{"id":31455,"date":"2026-10-02T08:37:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T08:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=31455"},"modified":"2026-10-02T08:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T08:37:20","slug":"in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-battery-backup-were-designed-to-keep-it-powered-when-the-surrounding-grid-went-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=31455","title":{"rendered":"In 2010, Elon Musk funded a 25-kilowatt solar system for an Alabama disaster centre; 108 panels and battery backup were designed to keep it powered when the surrounding grid went down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134635071,imgsize-77175,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-battery-backup-were-designed-to-keep-it-powered-when-the-surrounding-grid-went-down.jpg\" alt=\"In 2010, Elon Musk funded a 25-kilowatt solar system for an Alabama disaster centre; 108 panels and battery backup were designed to keep it powered when the surrounding grid went down\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Elon Musk funded a solar project in Alabama in 2010. The 25-kilowatt system, installed at the South Bay Communities Alliance (SBCA) Hurricane Response Center in Coden, Alabama, was designed to help the facility keep operating if a disaster knocked out the surrounding electricity grid.<!-- --> The installation included 108 photovoltaic panels and battery backup and was expected to provide about 90% to 100% of the centre\u2019s electricity needs. Musk\u2019s foundation provided the funding, while solar company SolarCity donated and installed the system. The project came as Coden was still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which had affected the coastal community\u2019s commercial fishing industry.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>Musk said the project was intended to help residents while demonstrating an alternative to dependence on oil. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\u201cThis seemed like a good thing to do to help people out, while simultaneously creating awareness that there was a better way to keep things going than just \u2018drill, baby, drill,\u201d<\/span> said Musk, who also runs the electric car company Tesla Motors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>A solar system for a community recovering from disasters<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Coden was a coastal community where commercial fishing had been an important source of employment. The Deepwater Horizon disaster added another setback to an area that was already recovering from Hurricane Katrina. More than 100 families in the community were still waiting to rebuild their homes after the hurricane.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>The SBCA Hurricane Response Center served as a gathering and response point for the local community. The solar installation was intended to keep the centre powered during emergencies, when a damaged grid could leave residents without electricity.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>The system was also expected to reduce the centre\u2019s regular electricity costs. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\u201cElectricity bills are a big deal for a community center like ours when you have to pay for it out-of-pocket,\u201d<\/span> says Zack Carter, an organiser for SBCA. <span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\u201cBut all of a sudden now we have solar power! For a little area that no one has ever heard about, that\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>The battery backup was important because this project was more than just producing power in the normal way. <!-- -->It was supposed to provide energy security if a hurricane or other disaster knocked out the local power grid.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The project led to wider solar efforts<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Coden installation became an early disaster-relief project involving SolarCity and the Musk Foundation. The organisations later worked on a similar solar project in Japan following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. In 2012, SolarCity also worked with partners to provide portable solar power stations for communities affected by Hurricane Sandy.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>By then, SolarCity\u2019s philanthropy had expanded well beyond disaster relief. In 2013, the company launched the GivePower Foundation to provide electricity to schools in developing countries without reliable power.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>By 2014, GivePower said it had helped 511 schools in Africa and Central America, exceeding its original target of 400 schools. Its projects used solar panels, batteries and lights, while teams also trained local residents to troubleshoot the equipment and maintain the systems.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>The organisation&#8217;s projects included schools in Mali, Nicaragua and Kenya. In Kenya, a school in the village of Kirindon could use laptops donated by Intel after receiving a solar installation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>For Coden, however, the original project had a more immediate purpose. The combination of 108 solar panels and battery storage was intended to give a disaster response centre a source of electricity that could continue working even when the surrounding grid could not.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>\u200b<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/technology\/tech-news\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-battery-backup-were-designed-to-keep-it-powered-when-the-surrounding-grid-went-down\/articleshow\/134634932.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk funded a solar project in Alabama in 2010. The 25-kilowatt system, installed at the South Bay Communities Alliance (SBCA) Hurricane Response Center in Coden, Alabama, was designed to help the facility keep operating if a disaster knocked out the surrounding electricity grid. The installation included 108 photovoltaic panels and battery backup and was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Elon Musk funded a solar project in Alabama in 2010. The 25-kilowatt system, installed at the South Bay Communities Alliance (SBCA) Hurricane Response Center in Coden, Alabama, was designed to help the facility keep operating if a disaster knocked out the surrounding electricity grid. The installation included 108 photovoltaic panels and battery backup and was [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba.avif",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba-300x169.avif",300,169,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/in-2010-elon-musk-funded-a-25-kilowatt-solar-system-for-an-alabama-disaster-centre-108-panels-and-ba-150x150.avif",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}