Solar Industry’s Responsibility in the Wake of Natural Disasters

Puerto Rico is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history after Hurricane Maria ripped through last month. Millions of American citizens are without food and water, let alone electricity, and it looks like it will stay that way for the near future.  

As a power-provider, the solar industry is galvanizing to do what we can to bring a little light back to the island. The electricity recovery is going to take months for Puerto Rico and is far broader than our industry can fix alone. That said, we are an American electricity mainstay and must do what we can to help our fellow citizens recover.

To start, we launched a form on our website to get companies involved, and have received  pledges for more than $1.2 million in product and monetary contributions in the first few weeks from the generous people in the solar network.

New Star Solar, for example, sent a 747 jet with $300,000 worth of panels and solar generators from Salt Lake City to Puerto Rico as part of this effort. Tesla also recently announced that it would send Powerwall storage packs to help restore power on the island. Sunrun is working with non-profits to install solar energy systems on fire stations. 

Solar competitors are banding together to help their fellow Americans. We are in touch with FEMA and other organizations and agencies on the ground in an effort to deliver supplies and do what we can to make a difference.

This work is far from over, however, and we need your support to continue. Nearly 90 percent of the island remains without power and are being told it will stay that way for months. Let’s do what we can to expedite that, and help make sure that crucial buildings like hospitals, shelters and emergency response facilities are powered.

Fill out this form to learn how you can get involved, and together we can get some of the lights back on in sunny Puerto Rico.