Step 4: Maintenance
After a given school has installed an energy system using the selection, estimation, and acquisition portions of our plan, they will need a way to maintain these systems in a self-sufficient, community-centered way. With the necessary funding, we propose that the next step is to involve willing community members in the maintenance process through school-organized training sessions in partnership with nonprofit organizations and training companies. Since the proposal is so tailored to each school and nonprofit organization’s situation, we are not able to estimate the cost of this proposal.
Identifying Nonprofit Organizations
Schools can partner with nonprofits that will carry out specialized training programs in their local community. We selected nonprofits as the primary mediums for deploying these curricula since their involvement is more likely to encourage community engagement,2 and we believe that they would have the experience to be more successful in handling the administrative logistics behind these programs than the schools themselves, and value furthering social good over profit compared to for-profit training companies. With the present incentive of funding, we expect that nonprofits would be willing to organize training sessions for interested community members. Using the guide below, and based on data collected in “selection,” schools can contact nonprofit organizations that are willing to work with the school and other organizations to develop a training curriculum workshop.
Once a school has a self-sustaining renewable energy system installed, it will need accessible experts to maintain these systems. Training local community members with the skills needed localizes knowledge of how to maintain the system, decreasing reliance on distant repair people who may need to travel long distances hauling equipment through rough terrain to reach these communities. This is one of the primary reasons for prolonged hurricane recovery times in mountainous regions.1
Holding Training Sessions
Once the selected nonprofit has agreed to work with the school, the nonprofit will select and work with a relevant training curriculum provider to find a suitable curriculum to start with as a baseline. The nonprofit would then also select and work with a curriculum developer organization to tailor the baseline curriculum toward the specific skill level and needs of the trainees. The nonprofit would then take the modified curriculum to the community in the form of an in-person training. We recommend face-to-face training because it circumvents connection issues from electrical instability.
In addition, we propose a portion of the training will be hands-on to best convey the technical side of system maintenance. This in-person aspect will also aid in addressing any concerns that are specific to the community’s location. We encourage the training to take the form of a weekend-long crash course to not interfere too much with the participant’s daily life and because repeated travel to the mountainous community for the course teachers may be difficult. However, the school/community and the nonprofit may adjust the course duration as needed.
We suggest that registration for the course be open to all community members although the nonprofit and/or school may put a cap based on resource availability. Although the training should be on basic maintenance, it is encouraged that community members with prior technical experience participate to hone their skills for this specific task so that their previous expertise can help the community.
Training Benefits Community
Once people complete the training in whichever power system their local school is using, they will then have the option to become a Point of Contact. Points of Contacts, upon completing the training, are knowledgeable enough to help maintain the power system, thus making the power system and the community self-sufficient. Although Points of Contact require specialized knowledge and giving up some of their time, the position would be volunteer-based. Though it varies by the energy system, maintenance is not a very frequent need: twice a year for solar,3 at most once every 2 months for hydropower,4 and once every 2 years for wind power.5
A model like this would likely work when compared to a similar crisis in New Zealand. There were a multitude of earthquakes that knocked out the central grid, and through volunteers, thousands of generators were able to be distributed to the public and saved tens of millions of dollars of future damage.6 Similarly, when a crisis happened in Japan almost 1 million citizens signed up to volunteer.6 In addition to the passion evoked in New Zealanders, a similar model of training Puerto Ricans about maintaining power systems has occurred before.
A nonprofit called Footprint Project trained local community members to maintain the grid through a weekend-long training based on Solar Energy International’s curriculum. These people then took on the responsibility of maintaining a community emergency energy system.7 This is an example of how a similar model of training volunteers worked previously in a mountainous region of Puerto Rico. Because of these examples as well as the passion many Puerto Ricans show about this topic, this points of contact model may be able to sustain itself without monetary incentive.
Community Focus
After coordinating training for community members and establishing points of contact, each school can keep a record of the points of contact that are present in their community. Thereafter, the points of contact will be available to maintain or repair small issues with the school’s energy system when needed. If desired, these points of contact could also act as resources for the community as a whole, helping individual families become energy independent as well by advising them and helping them install their own energy systems. This could potentially result in a ripple effect of energy resiliency that begins with schools and reaches individual families. Through educating community members and ensuring that Puerto Ricans first have power in their schools, energy independence could be promoted at the household scale in the future.
Additionally, in the event that some points of contact move away or are no longer available to help maintain the school’s energy system, new points of contact can be trained by previous ones so as to eliminate the need for continuous training sessions that cost money and resources. Potential points of contact who join later on in the process can act as apprentices so that they can one day replace their trainers.
References
1. Alam, Adnan. “Puerto Rico’s Mountain Communities Cope with Hurricane Maria’s Aftermath.” Cronkite News, 13 May 2018, cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2018/05/13/puerto-ricos-mountain-communities-cope-with-hurricane-marias-aftermath/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2023.
2. Ressler, Robert W et al. “Nonprofits: A Public Policy Tool for the Promotion of Community Subjective Well-being.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory: J-PART vol. 31,4 822-838. 17 May. 2021, doi:10.1093/jopart/muab010
3. Gerhardt, Nick. “The Ultimate Solar Panel Maintenance Guide to Keep Your Panels Working as Efficiently as Possible.” Forbes Home, 4 Jan. 2023, www.forbes.com/home-improvement/solar/solar-panel-maintenance-tips/#:~:text=Solar%20panels%20only%20need%20maintenance.
4. Paredes, Rob. “Wind Turbine Maintenance.” SafetyCulture, 31 Jan. 2023, safetyculture.com/topics/wind-turbine-maintenance/.
5. Renewables First. “Hydropower Maintenance and Operation Services – Renewables First.” Renewables First – the Renewable Energy Company, 2015, renewablesfirst.co.uk/renewable-energy-technologies/hydropower/hydropower-operation-maintenance-services/.
6. Noriega, Alicia L. “Energy Resilience on a Local Level: Inclusive Planning for Disaster.” Mit.primo.exlibrisgroup.com, 28 May 2018, mit.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma990026411600106761&context=L&vid=01MIT_INST:MIT&lang=en&search_scope=all&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=all&query=any. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
7. Day, Maria Pia. “Footprint Project Empowering Communities in Puerto Rico with SEI Solar Education.” Solar Energy International (SEI): Solar Training for Clean Energy Careers, 31 Oct. 2019, www.solarenergy.org/footprint-project-empowering-communities-in-puerto-rico-with-sei-solar-education/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.