CITY OF NEW ORLEANS TO DEVELOP EMERGENCY SOLAR GENERATOR SYSTEM IN LOWER NINTH WARD 

“As a city constantly dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis, we have to use the smartest, most innovative strategies and technology available to keep our residents safe," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “We are proud to continue to be an international leader in resiliency practices and initiatives. New Orleans often experiences severe weather events that strain our existing power grid. This emergency solar generator system will provide a much needed alternative source of power immediately following natural disasters. I want to thank our partners from the federal delegation, FEMA and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) for helping make this project come to fruition.” 

Following Hurricane Ida and the extended power outages in 2021, the City opened eight recreation centers as emergency resource centers (ERCs) that provided temperature-controlled environments, food, water and device charging stations. In August 2022, the City partnered with Entergy New Orleans to expand its ERC capacity by installing natural gas connections and transfer switches on 15 City-owned properties. Since then, the City has activated its ERC plan for both the tornado in Algiers and the extended freeze in December 2022. 

Funding from the award will be used to plan and design the City’s first solar-powered generator system to be used for emergency response efforts during power outages and disasters. This project is also the City’s first award from the BRIC program since its creation in 2020. The program was further expanded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress in November 2021.  

“The changing climate is intensifying disasters and increasing the frequency of extreme weather around the world,” said Congressman Troy Carter, LA-02. “That means that the dangerous and disruptive power outages our community has experienced in recent years in the aftermath of natural disasters will only become increasingly frequent unless we take urgent, comprehensive action. We need to ensure that New Orleanians have the power they need and count on to stay connected, safe and healthy after a storm. The investment from FEMA’s BRIC program into a solar-powered backup energy system at the Sanchez Center in the Lower Ninth Ward is an important step towards that goal.” 

“The hours and days after a disaster are crucial in saving lives and beginning recovery,” said Louisiana U.S. Senator Dr. Bill Cassidy.  “We can’t have those in charge of recovery efforts be delayed by power outages. This investment adds another level of backup to ensure not a second is lost.” 

The planning and design phase will also investigate the feasibility of future expansion of the project to build a neighborhood-wide solar-powered microgrid to prevent long-term power outages to the area. A microgrid is a smaller electricity grid within the larger energy grid, complete with a self-contained energy production and a distribution network that serves the area.  

The Lower Ninth Ward Energy Grid Resilience project will be done in collaboration with the NREL, which will provide technical assistance to the city. The City is also partnered with NREL as one of 22 Communities Local Energy Action Pilot (LEAP) projects in the United States. The City’s Communities LEAP program is currently underway to provide a technical roadmap for the City to undertake more renewable energy projects like the solar-powered system at Sanchez Center.