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“After Hurricane Maria, our electrical system collapsed and a huge demand for photovoltaic systems began.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A two-unit apartment building in Bayamón chose solar and battery backup to keep daily life going through Puerto Rico’s frequent power outages.
According to Solar Power World, Ricardo Fonseca, owner of Ingenious Solution Services, installed three independent solar-plus-battery setups at the Bayamón property rather than one building-wide system. 
One serves each apartment, and the third supports the electric gates and common-area lighting.
The four parking-access gates and the shared lights run on their own SimpliPHI 6.6 battery.
“The systems operate independently, they don’t communicate with each other, and there are no backup generators,” Fonseca explained. 
“Each apartment has eighteen 550-W solar panels with 19.8 kWh of Briggs & Stratton batteries. The building operated in self-consumption mode for five months after installing the three systems, as we were waiting for electrical approval from Luma Energy.”
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Every apartment carries a substantial household load, including an air conditioner, heater, stove, lights, and other typical home electrical needs.
Puerto Rico has struggled for years to maintain reliable electricity because of an aging power system and repeated hurricane damage. Fonseca noted that solar demand surged after a major storm. 
“After Hurricane Maria, our electrical system collapsed and a huge demand for photovoltaic systems began,” he said.
Fonseca has worked with solar and battery storage in Puerto Rico for more than 20 years, even though his company started in another field. 
“Our business began by offering services to the pharmaceutical industry in the area of ​​validations,” he said. 
Demand then expanded into electrical, plumbing, refrigeration, appliances, and thermal studies.
The systems provide backup power for daily life without forcing residents to wait out outages in the dark or depend on a fuel-powered generator.
Fonseca has continued using Briggs & Stratton’s SimpliPHI 6.6 batteries across Puerto Rico, completing about a dozen installations over more than eight years with the company.
“SimpliPHI batteries are reliable, long-lasting, and fast-charging,” he told the outlet. “I’ve never had any problems with them.” 
“They’re smaller than Tesla batteries, so they take up less space, they’re lighter and easier to handle. Best of all, they’re easy to install, and now that the new controller can be connected from either side, it’s even more convenient.”
Fonseca said another customer who uses three air conditioners overnight has not needed a backup generator because the batteries can cover the full load.
Fonseca plans to expand that work beyond his current footprint, naming Mayagüez, Fajardo, and possibly the central municipalities of Naranjito and Aibonito as future growth areas.
Discussing the Bayamón project, where there was no space for a generator, Fonseca described a new level of reliability. 
“The system works wonderfully,” he noted. “They’ve never run out of electricity. If there’s plenty of sun, the batteries charge in 75 minutes with the panels.”
“If there isn’t as much sun, it takes a maximum of 150 minutes. With the meters installed and the electrical certification, they’ll be able to start exporting energy to the grid.”
Others have used solar and battery backup to get through outages. 
• One solar owner rode out a weeklong outage after pushing for battery recharging from the grid.
• Two seniors weighing backup options found whole-home batteries versus gas generators brought very different trade-offs.
• One homeowner learned a blackout still required gas cans and extension cords without battery backup.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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