on computers powered by renewable energy.”

This connects with me because it brings me back to my days of installation with GRID Alternatives.  Working with GRID, I knew immediately knew how impactful solar can be for a community in need.  It was the start of long and fruitful career.

The following link from Island Insider Magazine has a nice view of the system:
sonnen Powers Remote School in Puerto Rico Using Solar + Battery Storage Microgrid Technology

Note that Tesla is involved in this effort as well:
Tesla & Sonnen Working Overtime To Power Up Puerto Rico

More links about this story:
Puerto Rico recovery: This solar + storage microgrid helps power off-grid school hurt by hurricane

..the following speaks more about the "Puerto Rico Energy Security Initiative" (PRESI):
sonnen Inc. Pledges to Build and Donate Microgrids to Help Bring Emergency Power to the People of Puerto Rico

No matter how technology evolves, the one thing that seems to remains consistent is Mother Nature's force to test our systems (we usually lose :).  Renewable energy solutions will always be an option to get out of the darkness from dependency on utilities that fail.

If you're looking for an industry that positively impacts the community, both in cases of emergency or just breaking free from the grid, the sectors of alternative energy and storage is a perfect place to position yourself.

~Michael



References:
sonnen Inc
Renewable Energy World
Island Insider Magazine
GRID Alternatives
Solarbuildermag.com
Telsa

For more info on storage:
Batteries - Storage Resources


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