Sesame Solar, SimpliPhi And OutBack Deliver Lifesaving, Solar-Powered Nanogrid To Princess Margaret Hospital In Dominica
ROSEAU, Dominica: Through a collaborative effort between Sesame Solar, SimpliPhi Power, OutBack Power and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), a Sesame Solar turn-key, containerized, mobile, off-grid, solar powered Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office was delivered to Dominica this week for installation at Princess Margaret Hospital to help the island continue to rebuild after Hurricane Maria and prepare for the 2018 hurricane season.
Princess Margaret Hospital is the largest hospital on the island, and will use the Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office in partnership with the ITUC to provide emergency response efforts during disasters and as a command center. When the island is not in disaster mode, the Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office will provide power generation services to the hospital and the Ministry of Health, and provide a labor employment office for the Waterside Alliance and Workers Union (WAWU) to help rebuild Dominic’s infrastructure.
The Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office includes a fully configured and furnished solar powered office inside, plus power storage, and export power generation sufficient to power and charge a wide-range of medical and communication devices. Easily transported by truck, train, ship, crane or helicopter, and setup in less than 15 minutes, the Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office can also be moved to other island locations if and when circumstances require.
To make best use of the containerized, Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office en route to Dominica, it was filled with humanitarian aid that will be distributed upon arrival, including medical supplies provided by Direct Relief and school supplies and toiletries funded by the Kind Organization, Stone Edge Farm and BELLE Capital USA.
“When Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean, I was glued to my television. As a manufacturer of off-grid, Solar Nanogrid Solutions that work ‘inside the box,’ I knew we were in a unique position to make a meaningful contribution to disaster recovery,” recalls Sesame Solar Board Chair Lauren Flanagan. “Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica — knocking out power island-wide and destroying or damaging virtually every structure. Even today, many people remain without power and the disaster has had a terrible impact on jobs and livelihoods.”
Sesame Solar reached out to partners SimpliPhi Power and OutBack Power to get involved, and both companies enthusiastically got on board.
“Our central mission at SimpliPhi is to empower people and communities to take control of their own energy generation and usage, and as part of that mission we work with partners all over the world to develop and deploy life-saving disaster recovery and preparedness solutions. We were very eager to do our part to help those impacted by Hurricane Maria rebuild with reliable and non-toxic energy security,” explains SimpliPhi CEO Catherine Von Burg. “We donated PHI batteries to provide several days of off-grid power for the Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office, which will enable the Princess Margaret Hospital to provide critical care, as well as a mobile Big Genny portable emergency power kit to facilitate the work of first responders and WAWU workers in the field.”
“OutBack has always been at the forefront of enabling energy independence, whether it’s for living off-grid or providing critical power in the wake of a natural disaster. So when we were presented with the opportunity to partner on this project in the wake of Hurricane Maria, we jumped at the chance to donate equipment to the cause,” said Brandon Provalenko, OutBack’s VP of Commercial Operations. “OutBack’s inverter/chargers and charge controllers are ideally suited for exactly this type of application, having been deployed in thousands of mission critical off-grid applications around the globe for nearly two decades.”
The Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office will be officially presented to Dominica in a ceremony outside the Emergency Entrance of Princess Margaret Hospital on Friday, June 1 at 2 p.m. EDT with the Honorable Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, Kenneth Darroux, Minister of Health, Petter Saint-Jean, Minister of Education and Mr. Kertist Augustus, Secretary of WAWU, in attendance.
About Sesame Solar Inc.
Sesame Solar manufactures ready-to-use Solar Nanogrids that are pre-configured with Solutions Inside, and can be setup in less than 15 minutes. Designed for off-grid power, mobile office, disaster recovery, educational, agricultural, industrial and military applications, very little training and maintenance are required. Sesame Solar Nanogrid Solutions are built from ISO shipping containers, and can be easily transported by truck, train, ship, or helicopter for use anytime, anywhere. Backed by private investors, Sesame Solar Nanogrid Solutions are manufactured in Michigan USA. For more information please visit sesame.solar.
About SimpliPhi Power
SimpliPhi Power designs and manufactures efficient, non-toxic and enduring energy storage and management systems that utilize non-toxic lithium ferro phosphate (LFP). Based in Ojai, California, SimpliPhi combines the non-hazardous LFP energy storage chemistry with its proprietary architecture, power electronics, Battery Management System (BMS), manufacturing processes and materials to create safe, reliable, durable and highly scalable on-demand power solutions for the residential, commercial, military, emergency response and film industries. Integral to all SimpliPhi Power solutions is a proprietary management system that further optimizes the life-cycle, round trip efficiency, overall performance and durability of its batteries. SimpliPhi Power storage system components are UL certified and have been rigorously tested and passed requirements by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. For more information, please visit SimpliPhipower.com and follow us @SimpliPhiPower or Facebook and LinkedIn.
About OutBack Power
For more than 17 years, OutBack Power has been the recognized leader in the design and manufacture of battery-based renewable energy systems. With the regulatory and incentive landscape changing almost daily, consumers are rapidly moving away from simple grid-tied systems and towards intelligent, battery-based designs that blend energy independence with smart home technology that is good for the pocket book and the environment.
As a member of The Alpha Group, OutBack Power is backed by the resources and expertise of The Alpha Group’s 40 year history as an innovator in power conversion for critical applications in the communications, commercial and industrial markets. Whether the application is village micro-grids in Africa, rural electrification projects in Latin America, remote off-grid cabins in Alaska, or a suburban home in Southern California, OutBack Power Technologies has set the bar for delivering advanced renewable energy power conversion electronics and energy storage. OutBack products and systems are sold through a network of distributors serving advanced solar installers around the globe. Famous for its legendary power electronics, OutBack is also a leader in the rapidly growing field of energy storage for PV systems. For more information, please visit www.outbackpower.com.