Resilient Power Puerto Rico (RPPR),a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organization, marks two years since its founding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria
San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sept. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resilient Power Puerto Rico(RPPR),aPuerto Rico-based nonprofit organization, marks two years since its founding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria(September 20, 2017).
San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sept. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resilient Power Puerto Rico (RPPR), a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organization, marks two years since its founding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria (September 20, 2017). RPPR, was launched by Puerto Ricans living in New York City (Jonathan Marvel, Founding Principal of Marvel Architects and Cristina Roig) with an immediate goal of bringing power to the most impacted communities. In the months that followed Maria, RPPR channeled its resources to designated community groups—which provide direct, critical services to historically underserved communities throughout Puerto Rico—through the deployment of small to medium solar energy systems.
Over the past two years, RPPR’s original program, the Community Solar Energy Initiative (CSEI), has increased local access in Puerto Rico to knowledge, tools, and resources for sustainable and equitable community development:
- RPPR partnered with community leaders to assess their critical energy needs and identify sites where solar energy systems would generate the greatest impact.
- CSEI provided technical and financial resources for the design and installation of solar energy systems for critical assets in the communities most impacted by Hurricane Maria. CSEI has facilitated installations across 22 municipalities, including Vieques and Culebra.
- To date, RPPR has deployed 30 solar energy systems to community centers (Fundación de Culebra, Comité Pro Desarrollo de Maunabo, and the Corporación de Salud y Desarrollo Otoao in Utuado) transforming the way communities interact with the energy landscape in Puerto Rico.
- To date, CSEI has facilitated the donation of over 983 solar panels to 30 community groups island wide.
- Through the CSEI program, RPPR has led multiple, community-focused workshops on solar energy in Puerto Rico.
- RPPR has collaborated with over 15 academic programs in the United States that have visited Puerto Rico exploring and researching topics in island resilience and sustainability.
“Our ongoing commitment to power up as many community centers as possible is as pertinent today as it was two years ago. RPPR’s success is due in part to our partnerships and network of committed collaborators,” said Jonathan Marvel, Co-Founder, Resilient Power Puerto Rico. “Through their generosity, both financial and personal, we’ve been capable of strengthening 30 communities’ capacities to respond to climate change.”
RPPR envisions a robust, diverse and inclusive renewable energy sector, where the tools and resources for the development of renewable energy microgrids are available for the benefit of all communities across Puerto Rico. To address current and future built and social infrastructure challenges, RPPR has partnered with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to launch The Puerto Rico Renewable Microgrid Program, a capacity building program that aims to:
- Increase the capacity of communities to assess and address their critical energy needs;
- Increase communities’ access to knowledge, tools, and resources for sustainable and equitable community development; and,
- Foster the continuity of critical built and social infrastructure systems developed and maintained by the community.
“Our experience working with communities in the aftermath of Maria taught us that people appreciate the benefits of having greater energy independence. RPPR’s innovative tools and resources are designed to help communities take a lead in addressing their own energy needs and be better prepared in the face of future weather events.” Said Cristina Roig, Co-Founder, Resilient Power Puerto Rico.
RPPR is grateful to all the Collaborators, Sponsors, and Partnering Organizations for their support these past two years, particularly Marvel Architects / Marvel Marchand for direct operational support. For more information about RPPR’s programs and activities, visit www.resilientpowerpr.org and Instagram @resilientpowerpr.
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About Resilient Power Puerto Rico
Resilient Power Puerto Rico (RPPR) is an independent nonprofit founded in 2017 - in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Our team will leverage its network of committed collaborators to: strengthen communities’ capacities to assess and address their critical needs; increase local access to knowledge, tools, and resources for sustainable and equitable community development; and foster the continuity of critical built and social infrastructure systems.
About Marvel Architects
Marvel Architects is a solutions-driven design practice that integrates context and nature into every project, meeting each design challenge by listening to its surroundings. The result is a thoughtful design that inspires users to remember what was there before and to marvel at what it has become. With offices in New York and San Juan, Marvel is an international firm dedicated to creativity and diversity. From affordable housing and cultural institutions to high-end residential and hospitality, Marvel sees every project as an opportunity to create spaces of engagement. www.marvelarchitects.com
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Attachments
Daniela Lloveras Resilient Power Puerto Rico (RPPR) +1 (646) 813-3116 [email protected] Brien McDaniel Marvel Architects +1 (646) 442-2006 [email protected]