Beach to Beacon taps solar generator built by two Maine companies

Courtesy / ReVision Energy An emergency portable solar power and water purification unit built this summer in Maine is stopping at the TD Beach to Beacon before shipping out to Puerto Rico to aid in ongoing disaster relief efforts. To date, ReVision has built and shipped three of the so-called 'Solar Outreach Systems' (SOS) to aid disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico. The fourth SOS unit, built by ReVision and Pika Energy volunteers here in Maine, will head out after the race.The unit utilizes a battery/inverter storage system from Westbrook-based Pika Energy.

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By Staff

As an expected 6,500 runners navigate Saturday’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, a solar generator built by two Maine companies will be powering operations at the finish line.

Loudspeakers and other equipment will use electricity from a “Solar Outreach System” designed and assembled by ReVision Energy, a solar equipment installer headquartered in South Portland, and Pika Energy, a Westbrook-based maker of solar energy storage products.

Next stop: Puerto Rico.

After the race, the SOS will be deployed to Puerto Rico to assist with ongoing disaster relief efforts in the wake of last year’s Hurricane Maria, the companies said in a news release. Three other SOS units, also built by ReVision and Pika volunteers, are already providing emergency power on the island.

Residents there are using the generators to charge cell phones and computers, and the SOS units include a water purifier to produce clean drinking water. Each unit, which can be towed on a car trailer, has floodlights to provide illumination in darkened communities.

Once power and clean drinking water are completely restored in Puerto Rico, the SOS units will be donated to Amurtel, a global disaster relief agency, the companies said.

ReVision and Pika will display their SOS at the Race Expo on Thursday and Friday, from 4-8 p.m., at Cape Elizabeth High School. The unit heads Saturday to the race’s award stage at Fort Williams Park.

The Beach to Beacon is an annual 6.2-mile race that draws elite runners from throughout New England and around the world. The race was founded in 1998 by TD Bank and Olympic gold-medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson.