Los Angeles Unified School District
In cooperation with
The Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation, Green Technology Institute
Renewable Energy Workshop Audubon Center at Debs Park
4700 N. Griffin Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90031
(Ave 43 & Pasadena Fwy 110 off ramp east to Griffin)
Thursday, January 26, 2006 * 12:00 pm to 2 pm
Be prepared, not scared...
A Community Solar Digital Disaster
Preparedness Plan
By John Gavlik
Project Green Phoenix Team
Recent photos of Pakistan Earthquake that killed over 25 thousand people (LA Times)
The recent earthquake in Pakistan that killed over 25 thousand people and injured countless others could happen in Southern California. Unlike Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it will happen without warning. And while plans are underway to prepare for this disaster, Los Angeles will face its' own inherent natural disaster - an inevitable, large earthquake otherwise known as "The Big One." It is a foregone conclusion that the underrepresented ('poor') of our city will not receive the optimum emergency response. The reasons for this are many; however, the fundamental issue is lack of preparedness on the part of the citizenry.
When disaster strikes, most depend on help from someone else; and when emergencies are relatively small, this is a viable option. However, when a major earthquake inundates an entire, highly-populated city like Los Angeles, immediate help will come only to those who are already prepared for such a calamity. Such is the case in many middle class and wealthier neighborhoods in the city, but 'not so' in areas such as South Los Angeles.
Therefore, in order to better prepare the citizens of South Los Angeles for disaster response and recovery, this proposal suggests ways in which local community response centers can be setup with "solar-powered" wireless communications in order to better coordinate response from the police, fire and medical communities.
Project Green Phoenix Mission
The primary mission of Project Green Phoenix (PGP) is to foster education and training in the areas of computer literacy, the Internet, renewable energy and how these major elements can positively impact the lives of citizens, both children and adults, primarily in the South Los Angeles region of Southern California. Once understood, these same skills can translate into an Emergency Preparedness Plan and better job opportunities for the same citizenry.
Emergency Preparedness Plan
In a major disaster like a large earthquake or terrorist attack (with Los Angeles being described as a specific target in both cases) ,the reaction to such events must be dealt with by more than just the fire or police authorities; affected citizens must also be prepared to work along side these authorities to avoid panic and even more destruction. One effective way to make this happen is to first train the local citizenry in ways to communicate with the fire and police on a non-interfering basis, but still make their own situations known to the authorities.
In the event of either a major earthquake or terrorist attack, it is assumed that normal (grid) power will be "out" for an extended period of time, thus rendering regular radios and televisions useless. The next line of communications will be battery-operated radios and televisions. But in a major disaster event lasting days or even weeks, provisions must be made for these battery-operated devices to be recharged. To address this circumstance, it is proposed to set up solar-powered battery chargers as well as dedicated emergency telecommunications equipment to address this need.
Since grid power will be unavailable, it can further be assumed that cell phones will be inoperative, given the fact that cell repeater towers will not have adequate power to relay calls. And even if cell phone communications are not disrupted, cell phone traffic will be unusually high and will result in dropped calls throughout the local area. The result will be ineffective, interrupted communications with friends, relatives and authorities.
Realizing the potential failures for normal telephone, cell, radio and television services, a non-interfering form of wireless communications needs to be established and coordinated to serve the public during such emergencies. One form of wireless communications is CB or Citizens Band radio and another is Amateur (HAM) radio. Citizen Band radio is free of any (formal) licensing requirements but suffers from lack of online organization as well as maverick, rogue users that can tie up channels and interfere with serious communication activities. Alternately, HAM radio has the advantage of being a more formal and reliable communications medium with the added benefit of already established emergency "nets" in place for such occurrences. HAM radio operators must be licensed by the FCC; however, the daunting Morris Code requirements have been eliminated thereby making licensing a far easier task. One must have some technical knowledge to acquire a license, but this, in its self, can be considered a benefit given the fact that technical training for the license exam can be an educational benefit worth pursuing. This training can then be parlayed into other higher-paying technical jobs in the community.
Coming back to battery chargers, either CB or HAM radios will need to be battery operated continuously, both day and night. What is needed is a means to charge these batteries without normal AC house current. Besides gasoline-powered generators to accomplish this task, a viable alternative is solar-powered battery chargers. With the normally abundant sunlight in the Greater Los Angeles area, a series of solar-powered charging stations can be established whose primary goal is to serve in emergency situations. A fall out benefit of these solar-powered charging stations comes in the form of training people, the South Los Angeles citizenry, in how to operate them. Here, too, is another opportunity to provide needed technical training to local citizens in order that they can use this training to both man the stations during an emergency and, also, to seek better employment as a direct result of it.
Wireless Digital Solar TeleVillage Centers
As the name implies, a Wireless Digital Solar TeleVillage Centers can provide both emergency communications needs as well as technical training for local citizens. Showing students, and their parents, how to build solar-powered stations for charging all manner of batteries for cell phones, CB and HAM radios, laptop computers, television sets, etc. will provide the basis for these two related activities. In addition, "hands on" technical training in computers, the Internet, HAM radio and renewable energy technologies can continue during non-emergency conditions.
What are needed are physical locations for these Centers; suggestions include public school buildings and public housing complexes. Additionally, responsible adults are needed to man these facilities and become coordinators for technical learning and emergency preparedness. A qualification and selection criteria will have to be established in order to select the most appropriate Center locations and individuals to man them. Following a definition of all needs (equipment, supplies, manpower and facilities), an adequate budget will be prepared to fund the Centers.
Conclusions
Without doing anything to prepare our most under-represented citizens in South Los Angeles for both technical training and emergency preparedness, it is a foregone conclusion that the same 'poor' status quo will remain in place for the foreseeable future. However, with the correct financial backing and political support, Project Green Phoenix can bring about a "sea change" in the lives of these individuals. This brief proposal points the way to a better prepared and technically literate population that can help change their city into something that they can be proud of once again.
Mayor Villaraigosa's Campaign Position on Homeland Security
Grass Roots Engagement in Threat Preparedness and Response Planning: Mayor Jim Hahn has paid very little attention to the critical role that community groups and organizations should play during emergencies. Emergency preparedness and response efforts must involve neighborhood councils, homeowner associations, community organizations and non-profit groups that are the core of our city. With the appropriate training and equipment, these groups become important first responders during emergencies and will greatly assist the efforts of police officers and firefighters. The Mayor must, and I will, assign the resources and personnel necessary to bring grass roots engagement to the terrorism preparedness process.
Public Awareness Campaign: As you drive or walk around Los Angeles you will notice that something is missing -- a public awareness campaign about what to do in case of a large-scale disaster, such as a terrorist attack. There are no billboards, no signs on the sides of buses, no commercials informing us what we should do if disaster strikes. There are so many questions that will need answers, such as:
What should we do first if disaster strikes?
Who should we call?
Where we should go?
What do we do if we are driving in our cars?
How do we adequately prepare at home?
What do we do if exposed to toxic chemicals?
Where do we go if we want to help?
Symposium on Energy Security & Emergency Preparedness...
Solar Schools Initiative
Symposium on Solar Digital Disaster Preparedness at the Audubon Solar Kids Program and Solar PV School Shade Lunch Canopy (SunUtility Network)
Los Angeles. A group of professionals on solar and digital technologies came together at the Audubon Center in Debs Park to discuss how our schools could become the center of emergency preparedness in response to a major earthquake disaster. When, not if, the Big One devastates our central power grid and telecommunications system, how will the students and teachers respond?
Carlos Urrutia, Project Green Phoenix team leader stated, "We must thoroughly involve our students in a program developed by the Green Technology Institute of the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation to educate and train students, teachers and parents to be prepared (and not scared) for the next Big One (earthquake) using on-site power and digital communications when it happens. The long-term goal is about developing energy security to especially prepare our students in disadvantaged communities to be part of the coming Green Revolution and to help create a Green Digital Economy for Los Angeles."
According to the Department of Energy, under an extreme national disaster scenario, schools could provide a safe haven for 25 to 50 million citizens, up to 9 to 18 percent of the U.S. resident population. Several state clean energy funds support on-site clean energy projects at schools that serve as emergency shelters. With these on-site energy devices in place, if grid power is down, many of these facilities will have at least partial power to conduct emergency management operations and meet community needs.
Audubon Center at Debs Park with 10-ton solar thermal absorption cooling and heating and 24-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (SunUtility Network)
The Audubon Center at Debs Park is a Platinum LEED Showcase on how a solar energy system can deliver reliable power for critical infrastructure and emergency response missions. During the last major LADWP Blackout on September 12, 2005, the Center was in full operation. The Center has 24 kilowatts of photovoltaic power with over 400 kilowatt-hours of backup advanced battery power, enough for four days of operation. In addition, the Center has a 10 ton solar absorption cooling and heating system that uses only 1/10 of the energy of a conventional cooling system to operate. The solar cooling system could also be used for maintaining the central computer system in a larger facility. The kitchen has a refrigerator, a freezer, dishwasher, microwave oven and other appliances to provide the Center with enough modern conveniences. The hot water for the kitchen and bathrooms are provided by a solar hot water system. The wastewater is treated on site with micro filters and ultraviolet technology and can be reused for the restrooms for flushing. The building uses 70 per cent less water than comparable buildings of that size.
Energy Security & Emergency Preparedness by Clean Energy Group
Excerpts from the recent report on "Energy Security & Emergency Preparedness" by the Clean Energy Group are provided in the following section. The study provided an overview for Federal, State and Local Officials and focused on how clean energy can deliver more reliable power for critical infrastructure and emergency response missions. Although the subject focused on the experiences of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we believe the same conditions will occur during the Next Big One (earthquake) in Los Angeles. The only difference is that we will not have the luxury of knowing four days in advance when the earthquake will occur; therefore, we must prepare our community to respond to this emergency in order for them to assist the First Responders (Fire, Police, Health, etc.) in their emergency efforts. The photos of the Pakistan Earthquake are just a wake up call that this will happen in Los Angeles and we must be prepared, and not scared, to effectively react to the devastation and confusion brought on by such an event.
Pakistan Earthquake Disaster (LA Times)
Reports Excerpts
As congress and the states take up energy issues in the aftermath of the massive power failures following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, they should consider one crucial option for energy security---call for the installation of new, more reliable forms of on-site electricity generation at mission critical, public safety facilities.
Emergency preparedness and effective response depend entirely on the reliability and quality of a first responder's energy supply. If primary grid power goes down, so to can "911" and state emergency communication centers, first responder stations, hospitals, control centers, traffic signals, public transportation, as well as vital infrastructure like water pumping and filtration systems.
The effectiveness of critical facilities and their ability to carry out their mission during an emergency is dependent on the reliability of their secondary or backup power systems. Today many of our most important critical facilities feature some of the latest 21st century equipment, but rely on 19th century backup technology---namely diesel generators---with limited staying power and average power quality.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) or fuel cells can operate independently from the grid and can continue to provide electricity when the grid goes down. While these installations will not solve all future emergency power problems, these additional measures could make a life-saving difference.
Greater development of diverse, on-site clean power production is the key to assuring stable, high quality and long-term power to "harden" critical facilities. Fuel cells running on natural gas or bottle hydrogen can provide high quality "24x7" power to uninterruptible electronic and communications systems, as well as provide heat to a facility; PV arrays can supply power to keep traffic signals running and lessen the chance that first responder deployment will be hampered by severe traffic congestion.
At a minimum, states should consider requiring that critical public facilities install on-site clean energy generation to reduce the risk from power failures. As a basic public safety measure, state legislatures could expand power protection to immediately require installation of newer, more reliable and redundant forms of clean power technologies in mission critical facilities.
While the upfront costs of on-site clean energy systems are higher than most diesel generators, the human and economic costs depending solely on conventional systems for public safety are now painfully unacceptable. In the future, we cannot afford to rely on the same old energy systems that failed us when we needed them the most.
Security Applications for Clean Energy
Energy protection at critical facilities can be delivered without relying solely on the antiquated electricity grid. Many state clean energy funds are supporting on-site clean energy power projects at critical facilities to minimize dependency on centralized power in times of emergency.
There are several clean energy technologies---like solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal for cooling and heating, fuel cells, and advanced battery systems---that can be used to harden critical infrastructure. Some applications include:
Building and facility backup power Either whole building or critical circuits for telephone systems, web and wireless communications, space heating and cooling, computing, and lighting, for first responders (police, fire, health), government, and general welfare services.
Emergency response (in field) "Drop and Plop" fuel cell generators, on-site powering for field phones, computers, and health units.
Low-power protection Cameras, nuclear and biological sensors, perimeter protection including motion detectors, electric fences and lighting.
Infrastructure area support Backing-up critical support services at minimal working levels in anticipation of prolonged outages: water and sewage pumps, highway signals lights, critical "cold chain" (refrigeration) units for food, vaccine, laboratory testing, even radio and televisions services for the general population, and fuel pumps for transportation fuels.
Transportation Lighting, backup power for traffic signals and safety lights, cameras, gate, and toll access control, and communications for highway, port and tunnel, railway, waterway and airport surfaces.
Solar Safe Street Program
Telecommunications Backup and primary power for cellular towers and repeaters, utility SCADA systems, and remote networks, which include telephone switching, field radios and WIFI.
Recommendations for Action
Federal
Require federal mission critical facilities to use clean energy technologies
Direct use of on-site clean energy technologies in reconstruction of critical public buildings
Develop public-private partnership to fund installations and facilitate procurement
State & Local
Investigate local opportunities to use on-site clean energy technologies at emergency shelters, first responder stations and critical infrastructure
Legislature could require installation of on-site clean energy technologies at state mission critical facilities
Create state incentives to support use of clean energy technologies at pubic facilities
Establish incentives for private sector to install new on-site clean energy protection at hospitals, university laboratories, and other critical private buildings.
Green Phoenix Solar Schools Recommendations
State California Public Utility Commission and Energy Commission
As a matter of priority, establish schools, colleges, universities, and community centers as Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Centers by providing funding for a minimum of a 10 kilowatt solar system with an advanced battery backup and/or a fuel cells system;
Reallocate the "Million Solar Roofs" Program using the Public Benefit Funds for rebates for solar photovoltaic and solar thermal with battery or fuel cell backup for all schools, colleges, and universities as a matter of priority;
Provide funds for an education and training program for students, teachers, and parents as part of the Green Phoenix Emergency Corps team.
Provide incentives for solar photovoltaic street safety program;
Develop a private-public financing partnership program.
The long-term goal is to build the foundation for a Green Economy and slowly deconstruct the Gray Economy dependent on fossil energy. The schools, colleges and universities provide a perfect framework and foundation for creating a sustainable future in the 21st century.
