Casa Pueblo
Casa Pueblo is a community governed organization founded in 1980 by Tinti Deyá Díaz and Alexis Massol González in response to the Government of Puerto Rico’s proposal to mine 17 deposits of copper, gold and silver—a project that would effect about a third of the island’s land. After successfully organizing against the project Casa Pueblo would go on to form the first protected forests in PR, prevent a oil pipeline, and catalyze projects promoting distributed solar.
In collaboration with Let’s Share the Sun over 35 solar systems have been installed on homes and medical facilities across the rural municipality of Adjuntas. There systems prioritize residents who require access to electricity for medical reasons.
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2023
In collaboration with the Adirondack Solar Alliance, LSTS installed 36 panels on a non-for-profit nursing home in the Vegas Arriba neighborhood of Adjuntas. The facility serves 18 residents with 24/7 nursing. The site was a former school that fell into disrepair from hurricanes. Since the install the site has expanded to house more patients and has opened up new services for its residents. The solar system and battery backup provides power during outage and reduces operating costs significantly.
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2023
33 solar systems were installed in the target neighborhood 'Alto de Cuba' which has been historically ignored. The project creates a solar oasis where residents share power during frequent outage. Additionally, the neighborhoods colmado (bodega) received a larger system with net metering which saves utility costs and provides a center to the community. The colmado also organizes a community fund which collects a small portion oh savings to provide O&M on systems.
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2020, 2022, 2024
Cucubano (firefly) systems provide small systems with battery backup to rural residents where outage is frequent. The systems target residences that depend on electricity for medical reasons. The pilot project installed 2 systems in 2020 and has since installed over 15 systems.