Together New Orleans and Solar Alternatives have joined forces to introduce the Community Lighthouse initiative featuring two new solar-powered neighborhood shelters

NEW ORLEANS, May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Together New Orleans and Solar Alternatives unveiled two new solar-powered neighborhood shelters in Broadmoor and Central City on March 25, 2023. These shelters are part of the Community Lighthouse initiative, which strives to create 86 safe havens within a 15-minute walking distance from every address in the city. These safe havens are vital when commercial power fails in their neighborhoods.

The Broadmoor Community Church and Bethlehem Lutheran Church have been converted into resiliency hubs with charging stations capable of supporting light medical equipment. These hubs are intended to serve as safe havens during extended emergencies, providing residents a place to cool down, rest, warm up, and even access food distribution services.

The solar systems at these hubs were designed, installed, and will be maintained by Solar Alternatives and are the first two completed Community Lighthouse projects. The systems use Canadian Solar 405W panels, Yotta DPI-1200 microinverters, and Unirac SolarMount racking systems and come with fully charged batteries that can hold up to 7,500 watts. Each system has four Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries for power storage, an automatic load control SPAN panel, and two monitoring systems.

These systems can provide up to 20kW of continuous power and serve as community resiliency hubs during power outages. They can power the churches for up to 17 hours, including air conditioning, deep freezers, and refrigerators. After a major storm, they will provide reliable power for cooling, phone charging, meal preparation, and communications for two weeks or more. They will also reduce the churches' utility costs by approximately $168,000 and $178,080 over their lifetimes and reduce carbon emissions by as much as 33 acres of mature forest annually.

Jeffrey Cantin, Solar Alternatives' representative, said, "Through the adoption of renewable energy and investment in resilient infrastructure, we can ensure that our communities have access to reliable power during emergencies and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. This approach creates new opportunities for local economic development while promoting a cleaner and more sustainable energy future," regarding the Community Lighthouse project. Solar Alternatives aims to strengthen the region through low-carbon technology, providing leadership, education, and resources that advance energy security and create a more sustainable future. The company's industry-leading electrical engineers, project managers, and procurement experts worked with Community Lighthouse to develop this energy management system.

The Community Lighthouse project showcases the strength of community-driven initiatives to enhance residents' lives and create more equitable and sustainable neighborhoods. Two more resiliency hubs will be operational over the next three months, with a goal of having 16 in place by the peak of the 2023 hurricane season.

About Solar Alternatives, Inc.

Solar Alternatives, Inc. is the Gulf South's leading solar power and microgrid design-build firm, providing solar and battery backup engineering, installation, and maintenance for commercial and residential facilities. Founded in 2008, the company serves clients across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas and has received numerous accolades, including Inc 5,000 Most Successful Companies in Life City Wellness and Sustainability awards. Visit solalt.com for more information.

SOURCE Solar Alternatives

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