LEF is collaborating with El Departamento de la Comida and Serenity Solidarity to bring affordable, reliable DC solar energy systems to Puerto Rico and Jamaica. This project relies on private donations to cover travel and shipping costs. Please consider supporting us if you can.
Click here for a visual guide to installation sites to date, and learn more about DC Microgrids sites across the Caribbean.
Click here to read an article from truthdig about our installations in Puerto Rico in 2023.
Why Puerto Rico and Jamaica?
Years after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s electrical system is still in crisis. Power outages are a part of daily life for Puerto Ricans, with dramatic impacts on health and well-being. And yet, Puerto Ricans pay about twice as much as the average American for electricity. The latest contract renewal for Luma, the privately owned consortium that manages the electrical grid in Puerto Rico, sparked outrage and mass protests across the island.
In Jamaica, the electrical situation is similarly dire. Electrical service is essentially (if not technically) privatised, and it is much more expensive than it is in the US, especially adjusted for income. The bitterness towards the power company is even more intense in Jamaica than it is in PR. Jamaicans are killed every year trying to steal power from the power company, out of desperation.
For many, the answer for how to provide sustainable, reliable electricity to these sunny tropical islands seems obvious: decentralized rooftop solar. The problem is that a conventional solar and storage system that produces AC electricity is too expensive for the average Puerto Rican, and even less so for the average Jamaican. Even if they are able to access the funds (through loans, donations or government programs) to install a solar kit, most working class families in the Caribbean can’t afford to replace their batteries when they wear out. Non-functional solar systems are already a common sight throughout the Caribbean- in fact, most of the sites where we installed DC systems in PR had post-Maria AC solar kits that were no longer functional.
At LEF, we’re different than most solar advocacy organizations. We live off the grid and know what it takes to make renewable energy systems that work over the long term. Our DC Microgrid approach- which emphasizes direct drive for motors and other heavy loads, efficient DC appliances, and quality, durable batteries- is much more affordable and durable than conventional off-grid solar.
But there are significant obstacles to the scalability of our model. The first, and biggest, is a lack of awareness. The next is the lack of supply chains for DC equipment. There are only a small number of direct drive appliances available in the US and Europe; most of these are not available at all in the Caribbean.
Through our non-profit fundraising, we have been able to establish supply chains for the most needed appliances, and get this equipment shipped to the Caribbean. We have a contract with an American company, SunStar, to make high quality direct drive DC refrigerators. We have imported good quality, inexpensive household fans, as well as highly durable nickel iron batteries, manufactured in Ukraine by ADS. We are building and shipping Insulated Solar Electric Cookers (ISECs), and working on developing a direct drive washing machine, dehydrator, and other appliances for the Caribbean market.
To raise awareness of this technology and train Caribbean installers, we’ve collaborated with El Departamento de la Comida on 3 solar immersion/training programs at Living Energy Farm. Thanks to training programs, we now have several folks in Puerto Rico trained and installing DC systems.
We’re also collaborating with Ricardo Martinez on storage and distribution logistics. Ricardo runs his own solar company and attended our 2023 training program. Thanks to Ricardo and the rest of our installation team, Living Energy Lights is now distributing DC equipment in Puerto Rico year-round, not just when the LEF crew is able to travel there.
Most people in Puerto Rico (like the rest of the world) still don’t know about DC solar systems and why they are so much better than AC systems. Our main work remains education and raising awareness around this technology. We are making progress. We have several DC Microgrids installed in high profile locations, and word is starting to spread. We’re going to keep doing training programs and educational events, but going forward we’re going to host them in Puerto Rico, instead of at LEF. This will make them accessible to more people.
We’re a small, all-volunteer organization, and rely on private donations to do this work. The more money we can raise, the less costs we have to pass on to the working class folks who need these systems the most. Your support makes a big difference. Please consider contributing to our friend Nancy’s crowdfunder, or contribute to our general fund through Virginia Organizing and the Network for Good. Designate your donation to go towards Living Energy Institute. Your support makes these projects possible!