Congressman Carter Praises Grand Opening of 7th Community Lighthouse

LAPLACE, L.A. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) proudly announced the grand opening of the next “community lighthouse” that will serve residents during extended power outages.

Congressman Carter secured $3.8 million in FY2023 federal appropriations funding – the single largest community project funding in the nation for a solar-related project. This was the catalyst for an additional $249,329,483 grant from the Department of Energy through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program. The state of Louisiana and relevant agencies will allocate this investment to several projects around the state to boost the resilience and reliability of electrical grid infrastructure and deliver affordable, clean energy.

Residents across New Orleans remember the misery caused by the catastrophic power failure that followed Hurricane Ida for several weeks. Our nation’s climate emergency is causing more frequent and destructive weather events, and extended power outages are becoming a common threat to Louisianians.

“I’m excited to celebrate this momentous step toward a sustainable solution to the many challenges created by frequent disasters and the power outages they cause. These lighthouses will enable our houses of faith and nonprofits to better serve Louisianians when it’s needed most. Seven down, and many more to come,” said Rep. Carter.

The Community Lighthouse project aims to provide commercial-scale solar power and back-up battery capacity to 86 congregations and community institutions across the city. During extended power outages the lighthouses will immediately assess need and aid their surrounding communities. They will provide charging stations, food distribution, cooling and heating stations, oxygen exchange, light medical equipment, and more. When the entire network of 86 lighthouses is complete, every New Orleans resident will live within a 15-minute walk of one.

Background

New Orleans and communities across Louisiana are on the front lines of the climate crisis, suffering the effects of more frequent and destructive weather events. The extended power outages they cause leave residents vulnerable to extreme temperatures and without critical medical supplies and necessities.

As a solution, Together New Orleans put forward a vision to build the nation's largest network of solar + storage resilience hubs at churches and community centers across Louisiana.

The Community Lighthouse is being funded through public-private partnerships, and philanthropic efforts, including:

• $3.8 million community project funding by Congressman Carter - the single largest in the nation for a solar-related project.
• $1 million from the Greater New Orleans Foundation through a “Leadership Challenge Grant” to launch the initiative.
• $2 million from the City of New Orleans, from Wisner Grant and American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Other funders include the U.S. Department of Energy, Direct Relief, and Episcopal Relief and Development, among others.

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