Energy Access In Puerto Rico
APRIL 2023
Let’s Share the Sun Completes Two Major Projects in its continued support for energy access in Puerto Rico
ADJUNTAS, PUERTO RICO. In March 2023 a delegation of energy industry professionals and students from Notre Dame Energy completed phase 1 of Proyecto Alto de Cuba in collaboration with community partner Casa Pueblo which energized 20 homes in the impoverished Alto de Cuba neighborhood in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. Also completed was the installation of a solar array on the domestic violence shelter Casa Julia with partner Wood Mackenzie. The Alto de Cuba neighborhood has a high concentration of elderly individuals who require electricity for medical machinery and refrigerating medication and are frequently left without power. Let’s Share the Sun’s Executive Director Bernie Jordan would like to specifically thank the support of our industry partners including Wood Mackenzie, Jordan Energy, OurGeneration, and BQ Energy. The following week Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm visited Casa Pueblo, as it inaugurated the Pueblo Solar Microgrid powering 20 of the town’s businesses supported by The Honnold Foundation, and Let’s Share the Sun’s Alto de Cuba community energization.
In April, students from the Adirondack Solar Alliance joined local solar company Sol de La Montana to install 36 panels and 20 kilos of batteries on Hogar Cabecitas de Oro, a non-for-profit nursing home in the rural Vegas Arriba neighborhood of Adjuntas. The nursing home occupies the former Escuela Teleforso which went into disuse because of natural disaster. The site houses 16 residents who require 24/7 nursing and require the use of medical machinery (oxygen and nutrient aliment) and reliable refrigeration. It will soon open a refuge for women who have suffered domestic violence, which will also be supported by the solar system. The installation will fully cover electric necessities, provide over $1000 a month in savings and provide battery backup during very frequent power outages. Project Director Tim McCorry thanks the Adirondack Solar Alliance for over two years of hard work to make this project happen and forwards the appreciation of site director Tomas Lopez, and Casa Pueblo for their involvement in the Pueblo Solar initiative. (See @CasaPueblo’s update here)
Additions
