In the News
Empowered by Light’s work has been featured in international, national and local media outlets.
Media contact: Moira@empoweredbylight.org
Featured
Empowered by Light’s work has been featured in international, national and local media outlets.
Media contact: Moira@empoweredbylight.org
El Vocero | May 8, 2018
The Fire Department of Puerto Rico has ruled out the traditional energy service provided by the Electric Power Authority (AEE), and has instead opted for the installation of a solar energy system in each of its stations.
Who. What. Why | April 21, 2018
Puerto Rico suffered another island-wide power outage this week — seven months after it was hit by Hurricane Maria. This new setback highlights a trap the island finds itself in: forced to repair an antiquated power grid dependent upon imported fossil fuels, with no real hope of adopting new technologies that Americans on the mainland take for granted.
PBS Newshour | March 20, 2018
Six months after Hurricane Maria, and whole towns in Puerto Rico still remain without power. But... Naguabo’s firehouse sat energized, thanks in part to a 6,600-kilowatt solar system and a humanitarian effort led by a San Francisco-based nonprofit called Empowered by Light.
Fox 2 News, KTVU | January 2018
The lights have come on for some fire stations in Puerto Rico thanks to an effort by Bay Area non-profit, Empowered By Light and Sunrun.
Adriana De Jesús Salamán | Noticel | October 18, 2017
While the local government is promising to restore the electricity service almost in full by December—helped along by several loans—, three US organizations have provided working solar micro-networks free of charge and devoid of any political intervention.
What's in it for them? The satisfaction of having helped bring electricity to areas that have been in the dark for weeks—as well as being the light at times like these, which is greatly appreciated.
Naureen S Malik and Brian Eckhouse | Bloomberg | October 16, 2017
It began with a question posed by Richard Birt, a Las Vegas Fire & Rescue captain: What do you need?
The answer for the San Juan fire house was simple enough: electricity. It’s what much of Puerto Rico has needed since Hurricane Maria tore through the commonwealth more than three weeks ago, laying waste to an already weak grid. Without power, basic logistics such as coordinating and transporting equipment had proven insurmountable
Tucker Higgins| CNBC News| October 13, 2017
It's another hot, sweaty day in hurricane-battered San Juan.
The muggy weather might be uncomfortable, but it is great news for firefighters at the Barrio Obrero fire station and the residents they serve, where the hot weather and shining sun could soon start saving lives.
The fire station on Friday installed a 4-kilowatt solar system that will provide it with full power, including its communications system. The station has been without reliable power since Hurricane Maria struck the island on Sept. 20.
Moira Hanes | EcoWatch | June 19, 2017
This fall, rangers protecting rhinos, tigers and other endangered wildlife in Nepal's famous Chitwan National Park will get a solar system that powers one of their isolated stations deep in the jungle. At the same time, local women will get the training and tools they need to sell low-cost clean energy technologies to people living in the buffer zone that surrounds the park.