By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
What Happened: Casa Pueblo, an environmental nonprofit and community center in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, has kept its lights on continuously even after Hurricane Maria knocked out power to most of the rest of the island in September. How? A solar power system.
- Arturo Massol Deya, president of Casa Pueblo, told Yale Climate Connections that the center has been running on solar power for more than 20 years.
- Let’s be clear: While many of us on the mainland have been debating about whether solar power can replace the island’s grid, there’s actually a real-life case study proving that it can.
SolarWakeup’s View: One of our longest running current national embarrassments is continuing in Puerto Rico, where many of our fellow American citizens (I need to emphasize that every time I write about because, well, so many Americans don’t seem to understand or care about that) are still without power.
But as the mainland powers that be dither and deflect about whether they should still be involved, environmental nonprofit and community center Casa Pueblo could light the way – literally – to the type of future the island could have if it changed its power system completely over to solar + storage.
Here’s another amazing fact I hadn’t heard about before Massol mentioned it in the Yale Climate Connections story: According to him, there’s a study conducted at the University of Puerto Rico established that 65 percent of all the roof areas in the islands was enough to produce 100 percent of the island’s energy demand.
To its great credit, the solar industry (most notably companies like SunPower, Sunnova, sonnen and others) have leapt into action to bring more solar to the island.
But I did want to take a moment to highlight Project Power Puerto Rico, launched by Scott Sullivan and other industry veterans to follow Casa Pueblo’s example and light the way to Puerto Rico’s solar future. Throw them a few bucks if you can.
There’s a real-life electricity crisis going on in Puerto Rico nearly seven months after the hurricane hit – but thanks to Casa Pueblo, there is a potential light at the end of the tunnel – if only we can find the will.
More:
Puerto Rico’s solar-powered energy oasis
Bonus:
Puerto Rico should be all our hearts’ devotion.