DECENT POWER

When the power goes out, whether due to a grid-related failure or because of a natural disaster, emergency responders are on the front lines, providing food, shelter, fire rescue, and medical attention. The last thing they need to worry about is where their power is coming from, but for many, access to backup power during an outage is not a guarantee.

Solar PV paired with battery storage (solar+storage) can provide clean and reliable power in the event of an outage. In recent years, emergency responders have found both stationary solar+storage – systems installed in a particular facility – and mobile units – solar+storage systems that can be transported to different communities on a trailer – valuable in the event of a disaster and corresponding power outage.

Today, however, most critical facilities with backup power rely on diesel generators, which are often unreliable, expensive, and vulnerable to fuel shortages. Diesel emissions negatively impact the environment, air quality, and public health. In fact, spikes in carbon monoxide poisoning from fossil-fueled generators immediately follow a power outage. Alternatively, solar+storage can provide clean, automatic, reliable, and continuous power. Unlike diesel, solar+storage can also provide economic benefits – such as utility bill reduction – during regular grid operations.

The resilience provided by these systems for emergency responders is incalculable – solar+storage can provide emergency responders freedom to focus on providing critical services and not worry about where their backup power will come from.