After a category five hurricane hit Peurto Rico, making it the worst natural disaster to affect the country and causing thousands of citizens to be without power, a German tech company Sonnen was prompted to intervene.
German start-up Sonnen is offering its $10,000 to $23,000 energy storage systems free of charge to a dozen blacked-out health-care facilities, schools, churches, and community centres.
The Sonnen equipment links solar and battery powered buildings to place energy where required.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Each component of a SonnenCommunity networks stores solar energy in an internet connected lithium-ion battery. It weighs a hefty 400 pounds and is 4.5 feet tall.
The components track where most of the energy is used and needed to surplus those that require greater amounts of distribution. The system also stores and distributes energy for local electric utilities.
Sonnen Initiatives:
In February, the company announced that they would commission a solar and battery storage microgrid at a local school in Ococovis, Puerto Rico. It was established in collaboration with their local energy partner Pura Energia.
Results:
The school remained completely off the grid since Hurricane Maria but Sonnen donated two smart energy storage systems. In total, the microgrid will be able to keep the school open and the facility to use clean and renewable sources of energy. Since the area is so remote, the installation of this grid does not require connecting with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).
Hurricane Maria:
Hurricane Maria killed over 4,600 people in Puerto Rico – 70 times the official toll. The wreckage of the storm compromised an accurate count.
Harvard researchers said that interviews conducted in the country suggest there is a 60% increase in mortality three months following the storm.
One-third of the deaths is due to interruptions in medical care caused by power cuts and broken road links. Disruptions in health care are a large contributor to morbidity and death during natural disasters. This is because many patients had chronic diseases and needed the aid of electircity-based equipment.
Many homes are still without electricity, and according to the Rhodium Group, hurricane Maria caused the largest blackout in US history.
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