An increase in severe weather events, combined with aging energy infrastructure, is resulting in more frequent and longer duration power outages. Low-income communities, communities of color, and medically vulnerable populations are especially vulnerable. Solar paired with battery storage (solar+storage) can provide emergency backup power support to the community service providers and first responders serving these communities.

This webinar will focus on innovative applications of solar+storage to assist vulnerable communities in the event of an outage and emergency event. Footprint Project, a non-profit organization that deploys solar+storage to communities in crisis, will speak to their experience deploying mobile solar+storage systems to support critical facilities and first responders during, and after, an emergency event. Together New Orleans, a broad-based coalition of congregations and community-based organizations in the greater New Orleans area, will overview the Community Lighthouse initiative, a resilience effort to equip a network of congregations and community institutions across New Orleans with commercial-scale solar power and back-up battery capacity.

Panelists:

– Marriele Mango, Project Director, Clean Energy Group (Moderator)
– Broderick Bagert, Lead Organizer, Together New Orleans and Together Louisiana
– Jamie Swezey, Program Director, Footprint Project