Solar+Storage for Puerto Rico Fire Station Resilience

In 2017, Hurricane Maria decimated nearly all aspects of Puerto Rico’s electric grid. Over 3 million people lost power, leading to the longest blackout in U.S. history and the loss of over 3,000 lives, more than any other natural disaster in the U.S. in over 100 years. Without grid power, all of Puerto Rico’s 96 fire stations were forced to operate on diesel generators. Many of the generators broke down after extended use or ran out of fuel because of supply chain failures. Without power, first responders’ ability to save lives was stifled and the stations were unable to serve as resiliency hubs for the community.

Solar Responders was formed as a response to the Puerto Rico Fire Department’s demand for reliable, resilient power. To date, Solar Responders has installed solar+storage on 6 fire stations, with a goal of all stations by 2023. In this Clean Energy Group webinar, guest speakers shared the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned from this process.

Speakers:
· Hunter Johansson, Founder and CEO, Solar Responders
· Angel Zayas, Founder, AZ Engineering
· Sergeant Luis Saez Vega, Puerto Rico Fire Department
· Abbe Ramanan, Project Manager, Clean Energy Group (moderator)