Between Ian and Fiona, large parts of the United States and Canada have found themselves without power, and unclear times as to when the power grid will be restored to normal operation. With weather-related disasters already the leading cause of major power outages in the US, and with those disasters becoming more common and more severe in recent years, considerations need to be made as to how to best harden power grids, how to ensure they can be rapidly repaired afterward, and how to maintain sufficient redundancy in systems, according to an article in The World Economic Forum.
Looking to Puerto Rico, which lost power service to roughly 93% of residents when Fiona passed over it, a key option around adding robustness to the grid has been the addition of solar power, with groups like Casa Puebo, Solar Responders, and the Footprint Project all taking advantage of the sun to install local solutions capable of providing emergency power — whether fixed or mobile — to help both residents and emergency responders keep critical services up and running.
These organizations help keep people in Puerto Rico with power, by allowing them to take advantage of more local solutions when more centralized power sources are disrupted, and when major repairs to power lines or equipment may still be months away.
Source:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/hurricane-fiona-to-ian-disaster-hit-areas-power-back/
