Arroyo, Southeastern Puerto Rico. Microgrid includes a 90V direct drive system for a water pump, shop tools and a Roxy Oven; a 12V nickel iron battery kit; and two SunStar direct drive fridges.
On a farm right across the road from a quiet, picturesque Caribbean beach, Miguel and Dinorah grow all manner of tropical crops, including ginger, tumeric, bananas and hormiguera. Their most important crop is coconuts. Every week customers flock to their booth at the San Juan farmer’s market to stock up on fresh, delicious coconut water.
In addition to being farmers and respected elders in the community, Miguel and Dinorah are activists. They have campaigned tirelessly against the toxic coal-burning power plants in their community. They are familiar faces at any political rally in Ponce or San Juan that denounces American colonialism and warmongering, And they don’t just talk the talk. Determined not to personally contribute to the pollution problem caused by fossil-fueled electricity production, they have been living off the grid for years.
It’s not easy to make a living from a farm, and even harder to use farm income to pay for solar equipment. After Hurricane Maria, Miguel and Dinorah were able to access a grant for a modest AC solar kit. The most significant load they wanted to run with their kit was a jet pump for their well. It worked for a spell, but as their batteries aged, they lost their capacity to run the power-hungry jet pump. Instead of installing utility power, Miguel and Dinorah started pumping water by hand.
In 2022, Miguel and Dinorah signed up for El Departamento de la Comida’s Proyecto Ceiba, which pairs elder farmers with young people for mutual aid and support. Millo Huertas, one of our trainees, worked with them for a year on improving infrastructure on their farm. In 2023, Millo and El Depa reached out to us to ask about a direct drive DC pump for the farm, so Miguel and Dinorah wouldn’t have to continue the laborious task of pumping water by hand. At the time, we didn’t have the connections to the Chinese solar pump companies we have now. The only DC pumps that we knew were reputable were from companies like SunPumps and Grundfos; and these pumps costs $2,000 or more.
In addition to the pump, Miguel and Dinorah needed refrigeration to support their coconut water business; they also needed a better battery kit to provide reliable lights, fans, and phone charging. It was a group effort to fundraise the amount we needed to pay for all this equipment. Depa was able to contribute a few thousand from the Proyecto Ceiba program’s funding. LEF and Serenity Solidarity set up a GoFundMe that was able to raise another $1K, and Miguel and Dinorah covered the rest.
It was also a group effort to do the installation. Miguel and Dinorah’s farm was the single most complex installation that Alexis and Debbie managed during their trip in Puerto Rico in 2023. We re-wired the AC kit that they had, so they would still have occasional power for AC loads. We installed a 6 panel, 90V direct drive kit for their pump and cooker. We converted a few of their shop tools to run 90V direct drive. We installed two panels to power a fridge and a freezer, both direct drive. And we installed more panel for a 55AH 12V nickel iron kit to supply power for lights, fans and electronics.
Miguel and Dinorah have been very grateful for the performance of the DC equipment, and also for being part of an energy movement that’s not based on extraction, pollution, and exploitation. As a show of support, they offered to host an educational and outreach event at their farm (organized by Depa) in March of 2023. As very private people, it was a stretch for them to invite dozens of people to their home to show off their energy systems, and we really appreciated their willingness to be a public face for the movement.
