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.

The organizations are Sunrun (a for-profit company) and non-profit institutions Empowered by Light and Give Power, which have installed solar micro-networks at the fire stations in Utuado and Barrio Obrero, San Juan, in Puerto Rico.

'We had a total of two large six-kilowatt systems, which we installed permanently at the fire stations in Utuado and Barrio Obrero. These are permanent solar equipments, like the ones you would install at a building or other facilities. Those were provided by Sunrun, and they're made from the same material as those they sell to their clients in the United States,' explained Give Power's executive director, Barrett Raftery.

With these new equipments, the stations will be able to generate electricity, purify water, and keep satellite radios for community use.

'Then we have four smaller systems made up of three easily portable mobile parts, a small solar generator, batteries, a panel, small machines to purify seawater, and a satellite phone. Part of the short-term goal was to help them provide services quickly,' Raftery added.

The equipment comprises panels, batteries, and a transfer system that manages electronic devices.

Overall, the panels have a lifespan of 20 years, while the batteries can last three to five years.

'We're looking at zero costs for three or four years, then battery replacements at three to five years. Inverters will need to be switched out after a decade, and the panels last even longer. The batteries are not special. You can buy them at any store,' Raftery assured.

Zero Political Intervention

The institution representatives visited Puerto Rico last weekend in the company of Captain Richard Birt, the rescue squad fireman from Las Vegas who came up with the idea for this project. They immediately went to Utuado and Barrio Obrero, without holding any meetings with governmental entities such as the governor or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Sunrun is an official installer of Tesla equipment, while Give Power is also linked to Tesla Energy. Tesla is the company that offered to restore Puerto Rico's electricity system through solar power technology. Empowered by Light is an independent foundation focused on renewable energy and its supporters include actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Its founder, and former Tesla vice-president, Marco Krapels, also accompanied the group in Puerto Rico.

'All we're doing is holding politicians accountable, because this is a group of US firemen who care about the situation here. We want to ask, 'What's your budget, and how have you spent it?' This works fine without politics. What I'm doing is calling them to account. But I won't attack them, because my priority is to work,' stated Birt, whose goal is to carry out these installations at the 95 fire stations in the island.

To do this, he will bring two teams to the island to install three or four solar micro-networks per week. He revealed that the next step would be to raise $4 million to purchase the rest of the equipment. However, 'that's the easy part,' he said. Last weekend's trip to Utuado, Barrio Obrero, and Culebra was also made with the help of Marina Puerto del Rey.

Birt argued that governmental logistics hinder--or sometimes even obstruct--the attempts to help coming from various fronts.

'FEMA can come and distribute generators. But when they leave, the problem is not the generator. It's the fuel supply chain. You may have a wonderful generator, but if you don't have any fuel, it's dead weight. A drag. With the equipment we're distributing, as long as the sun rises every day, they will have power,' Birt added.

Captain Birt pointed out that they have delivered generators to fire station chiefs free of charge, transferring all rights in writing.

These efforts are even more relevant now, almost a month since Hurricane Maria struck, since only 15% of clients have electrical service. Access to drinking water is also a challenge for most Puerto Ricans.

The government announced that they hope to restore electricity for 95% of the island by the end of December. However, there is no information about any long-term plans to generate and distribute electricity throughout the island.