Grassroots Solar donates solar panels to Puerto Rico

News Release — Grassroots Solar
Aug. 23, 2018

Dorset, VT Grassroots Solar, Inc. of Dorset, VT, is excited to announce the donation of more than 220 solar panels—an array capable of providing 46 kW—to their solar project in Puerto Rico. The donation of the panels, given by Green Street Power Partners in Massachusetts, was facilitated by Bill Laberge of Grassroots Solar. Grassroots Solar has been working to bring power to homeowners in Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Parts of the country continue to be without power, and many more areas are without reliable power, due to the antiquated and weakened electrical grid. Grassroots Solar is working to alleviate that with solar energy.

Ricardo Diaz Soto who is helping to coordinate the project in Barrio San Salvador said, “This [donation] comes at a great time, as this week the community finished the collection of data for 250 homes. The data includes GPS coordinates, electric consumption, roof size and configuration, etc.… We agreed on designing a pilot nanogrid in San Salvador with the panels and to install some on community sites (COSS’ headquarters and churches).”

Barrio San Salvador in the town of Caguas, Puerto Rico, is where Grassroots Solar started the “Ponte Pilas” project. Ponte Pilas is a Puerto Rican expression roughly meaning “pick yourself up and move forward” or “energize yourself and get it done.” Literally, however, the expression translates to “put on your batteries,” which seemed especially apt for this project!

Originally, the goal was to bring power to 100 homes. The community took over the project and expanded it. They hired an engineer, used high school students to collect data on the homes’ power requirements, and designed a system of solar panels and batteries to power the whole community. They now have 250 homes signed up and expect it to get to 450 homes. They see this as a pilot for other communities.

The Barrio San Salvador community has set up a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, “Comunidad Organizada de San Salvador, Inc” for this unique project which will become a grid owned by the community, and one that is not interconnected by old style grid, poles and wires. Brilliant and resilient!

Grassroots Solar looks forward to helping the community install their new solar power grid, and working with other areas of Puerto Rico to give residents energy independence. Grassroots Solar is a full service. Vermont-based solar installation company. For more information, visit, GrassrootsSolar.com.