First Community ‘Lighthouses’ Provide Energy During Hurricane Francine

Hurricane Francine struck the ground in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 storm and quickly knocked out power for many, but a new community project kept lights on.

The Community Lighthouse Project is a network of churches and community institutions across New Orleans equipped with solar panels and battery reserves to provide the community with power and shelter during extreme weather. The Lighthouse Project is a facet of Together Louisiana, a grassroots organization providing community and religious organizations with a network of other organizations to work together to improve their surrounding communities.

During Hurricane Francine the ten lighthouses currently ready served their first test, providing power to the community after the storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of residents.

Erin Hansen of Together Louisiana stated that around 500 residents sought shelter at the lighthouses during the storm and in its wake. Together Louisiana also provided food and water to the Redemptorist Elderly Apartments which were left without electricity or staff for two days after the storm.

The Community Lighthouses use solar power for electricity generation compared to the standard fuel-burning power generators. The solar systems are much more expensive than fuel-burning alternatives but are expected to be much more resilient than gas generators. The inspiration for using solar instead of fuel came from the failure of fuel generators during Hurricane Ida which failed, in important places like hospitals.

Outside of New Orleans, there is one Community Lighthouse currently operating. Located in LaPlace the New Wine Christian fellowship provided shelter and power during Hurricane Francine. New Wine Fellowship was the only place where there was damage to the power infrastructure, but only on a single solar panel which was improperly installed.