Sandy Won’t Keep Us Down: Solar Products for Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies

We are now digging out from Hurricane Sandy in Washington,D.C. We seemed to have been saved the full brunt of the storm, although don’t tell that to the hundreds of thousands in the metropolitan area who are without power. As the gusts of wind blew through the 100 foot elms near our house, I quickly did a calculation of their trajectory should they fall on the house. We decided to hold down the fort not on the top floor of our house.

Why does it seem that every disaster, natural or otherwise, has Washington, D.C., SolarTown’s home, squarely in its cross hairs? I grew up elsewhere but was in Washington, D.C. for the terror of 9/11, for the bizarre earthquake last year (you get earthquakes in Washington, D.C.?), for the floods and blizzards, and now Sandy.

After every recent emergency or disaster, our customers call and ask us what off grid solutions might help them prepare for the next event, whether it is here in the U.S.or somewhere else. The short answer is that solar energy products can be part of your emergency preparedness plan.  

 Just ask Haitians who were able to cook their food on solar ovens after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.  Or you might want to talk with relief workers who are able to maintain vaccines in a solar refrigerator in Africa. We had a recent order from the U.S. armed forces for portable solar modules to power small equipment in combat zones.