Life Saving, Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office to be deployed at Princess Margaret Hospital on June 1, 2018

Through a collaborative effort between Sesame Solar, the ITUC, SimpliPhi Power and OutBack Power, a Sesame Solar turnkey, containerised, off-grid, solar-powered Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office was delivered to Dominica this week for installation at Princess Margaret Hospital to help the island continue to rebuild after Hurricane Maria and prepare for the 2018 hurricane season.

Transportation of the unit from Sesame Solar in Michigan to Dominica was donated by DHL Global Forwarding and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, an affiliate of the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

Princess Margaret Hospital is the largest hospital on the island, and will use the Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office in partnership with the ITUC to provide emergency response efforts during disasters and as a command centre. When the island is not in disaster mode, the Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office will provide power generation services to the hospital and the Ministry of Health, and provide a labour employment office for the Waterside Alliance and Workers Union (WAWU) to help rebuild Dominica’s infrastructure. The Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office includes a fully configured and furnished solar-powered office inside, plus power storage, and export power generation sufficient to power and charge a wide range of medical and communication devices. Easily transported by truck, train, ship, crane or helicopter, and set up in less than 15 minutes, the Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office can also be moved to other island locations if and when circumstances require.

To make best use of the containerised, Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office en route to Dominica, it was filled with humanitarian aid that will be distributed upon arrival, including medical supplies provided by Direct Relief, and school supplies and toiletries funded by Sesame Solar, the Kind Organization, and Stone Edge Farm.

“When Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean, I was glued to my television. As a manufacturer of off-grid, Solar Nanogrid Solutions that work ‘inside the box’, I knew we were in a unique position to make a meaningful contribution to disaster recovery,” recalls Sesame Solar Board Chair Lauren Flanagan. “Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica — knocking out power island-wide and destroying or damaging virtually every structure. Even today, many people remain without power and the disaster has had a terrible impact on jobs and livelihoods.”

Sesame Solar reached out to partners ITUC, SimpliPhi Power and OutBack Power to get involved, and all enthusiastically got on board.

“We are extremely grateful for the solidarity of the US energy companies Sesame Solar, SimpliPhi Power and OutBack Power in providing this cutting-edge renewable energy installation to the people of hurricane-devastated Dominica, along with all those who donated medical and other supplies and transportation. The Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office will be of tremendous help to the people of Dominica and will contribute to the country’s objective of becoming the first truly climate-resilient country in the world. We also want to acknowledge the efforts of our affiliate WAWU in bringing this about, and for their strong voice for climate action as Dominica rebuilds from the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

"From the standpoint of WAWU, this donation recognises that the union is always willing to contribute to the development of the country on our own and in association with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. The Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office will
provide a sustainable and resilient source of power for our WAWU office, and for Princess Margaret Hospital, and emergency power during disaster conditions. In relation to the Ministry of Education, the donation of books and school supplies is a tangible reflection of the interest that we have in advancing the educational capabilities of our human resources in Dominica,” said Kertist Augustus, Secretary of the Waterfront and Allied Workers’ Union (WAWU) of Dominica.

The Sesame Solar Nanogrid Disaster Recovery Office will be officially presented to Dominica in a ceremony outside the Emergency Entrance of Princess Margaret Hospital on Friday 1 June at 2 p.m. EDT with the Honorable Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit; Kenneth Darroux, Minister of Health; Petter Saint-Jean, Minister of Education; Mr Kertist Augustus, Secretary of WAWU; Jose Juan Garrigo, VP Sesame Solar and Adam Kasefang, Director of Sesame Solar in attendance.

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About Sesame Solar Inc.
Sesame Solar manufactures ready-to-use Solar Nanogrids that are pre-configured with Solutions Inside, and can be setup in less than 15 minutes. Designed for off-grid power, mobile offices, disaster recovery, educational, agricultural, industrial and military applications, very little training and maintenance are required. Sesame Solar Nanogrid Solutions are built from ISO shipping containers, and can be easily transported by truck, train, ship, or helicopter for use anytime, anywhere. Backed by private investors, Sesame Solar Nanogrid Solutions are manufactured in Michigan USA. For more information please visit www.sesame.solar and follow us on @Sesame_Solar and Instragram.

About ITUC
Based in Brussels Belgium, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) represents 207 million workers in 163 countries and territories, and has 331 national affiliates. For more information please visit www.ituc-csi.org.

About WAWU
The Waterfront and Allied Workers’ Union (WAWU) of Dominica is an affiliate of the ITUC.