Grand Fond Clinic’s Post-Hurricane Response

The Challenge

• No Grid Access: The storm destroyed the island’s electrical grid, leaving Grand Fond without power for months.
• Medical Urgency: Clinics needed electricity to refrigerate vaccines and medicines, operate medical equipment and conduct patient triage.
• Isolation: Grand Fond’s location in Dominica’s rugged terrain made traditional relief and grid repair efforts slow and difficult.
• Communication Gaps: Emergency responders and healthcare workers required reliable communications to coordinate disaster relief.
• Water Contamination: Access to clean water became critical after Maria compromised natural water sources.

The Solution: Sesame Solar + Direct Relief

To restore critical services, Sesame Solar partnered with Direct Relief, the largest U.S. medical charity, to rapidly deploy a Mobile Nanogrid to the Grand Fond clinic.

The Sesame Solar Mobile Nanogrid was uniquely suited for the crisis:

• Rapid Deployment: Delivered ready-to-use within hours of arrival.
• Solar + Battery Power: A retractable solar array and integrated battery storage enabled continuous renewable electricity—no reliance on fuel or broken supply chains.
• Essential Services in One Unit:
  
  • Export Power: Enough to power medical devices, lighting and communications.
  • Wi-Fi Communications: Ensured healthcare workers could connect with regional and international aid networks.
  • Clean Water: A rainwater collection and filtration system provided safe drinking water.
  • Refrigeration: Maintained the cold chain for vaccines and medications.
  • Workspace & Storage: Offered furnished triage space and secured storage for medical and humanitarian supplies.
• Dual Use: The unit was also pre-loaded with emergency medical supplies and humanitarian aid from Direct Relief.

Impact

The Mobile Nanogrid made it possible for the Grand Fond Clinic to remain operational and provide lifesaving care during Dominica’s darkest hours:

• Uninterrupted Healthcare: Medical staff could triage patients, store medicine safely, and operate essential devices.
• Restored Connectivity: Reliable communications helped doctors coordinate with national health officials and international NGOs.
• Community Resilience: Beyond the clinic, the Nanogrid also served as a community hub where residents could charge phones and access clean water.
• Fossil-Fuel Independence: With no need for diesel or gasoline, the clinic avoided fuel shortages and dangerous logistics in the post-disaster environment.
• Proof of Concept: The success in Grand Fond demonstrated the viability of Mobile Nanogrids for disaster response and inspired wider adoption in climate resilience and humanitarian aid planning.

Key Outcomes

• Restored critical medical services within hours of deployment.
• Ensured safe vaccine storage and medicine refrigeration.
• Provided clean water filtration and local access during shortages.
• Enabled Wi-Fi communications for healthcare and aid coordination.
• Supported community resilience by offering charging stations and workspace.

Lessons Learned

1. Speed Saves Lives: Rapid deployment of renewable mobile power can bridge critical gaps while conventional infrastructure remains down.
2. Multi-Functionality Is Essential: Combining power, water, communications and workspace in a single portable solution maximizes impact in disaster zones.
3. Partnerships Drive Success: Collaboration with Direct Relief ensured the Nanogrid delivered not just power, but also the supplies and connectivity Grand Fond needed most.
4. Scalable Model for Resilience: This deployment provided a replicable framework for future disasters in remote or underserved communities worldwide.

Conclusion

The Grand Fond case study highlights the mission-critical role of Sesame Solar’s Mobile Nanogrids in disaster recovery. By combining renewable power with essential life-supporting services, the Nanogrid not only kept a clinic running but also strengthened the resilience of an entire community in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Sesame Solar’s work in Dominica demonstrates that energy independence isn’t just a climate solution—it’s a humanitarian necessity.

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