Sesame Solar's CEO and Co-founder, Lauren Flanagan, Honored with 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award at National Hurricane Conference
This week, Sesame Solar’s CEO and Co-founder, Lauren Flanagan, was recognized by the National Hurricane Conference with the 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award. This award is for outstanding and innovative achievement in any hurricane-related activity that may serve as a model to others. The Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to individuals who are doing things in a new or better way that are worthy of emulation by others around the country.
When Lauren witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, she knew we could do better. She was inspired to start Sesame Solar, maker of the world’s first 100% Renewable Mobile Nanogrid. Using solar, battery storage and green hydrogen backup power, Sesame’s Mobile Nanogrids generate clean mobile power and can be quickly deployed to provide power to communities impacted by disaster and ensure climate resiliency. Set up by 1 person in <15 minutes and a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel generators, Sesame’s Nanogrids can be used to power medical centers, communication hubs, clean water stations, EV charging and more.
Lauren is motivated by her determination to create long-term solutions that create climate-resilient communities and businesses that are good for the planet. Since Lauren launched Sesame Solar in 2017, thousands have benefitted from their clean mobile power technology. Lauren is already making an impact by utilizing Sesame Solar’s Renewable Mobile Nanogrids to power essential services in vulnerable communities after disaster strikes. These include:
- Following Hurricane Ian in 2022, Comcast rapidly deployed Sesame Solar Nanogrids to Ft. Myers, Florida to power emergency services, communications, showers, laundry, toilets and more. The services powered by these Nanogrids served about 300 emergency response workers, employees and residents daily, ensuring they had the vital resources they needed while they worked to repair the communications network and utility grid.
- Sesame Solar worked with Direct Relief to provide a Mobile Nanogrid to support a medical clinic in the remote community of Grand Fond after Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Dominica in 2017. The Nanogrid Medical Hub is still in use today.
- Following Hurricane Ida in 2021, Comcast deployed Sesame Solar Nanogrids in Home Depot parking lots to provide residents with emergency services, a retail popup for new phones, power for large trailers of showers and toilets and power for Wi-Fi vans.
- Cox Communications uses Sesame Mobile Communications Hubs to provide 5G mesh networks in parking lots and for businesses after power outages, system upgrades and extreme weather events.
- Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management uses its Mobile Nanogrid Emergency Trailers to provide fossil fuel-free emergency response services and increased energy resiliency.
It’s an honor for Lauren to receive the National Hurricane Conference 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award. This recognition is a testament to Lauren’s mission to create a positive impact in the world by decarbonizing disaster response and off-grid power.
