By FireRescue1 Staff
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Puerto Rico fire station is now completely powered by solar energy after being without reliable power since Hurricane Maria struck the island.
CNBC reported that San Francisco-based solar company Sunrun teamed up with nonprofit groups such as Empowered by Light and Give Power to install a 4-kilowatt solar system for the Barrio Obrero fire station that will power the entire station, including its communications system.
“Putting this in is the difference between life and death in this community,” Las Vegas Fire Department Capt. Richard Birt, who is assisting with the installation, said. “This model should be used everywhere around the world.”
Barrio Obrero has been running on a diesel-powered generator for weeks, and the fire station is the first in Puerto Rico to be powered by solar energy.
Sunrun public policy director Andy Newbold said the setup will give the station more reliable access to power.
“It appears the federal emergency response is focused on diesel to repower the island,” Empowered by Light co-founder Marco Krapels said. “We wanted to demonstrate with real projects — with immediate impact, that renewable energy technology is available now and it’s a much more resilient alternative to diesel.”