POWER June 2020 - 34

DISTRIBUTED ENERGY AWARD
Power Project Provides
Shelter from the Storm
Courtesy: Blue Planet Energy
Dozens of microgrids are deployed at schools across Puerto Rico, bringing reliable,
resilient power to the island. The project, featuring solar plus storage, is an important
part of the region's recovery from a series of natural and economic disasters.
Darrell Proctor
P
uerto Rico has been battered by
natural disasters in the past few
years. The island has been hit by
destructive hurricanes and earthquakes,
all while in the midst of a years-long
economic downturn.
An economic recovery, which will
likely require more investment and
private capital from both the U.S.
mainland and foreign companies, is
an important step in stabilizing life on
the island. Part of that recovery relies
on rebuilding, and expanding, Puerto
Rico's energy infrastructure.
Hurricane Maria in 2017 wiped out
power across the island, leaving 3.4 million
residents without electricity, and
highlighted the need to improve the territory's
aging power generation and distribution
infrastructure. It also brought
calls for new investment in projects to
bring more reliability and resilience to
Puerto Rico's power supply.
" As humans, we're pretty terrible
about thinking about how to plan for
the future we want, until we have to
deal with it, " said Chris Johnson, CEO
of Blue Planet Energy, a battery-based
microgrid solution provider helping build
a better future for Puerto Rico. Blue
Planet Energy, along with the American
Red Cross, has equipped more than 110
schools across the island with battery
systems charged by solar energy, an
effort known as the Puerto Rico Solar
Schools Project.
" We partner with mission-driven or34
ganizations
to pull stuff like this off, "
Johnson told POWER in a recent interview,
noting that communities often
require education to understand such
projects and the benefits of clean energy.
" Red Cross was bringing this vision
to Puerto Rico before Puerto Rico
even knew they needed it, " he said.
" Our partners were bringing forwardlooking
solutions. "
The need became clear after Hurricane
Maria. The Solar Schools Project
selected sites that were designated as
emergency shelters by the Puerto Rican
Housing Authority, shelters that in the
past few years have been needed on
several occasions. The sites play a crucial
role for Puerto Rico's communities
in times of emergency, providing food
and shelter to residents impacted by
natural disasters, and serving as a mission
control center for non-government
organizations to strategize disaster relief
efforts, gather supplies, and communicate
recovery plans.
The Solar Schools Project is providing
a so-called " roadmap to resiliency "
for other communities to follow, both in
the U.S. and globally. Its importance is
being recognized with POWER's Distributed
Energy Award.
Solar + Storage
The Solar Schools Project provides
5.7 MW of solar power and 11 MWh
of energy storage. Schools have been
outfitted with rooftop solar panels,
with energy storage provided by Blue
www.powermag.com
Planet Energy's Blue Ion systems. The
company's Blue Ion Ferrous Phosphate
(LiFePO4
) batteries require no rare
minerals and remain stable even in
challenging physical conditions, such
as the tropical heat of Puerto Rico,
which is a key safety consideration in a
school and emergency shelter environment.
They also offer 100% discharge
capability, enabling use of the entire
battery. The Red Cross selected Blue
Ion for these projects because of the
robust company support, an industryleading
warranty, and its track record
of quality and reliability.
Gaby Perez, the Puerto Rico-based
regional sales manager for Blue Planet
Energy in the Caribbean and Latin
America, told POWER how the project
came to fruition. " I had a connection
with the Red Cross, and they wanted
to develop projects in Puerto Rico, "
Perez said. " No not-for-profit agency
prior to Hurricane Maria was doing any
solar projects, so this was totally new
for Red Cross, and this was happening
because they didn't trust the government,
because of the reputation for
a lot of delays " in projects when the
cash-strapped government became
involved.
" We had a meeting with them and
we discussed the project, " Perez said. " I
gave them [a list of] seven installers in
Puerto Rico that had the funding capacity
and expertise in doing these types
of projects. Prior to Hurricane Maria, the
only experience we had was in grid-tied
POWER|June 2020
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POWER June 2020

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