Mobile Microgrids for Ida Victims in New Orleans

DER Task Force is super excited to help raise money for the deployment of mobile microgrids in New Orleans.

If you aren't aware, Hurricane Ida has knocked down nearly every major power line in the city, leaving this disaster and pandemic-struck community in the dark. Best estimates from the local utility suggest the power won't be restored for a month, making emergency power access absolutely critical.

To help, we're partnering with a non-profit called the Footprint Project. They're a lean, mean, microgrid-deploying machine based in Minnesota with a hub of operations in Nashville. As we speak they are setting up mobile solar and storage throughout the city to complement the diesel/gas generators that are being deployed by others. Typical sites they deploy these at include community centers, medical centers, and fire stations, but they also target street corners and parking lots so people can charge cell phones, medical and mobility devices, use the wifi, etc.

You can learn more about Footprint Project’s efforts in New Orleans at the following link:

The “solar cavalry” is coming to the rescue in New Orleans - qz.com

With more money, they can bring on and mobilize more staff, ship in more solar/battery equipment, and operate more community sites. They have partnerships with local groups on the ground to provide power that are ready to go, and the supply chain is lined up, provided they have the funds.

Over just a few years of existence, Footprint Project has deployed solar and battery solutions to 10+ disaster response and recovery missions, providing emergency clean power access to 14,000+ US citizens. If you're interested, check out the linked case studies on their efforts in Puerto Rico and Nashville.

We have vetted this organization, from both an energy expertise and general non-profit perspective, and they have our full confidence. They are a registered 501(c)(3), are ultra-lean and effective, and none of the key employees or leadership take a salary, so you can be sure all donations will go directly to getting emergency power to hurricane victims in New Orleans.

Donations will fund the following activities in New Orleans: solar hardware, battery hardware, refrigerators and freezers, staff (remote coordinators, reporting officers, solar logisticians), flights, lodging, food, admin, insurance, and overhead.

DER Task Force is all about making the enormous promise of distributed energy solutions happen faster, and while that typically takes the form of heady discussions and some occasional policy work, this is a very real and concrete opportunity to make a big difference using distributed energy technology. Let's make this happen!!

We encourage you to donate what you can, and maybe even slightly more than you can. We are also currently in talks with major donors to match what we are able to raise, so the more we can pull together the better.

Here are some photos showcasing the awesome work Footprint Project has done during previous natural disasters: