BayWa r.e. Extends Hurricane Ida Relief Efforts in Louisiana

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Sep 21, 2021, 08:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BayWa r.e., a leading renewable energy developer, services and systems provider in the Americas, announced today that it has donated $20,000 to the Footprint Project to support relief efforts in southeastern Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida and the resulting cancelation of Solar Power International in New Orleans. The funds will be used to extend the relief efforts in the region, which is especially important for those still without electricity in the region.

Footprint Project, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization, has been in Louisiana since Sept. 3 with a fleet of solar trailers and scores of portable charging stations. The mobile microgrids have been deployed at sites throughout the area, including community centers, medical centers and fire stations. They are being used by volunteers to run refrigeration, ice makers, freezers and portable air conditioners, as well as to set up cooling and charging stations. Parking lots and street corners in high-need areas have also been provided with cellphone charging, medical and mobility devices, and battery shares.

"Since we cannot bring our people and money to New Orleans for Solar Power International as expected, we're proud to support the Footprint Project in its efforts to aid economic recovery and help affected communities build back greener in the face of climate-amplified disasters like Hurricane Ida," said Axel Veeser, Managing Director of BayWa r.e. USA LLC. "Its work demonstrates the value of renewable and resilient approaches in a region that has inadequate access to clean energy, suffers from vulnerable power-grid infrastructure, and traditionally has suffered environmental harm from the excesses of the conventional energy industries."

"BayWa r.e.'s generous donation will make it possible to bring on and mobilize more staff, ship in more solar and battery equipment, and operate more community sites," said Will Heegaard, operations director of the Footprint Project. "This will strengthen the partnerships we have with local groups on the ground and provide help to more communities across southeast Louisiana."

"The solar community has come together in a big way already to help the people of New Orleans and southern Louisiana in the aftermath of COVID-19 and Ida," said Misty Chioffe, Head of Marketing, Americas for BayWa r.e. USA LLC. "There is still more we can do. I strongly encourage others who were planning to attend SPI to consider giving to the community to help them build back greener. This is a powerful demonstration of how renewables can be a solution, in more than one way, to the climate crisis."

If you would like to support Footprint's work during #climateweek please consider donating to their active gofundme or directly on their website: www.footprintproject.org.

About BayWa r.e.
At BayWa r.e. we r.e. think energy — how it is produced, stored and can be best used to enable the global renewable energy transition that is essential to the future of our planet. We are a leading global developer, service supplier, distributor and solutions provider and have brought over 4 GW of energy online and manage over 10 GW of assets. We are also an Independent Power Producer with an expanding energy trading business. BayWa r.e. works with businesses worldwide to provide tailored renewable solutions. Operating 100% carbon neutral, we are also committed to our own sustainability journey. Every day, we are working hard to actively shape the future of energy in a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Our shareholders are BayWa AG, a $19.6 billion global business, and Energy Infrastructure Partners, a leader in energy infrastructure investment. For more info on BayWa r.e. Americas, go to https://us.baywa-re.com/en

About Footprint Project
Footprint Project's mission is to help communities build back greener after environmental disasters. Footprint Project (www.footprintproject.org) has extensive experience designing, building and deploying solar trailers for emergency use, mobilizing pools of distributed clean energy assets to support disaster first responders and meet emergency power needs. We help relief groups integrate sustainable technologies into their missions through hands-on training, design, and deployment support. In 2019, FP deployed mobile solar stations to 5 environmental disasters, distributed over 1,200 solar panels, donated 2 solar trailers to first responders, and launched our Solar Energy Rapid Response Team (SERRT). Since January 2020, FP volunteers were some of the first to respond following the January earthquake in Puerto Rico, deploying ten mobile solar generators to power device recharging, medical equipment, and lighting. In Matamoros, Mexico, Footprint provided a solar tent and trailer for a field hospital to power Global Response Management's COVID-19 clinic, serving 2,500 asylum seekers in the encampment. In Tennessee and Iowa, where extreme weather left neighborhoods in the dark for days, Footprint provided direct clean energy access to over 2,000 citizens. Overall, providing direct access to emergency solar recharging for over 12,500 people during grid outages.

SOURCE BayWa r.e. USA LLC