In a time where natural disasters are increasing in number and magnitude, innovation toward climate resilience is needed — and occurring — here in Santa Barbara. From powering tsunami sirens to keeping food pantries lit through the night, a local nonprofit is preparing to roll out a new energy system across the county.
Unite to Light, in partnership with local battery startup Dragon Q Energy and the James S. Bower Foundation, has selected eight sites for its first wave of PowerPole installations. The compact, solar-integrated systems pair photovoltaic panels with battery storage and internet connectivity, offering off-grid electricity in places that often lose power first when disasters hit.
“Many of these sites currently have little or no access to power,” said Megan Birney Rudert, Unite to Light’s president and CEO. “By providing clean, reliable energy, we’re enabling everything from emergency alerts to education and community services — and creating models that can be replicated around the world.”
The PowerPole has already seen action. As Independent reporter Callie Fausey wrote earlier this year, the system was tested in Malibu during the Palisades Fire, where it allowed residents to charge phones and connect to the internet when the grid went dark. At the time, Rudert described the deployment as “an unfortunate test case” that underscored the system’s potential in emergencies.
Now, eight Santa Barbara County sites have been chosen to host the first installations, which Unite to Light and its partners hope to have operational before year’s end:
- Goleta Beach and Jalama Beach: tsunami warning systems powered by solar, independent of diesel backup.
- Blue Sky Center (New Cuyama): power and internet for campsites and a flight monitor for the rural airstrip.
- Girls Inc. Carpinteria: 24/7 power for its food pantry and Resiliency Center.
- Sweet Wheel Farm (Summerland): energy for water ionization, tools, and electric bicycles.
- Safe Parking site (Santa Barbara): charging and internet access for people living in vehicles.
- UC Santa Barbara’s Sedgwick Reserve and Carpinteria Salt Marsh: backup power for research, education, and fire-season resilience.
“Reliable power is a game-changer for our community in Cuyama,” said Tara Saylor, resiliency projects manager at Blue Sky Center. “This project is about making Cuyama more resilient and more connected.”
For Girls Inc. Carpinteria, the impact is immediate. “Access to reliable power means our Resiliency Center and food pantry can serve the community at any time — day or night, even during an outage,” said Jamie Collins, the organization’s executive director.
Dragon Q Energy designed the PowerPole to withstand extreme conditions. “Seeing it deployed for everything from emergency alerts to sustainable agriculture shows how flexible and powerful this technology can be in protecting communities,” said Dan Casey, the company’s CEO.
The original plan, announced in January, called for 10 PowerPoles, which were originally projected to cost an estimated $7,500-$10,000 per unit. So why only eight? Rudert pointed to tariffs.
“PowerPole batteries are manufactured in China. There was a price increase,” she said. “We went back to the Bower Foundation and explained, but, out of respect for the donor, we decided not to ask for more money. At that point, we felt we could do what we needed to do with the eight poles.”
For Rudert, the bigger picture is important. “What makes the PowerPole project special is that it goes beyond providing energy — it builds resilience,” she said in an interview with the Independent. “Each site is carefully selected to keep critical services running during emergencies, and working close to home in Santa Barbara allows us to test and refine solutions that can then be applied around the world.”
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