The City of Ann Arbor deployed a Sesame Solar Mobile Nanogrid to power community resilience hubs, educate residents on sustainability, and provide clean energy backup during emergencies.

Sesame Solar has an AFWERX SBIR Phase II contract with the U.S. Air Force to make mobile, solar + green hydrogen-powered medical and security center Nanogrids that can be rapidly deployed and easily operated, require minimal training and have sufficient energy autonomy to execute missions in remote areas for extended periods of time, without the need for fossil fuels.

On September 18, 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the island nation of Dominica, striking as a Category 5 storm with winds over 160 mph. The impact was catastrophic: 90% of buildings were damaged or destroyed, and power was knocked out across the entire island. In the remote mountain community of Grand Fond, the local health clinic—an essential lifeline for residents—was left without electricity, clean water or reliable communications. Without immediate power restoration, the clinic faced life-threatening challenges in providing medical care, storing temperature-sensitive medications and coordinating with emergency responders.

Sesame Solar partnered with Pallet Shelter on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate how mobile, 100% renewable energy can power pop-up shelters and provide a more sustainable approach to disaster relief. For this demonstration, Pallet set up 9 shelters in a couple of hours, and Sesame Solar drove up its Mobile Nanogrid to provide power within 15 minutes using solar, green hydrogen and battery storage. Sesame and Pallet’s innovative, made in the USA Solutions for disaster response provide critical infrastructure for emergency responders and/or shelter to those facing evacuation.