Empowered by Light

10/08/2026

Solar energy can save lives.

Our next project with our partners at Open Solar is St Elizabeth Gekano Mission Hospital in a rural village in Western Kenya.

It's a non-profit facility serving more than 15,000 people per month since other health facilities are far away and/or lacking in services and equipment. Despite being connected to the national grid, the hospital experiences regular power outages due to load-shedding. Reliable solar+storage will enable staff to provide uninterrupted care to patients and keep vaccines and medicines safely stored.

Thank you, OpenSolar , for committing 1% of your annual revenue to bring clean energy to communities that need it most.

Learn more about our work at the link in bio!

10/06/2026

Learning shouldn't have to stop when the sun goes down.

Reliable power changes what's possible for a student. So far, we've installed solar energy systems at 9 schools and one Youth Training Center in rural communities in Zambia, giving students light to study after dark, giving teachers access to more up-to-date curriculum and the ability to print exams and use projectors, and helping adults taking literacy courses or researching and applying for jobs online.

For remote Indigenous communities in Peru, our solar energy systems power satellite internet, expanding access to information and educational opportunities for both children and teachers.

Energy access is education access. And every classroom we power brings a brighter future into focus.

Join us in bringing light to even more schools: link in bio or bit.ly/EBLJoin

10/02/2026

Please join us in welcoming Eliane Soares as EBL's new Amazon Lead!

Eliane is a biologist and rural extension specialist from Amazonas, Brazil, with deep experience in the region's bioeconomy knowledge networks. She has worked on the ground in 47 municipalities across Amazonas, supporting grassroots organizations, traditional communities, cooperatives, and collectives of women and youth through strategic consulting, organizational structuring, and business development.

She also serves as an Executive Board Member of Casa do Rio, a Brazilian NGO, where she was previously Director of Programs.

As we deepen our work in the Amazon, Eliane's local expertise and trusted relationships will help ensure that our projects are shaped by the communities who will use them. We're thrilled to have her on the team!

Help us give Eliane a warm welcome!

09/30/2026

Giving to Empowered by Light is easier (and more flexible) than you might think!

Your support helps us bring clean, reliable solar energy to at-risk communities facing threats of violence or the impacts of climate change, from rural villages to refugee camps to Indigenous communities.

Here's how you can give:
💳 Cash, credit card or check
🪙 Cryptocurrency
📈 Stocks
🏦 Donor advised Funds (DAFs)
🤝 Matching gifts. Ask your HR team if your company matches donations. It could double your impact!

*We're a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Please consult your tax expert about the potential tax benefits.

Every gift, big or small, helps us bring new solar projects to life. Visit https://bit.ly/DonateEBL to donate today! ☀️

09/24/2026

Switching from fossil fuel power to solar isn't just about saving money. It's about cutting the emissions driving the climate crisis.

In Zimbabwe, solar water pumps keep water flowing for wildlife through extreme drought. In Puerto Rico, community centers run without diesel generators, even when the grid goes down. In the Peruvian Amazon, indigenous communities can communicate with each other to organize and defend their lands against illegal invasions. In Nepal, farmers water their crops with renewable sunlight instead of polluting diesel.

In each case, fossil fuel is being displaced. In each case a community is made more sustainable.

This is Part 2 of our series on the impact of renewable energy. Help us continue displacing fossil fuels, one project at a time — join us at the link in bio.

09/21/2026

Nine years ago, Hurricane María changed Puerto Rico forever.

Since landing on the island within weeks of the storm, Empowered by Light has completed 31 solar projects — from fire stations to children's homes to elderly care centers and community centers — helping communities keep power flowing when the grid can't.

Some images Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

09/16/2026

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center just announced that El Niño has a greater than 90% chance of becoming a very strong event this fall and winter, with a 75% chance of surpassing every El Niño on record dating back to 1950. Ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific are already running more than 3°F above average — and forecasters say the impacts could look different from anything we've seen before.

What does this mean? It's a hurricane season that behaves unpredictably, we’ve already seen an intense hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean. It’s above average temperatures, which made August the hottest on record. It's droughts, wildfires and floods that hit without warning. And Winter in the Northern Hemisphere is when it is expected to peak.

For communities already living on the frontlines of climate change, this kind of news isn't abstract. This is why we're committed to bringing them reliable, renewable energy, not only reducing emissions but keeping the lights on, water running, communications open and emergency services working. Resilient energy is climate adaptation in action.

Learn more about our work at: www.empoweredbylight.org

Image: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

09/11/2026

Earlier this year we were recognized with the 2026 Community Project award at the PR Energy Week Impact Awards for our project, El Pesebre community kitchen.

This project is close to our hearts. Working with the NJ Puerto Rico Commission, our team completed our 30th island project: a 6-kW solar system paired with 19.9 kWh of battery storage at the Ministerio misionero El Pesebres inc. center located in La Cantera, Ponce.

What does that mean in real life? Mass food refrigeration that doesn't spoil during outages. Reliable lighting. Power for medical devices and communication when the grid goes down.

As our Program Director for Puerto Rico and Latin America, Camilie Rivera-Dueno, put it: "It's special because it shows us that we're working in the right direction."

Click the link to watch the video and hear directly from Camilie about what this project — and this award — means for EBL and the community. https://youtu.be/bCVj8lp38Xg?si=aiwe1OiZF5gIgVyI

Huge thanks to Advanced Energy Group and everyone who made this recognition possible. This is what community resilience looks like.

Learn more about our work in Puerto Rico: https://www.empoweredbylight.org/puerto-rico

Celebrating the leaders, projects, and partnerships creating meanin...

09/05/2026

Today is the first-ever International Day of the World's Indigenous Women and Girls, a new UN observance recognizing Indigenous women as leaders, knowledge keepers, and agents of change in their communities.

At Empowered by Light, we see this leadership every day. Across our projects with Indigenous communities in the United States and the Amazon (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil), women are often the ones driving decisions about how energy access transforms daily life, including powering clinics, schools, and communication systems while preserving the land, languages, and traditions that sustain their Peoples.

According to the United Nations, indigenous women make up an estimated 185 million people worldwide, yet they continue to face steep barriers: limited access to healthcare, land rights, and paid employment, among many others. Investing in their leadership isn't just a matter of equity, it's essential to building a more sustainable and resilient future for everyone.

Learn more about our work with indigenous communities at: www.empoweredbylight.org