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Blue Ion battery systems provide resilient off-grid power for community recovery sites Blue Planet Energy, provider of the world’s most powerful and safest off-grid energy storage, today announced the deployment of its Blue Ion energy storage systems at critical sites for recovery and electrification efforts in Puerto Rico. Through collaboration with nongovernmental organizations and local groups, Blue Ion units are powering a clean water pumping system in the Corozal municipality and a volunteer housing facility in the Isabela municipality, regions which have not had reliable power since Hurricane Maria’s landfall in Puerto Rico in September 2017. In parallel with these installations, Blue Planet Energy is also leading trainings and education sessions for organizations and individuals engaged in electrification efforts in Puerto Rico.“Blue Planet Energy’s number one priority right now is to provide the means for these communities to rebuild and recover from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Maria,” said Henk Rogers, Blue Planet Energy CEO and founder. “Too many of Puerto Rico’s residents have not had a functioning electric grid since Hurricane Maria’s landfall in September. Our Blue Ion units will provide critical sites with reliable, safe and self-sustained power to ensure they can continue providing essential services to their communities. We’re proud to be able to lend our support to Puerto Rico and to contribute to its mission of rebuilding with stronger, cleaner and more reliable energy infrastructure.”

The complete destruction of the electric grid in Puerto Rico is by far the largest blackout in U.S. history. Hurricane winds mangled the grid’s wires, poles, and infrastructure, and even now, four months later, over 40% of the utility’s customers still don’t have reliable power. While the scale of devastation in Puerto Rico is incredible, it is far from the only place in the U.S. with grid problems. In fact, according to power systems engineer Massoud Amin, on "any given day in the U.S. about half a million people are without power for two or more hours" (Gretchen Bakke, The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, 2016). The deterioration of our electric grid through neglect, underfunding and the economic dynamics of investor owned utilities have left the entire U.S. vulnerable to blackouts, although more often caused by squirrels than hurricanes. So what can be done to create reliable power for people? While generating clean energy from the abundant renewable resources around us is clearly part of the solution, it is not enough.

‍When lead-acid batteries die, they go quickly. And while all off-grid homes should have a backup source of power, such as a generator, to weather brief outages, getting a new, reliable battery in place is an urgent issue, such as the case with a home in Pepe'ekeo where the batteries died after less than three years.Blue Ion: A Better

Blue Planet Energy has become a new member of the nation’s largest state solar power trade association, California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA).“We are proud to have Blue Planet Energy join CALSEIA to support its mission of expanding the use of clean, renewable technologies throughout the state. CALSEIA members are recognized as being true leaders in the California market as they promote high standards within the industry and advocate fair policies for solar consumers. We look forward to working closely with Blue Planet Energy in continuing this work,” says Bernadette Del Chiaro, Executive Director of CALSEIA.

Utah Valley University Capitol Reef Research Facility is located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country in the remote Capitol Reef National Park. Miles away from the central power grid, the only option for this place-based learning center and scholarly research facility was to go off the grid when it was built in 2009. High-quality storage is necessary when operating off the grid and we congratulate Utah Valley University for upgrading to the super-high performance Blue Ion energy storage!

What do you think of when you think of off-grid living? That’s a question that Hawaii Business Magazine tackled this month in an article that showcases many different angles of off-grid living. The common misconception is that off-gridding is just a fringe movement and not actual a viable way of life, but it is already much more common than you think and the variety of lifestyles possible without being connected to a central utility may be even more surprising! An estimated 200,000 people in the United States are currently living off-the-grid. "Off-grid lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular as people unplug from public utility companies to lower costs, convert to clean energy sources and live self-sufficiently,” writes Lianne Yu in the article. And this phenomenon is expected to grow - a recent report by Accenture stated that by the year 2035, the US can expect to have at least 12% percent of the population living an energy self-sufficient, off-grid life.

We are delighted to introduce the newest member of our Engineering team, Ben Widmer! Ben serves as our Product Manager for the Blue Ion 2.0 and will work directly with Kyle Bolger to continue development of the highest quality energy storage products available.

On September 17th, a crew of six emerged from an 8-month long expedition in a simulated Mars environment (aka the Mars Hab) on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. This off-grid project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been powered by Blue Planet Energy’s Blue Ion energy storage system since 2013.

Blue Ion is the energy storage solution for an off-grid tiny home of Angela Sugar of Bamboo Living. This home produces energy from solar panels on the roof and stores the excess energy generated during the day in her Blue Ion batteries from Blue Planet Energy.