As Tropical Storm Debby drenches the southeastern US, causing widespread power outages, a solution could emerge from a model developed in New Orleans. Here, “community lighthouses” aim to provide a crucial lifeline when the lights go out.
In the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans, a church full of voices sings the hymn “This Little Light of Mine” on a Sunday. But letting it shine now has a new meaning for the city’s residents. In 2023, the brownstone Broadmoor Church’s rooftop was outfitted with new solar panels, converting sunlight into energy for local residents.
This church is one of 86 planned “community lighthouses” and part of a broader initiative to create the nation’s largest network of solar and storage resilience hubs at places of worship and community centers. The project, led by the non-profit organization Together Louisiana and supported by local and federal funding, aims to transform these centers into energy-resilient hubs.
As Tropical Storm Debby, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, continues to inundate Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, causing widespread blackouts and flooding, the urgency to adapt to severe storms grows. New Orleans’ community lighthouses are still in their early stages and have not yet faced a full-blown hurricane. However, the project’s organizers hope they could serve as a life-saving model for providing crucial power in the immediate aftermath of a storm.
These community lighthouses function as solar-powered microgrids, supplying power during grid failures and outages caused by extreme weather, such as hurricanes. The solar-power network also includes backup battery capacity, allowing the community to stay powered when conventional power sources are disrupted by extreme winds and flooding.
“It takes just four of our batteries, which store power from our solar panels, to stay around 96% full and enable us to run for about a day when the grid goes down,” says Gregory Manning, the church’s pastor and Broadmoor community lighthouse manager.
Manning’s church is part of a hub that will eventually serve 200 people in the surrounding area. During extreme weather, their daily electricity needs can be met, from charging mobile phones to providing life-saving services like keeping medicine cool and protecting against extreme heat.
Louisiana locals believe these community hubs could make a substantial difference during a hurricane. With an active Atlantic hurricane season ramping up, it may not be long before the lighthouses face their first serious test.
