U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was scheduled to be in Louisiana Nov. 16 (today) to mark the completion of the latest solar microgrid project at a church in LaPlace.
Together Louisiana, a nonprofit coalition of churches and community groups, hosted the event at New Wine Christian Fellowship with a tour of the facility for Granholm, and a ribbon cutting event.
The church is the seventh and largest solar microgrid Together Louisiana has built as part of its Community Lighthouse Project. The group has been installing solar power with battery storage systems at centralized locations such as churches, health clinics and community centers in underserved neighborhoods.
The “lighthouses” serve as places of refuge for residents to access electricity, refrigeration, shelter and other basic needs during storm-related blackouts and other disasters.
Unlike typical backup generators, the solar-powered lighthouses can provide electricity virtually indefinitely. The load management systems allow the lighthouses to disconnect from the main power grid and go into backup mode, so users can regulate power to non-essential devices on cloudy days and ensure the batteries maintain adequate charge levels for nighttime use.
The solar power systems are also used as primary energy sources at all times. This allows the facilities to save money on energy consumption year-round.
Together Louisiana ramped up the project after backup generators broke down or ran out of fuel during Hurricane Ida. LaPlace was one of the hardest hit in the August 2021 storm, with power restoration taking weeks.
The microgrid initiative is funded through donations and public grants. Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $250M federal investment in Louisiana that will support a major expansion of resiliency hubs modeled after the Community Lighthouse Project. (New Orleans City Business 11/15/23) US Energy secretary to tour latest solar microgrid project in LaPlace | New Orleans CityBusiness
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