Arensis Off-Grid Power System Delivered to Victims of Hurricane Maria Lacking Electricity in Remote Areas of Puerto Rico
Biomass Conversion System and Engineering Staff Provided by Arensis to
Turn Fallen Trees and Hurricane Debris into Distributed Energy Until
Power is Restored to the Community
Arensis,
an international provider of distributed energy and portfolio company of
the Los
Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), today announced the initiation
of its disaster relief plan, bringing off-grid energy systems to the
victims of Hurricane Maria in remote areas of Puerto Rico. The initial
Arensis biomass-to-energy power unit is being relocated from Lufthansa’s
operations at the Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla to the City of
Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s catastrophic devastation, Arensis
has reiterated their commitment to Puerto Rico, helping to reenergize
the first non-contiguous Promise Zone designated region in the U.S. The
initial unit, delivering a combined 50kW of electricity and 120kW of
thermal energy, will immediately begin powering Fajardo’s Sports
Complex, which is currently being used as a refugee shelter and
distribution center. The company is also shipping a debris processor and
will relocate staff to run the system and produce fuel on site using
debris and woody biomass from the hurricane’s destruction. This will be
the first non-diesel derived power solution for the region with the
ability for the community to use their own debris materials as fuel to
generate clean energy.
“We’ve all heard the reports that it will be many months before
electricity is restored to Puerto Rico,” said Arensis CEO, Julien Uhlig.
“Though the government is currently rewiring the central electrical grid
and working hard to have 90% of the island powered by December of this
year, we are glad to support the desperately needed relief now and feel
continued building of smart and efficient microgrids is an important
alternative to having only one source of energy on the island.”
Designated a Promise Zone, aimed at directing federal resources
to high-poverty areas, the City of Fajardo has been without electricity
for the past month. Arensis has partnered with the City of Fajardo and
Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce to not
only deliver immediate relief but also develop an integrated industry
solution to help create jobs and support the clean energy rebuilding
effort.
Manuel Laboy Rivera, Secretary of the Department of Economic Development
and Commerce (DEDC), stated, “Our department is working to leverage all
available resources and support more efficiently, therefore we encourage
Arensis to deploy its technology as quickly as possible. Collaboration
is key in this difficult, yet hopeful hour.”
Like most of Puerto Rico, Fajardo communities and neighborhoods were
left cut off without communication, water, essential supplies and power
from the monster hurricane. The Mayor of Fajardo, Aníbal Meléndez
Rivera, grateful for the relief support, stated, “During this
humanitarian crisis, our communities welcome all of the help we can
possibly get. There has been some progress but the majority of the
people are still without power and the flow of aid has been slow.”
Sitting in a conference room at LACI the day before Hurricane Maria
powered through the Caribbean, Arensis’ Chief Legal and Business
Development Officer, a native born Puerto Rican, sat quietly texting his
family in Puerto Rico while a meeting with LACI executives was underway.
Later that evening, he was on what would be the last flight into Puerto
Rico before the Category 4 hurricane made a direct landfall on the
island. Ironically, the earlier meeting was a discussion on assembling
containerized power plants in downtown Los Angeles that could be shipped
to all parts of the world in need of distributed energy.
“As Arensis is one of LACI’s portfolio companies, we are proud to see
them respond to the urgent energy needs of the people of Puerto Rico and
providing them a way to not rely on dirty, expensive diesel fuel that
has to be shipped to the island,” said Matt Petersen, President and CEO
of LACI. “We applaud Arensis, and other organizations leading similar
efforts to deliver clean energy solutions needed now.” Petersen has led
several major disaster recovery and green rebuilding efforts including
relief in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and multiple grid-tied
back-up solar systems after Superstorm Sandy. In addition, after the
Haiti earthquake, he helped to raise funds and deliver containers of
solar panels for multiple NGO projects which were distributed with
President Clinton and provided directly to World Vision and Habitat for
Humanity, among others. Petersen is currently helping to advise Arensis
on how to best support Puerto Rico.
Arensis will donate an Entrade E4 Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system,
providing 50kW of electricity and 120kW of thermal energy, for a period
of at least six months, with a plan for 30 additional units delivering
1.5 MW of electricity and 3.6 MW of thermal energy capacity through
partnerships and funding initiatives currently underway. Each unit fits
inside a 20-foot shipping container. Arensis is focusing their
disruptive technology on fostering a decentralized micro-grid energy
revolution for Puerto Rico. The relief effort is part of a growing
coalition of international companies that have the means and the will to
help Puerto Rico and drive recovery through renewable energy, including
Lufthansa Technik and Schneider Electric respectively helping with
transport of Arensis units and providing contractors and integration
equipment.
About Arensis
Arensis, an
international provider of distributed energy systems, is headquartered
at the Los
Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). The energy solutions provided by
Arensis are based on the most advanced German biomass and
waste-to-energy technology in the market. The E4 (and soon to be
released E5) systems each generate 50kW of electricity and 120 kW of
thermal energy and fit in a 20-foot shipping container for easy and fast
deployment around the world. When combined and stacked together, Arensis
power systems can supply several megawatts of energy completely off the
grid and be installed in weeks, not years. The units are built for
primary baseload generation, producing 24/7 energy by converting both
organic and inorganic waste materials into renewable Combined Heat Power
and Cooling (CHPC). Arensis has been one of the fastest growing
decentralized energy providers in the world, deploying more than 150
units and raising more than $40 million since 2016.
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