Mobile Power for the People: Building Back Greener in Puerto Rico

As our summer deployments come to a close, new and formidable projects begin. Footprint Project’s largest mobile solar generator microgrid is ready to bring sustainable power to communities in Puerto Rico. 

Restoration efforts are ongoing as residents continue to respond to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, the 6.4 earthquake in January of this year, the two hurricanes that struck the island this summer, COVID-19, and many more disasters.

Despite these efforts, Puerto Rico is facing a long road to recovery. As of today, Puerto Rico will have endured 1,085 days without full power to support its nearly three million citizens. 

This microgrid, otherwise known as the Mobile Solar Incident Command Center, is crucial for the island’s disaster relief recovery. As back-up diesel generators continue to fail when communities deprived of power need it most, a solar generator microgrid will provide reliable, sustainable energy. The residents of Puerto Rico will no longer have to rely on faulty generators.

This system is composed of a five kW trailer owned by Empowered by Light, a non-profit that has used solar technologies to benefit over 500,000 people in Puerto Rico. The mobile trailer contains a solar battery and inverter with storage space and multiple outlets to plug in devices. Next to the trailer are two tents covered with solar arrays-- seen in the drone image below-- enabling the entire system to be a spacious, never -before-seen incident command center that is deployable anywhere on the island.  

All the critical needs of a command center – light, charging stations, communication, refrigeration for food and/or medical supplies, etc., can now be obtainable anywhere, at any time. All you need is a parking lot to set it up.

An overhead view of the completed Mobile Solar Incident Command Center assembled in partnership with Empowered by Light and AZ Engineering.

In Puerto Rico there are 91 fire-rescue and “First Response” stations dispersed across the island to help citizens during environmental disasters. These fire stations depend on diesel generators that have often failed during environmental emergencies preventing firefighters access to power and communication resources. With the trailer system’s accessibility and mobility, firefighters can now use this asset as a power resource to give especially vulnerable and hard-hit communities electricity in a single day as opposed to several months. 

“Puerto Rico is right in the middle of a storm ‘alleyway,’ so this is a concept that will save a lot of lives. With this mobile station, you can build as big a microgrid as you want, providing flexible scalability, which you don’t have with fixed emergency operation centers. There will be more control in the time of disaster, which is critical.”- Richard Birt, Captain of the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Department

A solar mobile incident command center has never been attempted in Puerto Rico. It will be used as a formidable stepping stone for further solar technology development, as well as a model for global sustainable disaster relief solutions.

So, how did this system become a reality? . 

Oscar Ruiz, from Sail Relief Team, installing the solar arrays donated by LG on the racking system for the mobile trailer.

Through numerous steps,--from shipping the trailer and the panels from Southeastern U.S. to the island, transporting the equipment via boat, then setting up the equipment-- Oscar Ruiz from Sail Relief Team and firefighters from the Humacao fire station worked diligently to complete the station. The Mobile Solar Incident Command Center would not have been possible without Footprint Project’s partnerships with Empowered by Light and AZ Engineering, and the resilient construction work of Sail Relief Team. 

Built at the Humacao fire station on the eastern side of the island, the construction of the trailer took approximately four months due to the multitude of COVID-19 restrictions as well as the weather interference from Hurricane Hanna and Isaias. As we have said before, a large part of disaster response is adapting to the fast-changing circumstances that often create adversities along the way, and this deployment response was no different.

Bomberos de Humacao (firefighters) helped assemble the trailer at the Humacao fire station.

Now, Empowered by Light will train firefighters and emergency personnel on how to use this trailer system for rapid responses. The organization will continue to sponsor the system, creating an integrated, reliable asset for firefighters when Puerto Rico faces its next environmental disaster. 

What can you do to help?

The breadth and reach of Footprint Project has grown considerably in the past couple of years. As daunting as 2020 is, volunteers from across the country are stepping up to help combat the additional friction. 

Thank you to our partners; Empowered by Light, AZ Engineering, and Sail Relief Team for bringing this assembly to life. 

Thank you to all the firefighters and people who have helped further our work in Puerto Rico. We are proud to stand with and support these local communities as they build back greener.

If you’d like to contribute to Footprint Project and support future deployments in Puerto Rico and beyond, make a donation today!